Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1912-10-16
The COrrector of DeStinieS
Being Tales of Randolph Mason as Re Ited by
His Private Secretary, Courtland Parks
The LAND PIRATE
BY Melville Davisson Posi-
copyrlsht o. Edward ]. clode

Reforms. it would seem, only cause
the devil TO change his clothes. Inc
advance Of civilization Is a progress
in disgaises; the agents by which the
Emperor of the Hoof carries on his
gentle arts are always costumed ap-
propriately to the times, bat the
agents themselves remain the same
For example, would you find again the
hooters. hanged so long ago at
the yard 2rm. you have but 70 look
closely at the financial literature that
floods the mails.
Kidd. Morgan, and Stede Bonnet or
the Barbadoes are not dead. In any
city Of America. they are living
though the scenery about them has
been reset. The sloop Of eight guns
has been traded for a north office In
a sky-scraper. and the cutlass has
gone In pledge to the printer 1t is
a trick OF costuming but the busi-
ness Of the play is quite the same
the doubloons, the pieces of eight are
still TO be had from the hold Of the
merchantmen.
The wonder Of these financial ven
lures. so glaringly exploited, is that
the public is deceived Ny them. The
impossible profits offered ought to be
a sufficient warning. but 1t Is not. II
is, in fact, the brightest spot of the
lure If one cannot go himself on the
quest Of an colorado, he will send his
dollar 1t is the old spirit of adyen-
ture at work again for these gentle
men OF the seas.
Usually, the man OF average sense
can instantly put his finger on the
fraud hidden under the gllttering
promise: but now and then one comes
across a so-called financial PROPOSE
ton so fair. so set about with unques'
tionable safeguards. that the keenest
scrutiny cannot discover in II pos
sibility of loss These are the schemes
Of the great masters disguised sloops
OF Kidd. Morgan and Bonnet
found such 8. scheme one day In
a letter among my mail. and laid 1t
on my table under the ink.pot. It ran
in this fashion:
The Bank holds the money The safest
proposition ever offered tn investors. We
are placing on the market blocks Of stock
OF the Union Consolidated OH Company
under these unparalleled conditions. You
deposit tho amount OF your subscription
10 your own credit Ia the Driiler's Bank
81 Plttsburg. certificate Of deposit is
issued 10 you ia your name and held by
you You also get the stock certificate.
You keep both exclusively in your own
possession. We ask only that you turn
over to l;4is Company the certificate OF
deposit issued you by tho Bank when
the oil Company has paid To you. I'm
dividends on your stock. "a sum equal TO
the amount OF your Investment This is
the only stock ever offered IN any market
which Ia not subject TO loss. You keep
your money safely on deposit with one
~ the groateat banks III America and, al
the same time, make the sort Of invest
Tnent out 81 which John u. Rockefeller
became The richest man In the world
Write today for our detailed plan.
The Union Consolidated OH Company.
T5-si-lo2 Iron Bldg, Pittaburg, Pa
| was held and puzzled by this strik-
ing proposition. II seemed 20 be
drafted with an eye only to the pro
lection of the investor II it had fail
ed to name the bank in which the
funds were to be deposited or had
named one Of lower standard |
should instantly have doubted its
good faith, but the Driller's bank OF
Pittsburg was we'll rated It had a
capital of FIVE mitions; its stockhold
ers were. for the most part. men who
had made fortunes In the oil fields OF
western Pennsylvania II was natural
~ the bank which such company
would select. Where then was the
flaw? What advantage did such u
plan offer to this company? The
money was not paid to 1t. but TO a
responsible bank on deposit to the in
vestor's credit; the company could
not get It, The money would be re
turned by the bank. unless an equal
sum were paid by the company to the
stockholders IL would, indeed be diff
fcult TO devise a safer scheme Al
most any one would speculate under
such conditions: Il was removing the
element OF chance nom the game. and
vet here evidently were large sums
expended in exploitation. Surely a
deception was hidden somewhere
there. SO the circular fascinated me
like a page OF puzzles II lay under
my eye for a week. then J dropped il
into a pigeonhole OF the desk.
Two years later Captain Roger shell
ton called to see Randolph Mason
have rarely met a man SO aptly cast
Tor his part as this Captain shelton,
Hs was tall. someW hat uneveuly fat
tened clothed in light worsted with o
style Jf coat proyinciany called cut
away" always kept Suttoned. a tor
he! and very shiny patent feathers
His eyes were alert and his speech
rapid and persuasive His mouth
however. was loose in the under lip
the real Captain Shelton flying there
mis- signal His manner tended quick
ly 70 establish relations of amiablt
fellowship; he strove for that with q
certain breezy frankness
Some one on lower Broadway haC
sent h.s:. % Randolph Mason. lie re
quired little assistance he explain
cd, Of a business l2ther than of ;
legal nature He had struck a har,
place in trade II he could get eve
81 his fortune was established
The captail seemed an ideal pre-
meter lie strove. with no slight eur
ning. to inform himself through IN,
about Randolph Mason he led 10 bt
queries always by two roads, like
commander OF infantry when on
was found guarded he crossed Quicb
~ to the other I think. too that hi
knowledge Of men was fairly sccurat,