The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-12-29
FAMOUS OLD FRAUDS WORKED BY MAIL One Schemer Made Fortune During Bicycle Craze AN OLD LAND SCHEME
  Sent Poor People to Arkansas Where They Developed Land for Noth ing-A Lawyer for a Medi-
 cine Company
AN OLD LAND SCHEME
From the New York Sun.

"Some of the saindles that were worked through the mails a decade ago wouldn't be attempted now" said an oid timer who was in reminiscent mood DO you remember Shat fellow who got away 15 years or so ago with not less than S200,000? He cleaned it up in less than six months during the bicycle craze.
 That fellow had considerable nerve and s8O,OO0 in cash as an asset. He must have had nerve because he spent every dollar of his $30,OOO before he got any returns.
 He fitted up suite of offices on lower Broadway and called his concern the Cut Rate Bicycle company. He made deal with large manufacturer In New England for 1000 high grade wheels for which he agreed to pay a manufacturing cost of s23.75 each and he paid S15000 cash in advance and put the balance in escrow against the delivery of his wheels. The manufact- arer contracted to supply him with as good q wheel as any that then re- tailed for $75.
 Pending the turning out by the fac ory of his 1000 wheels he and his clerks were busy compiling a list of bicycle crazed young men residing In all parts of the union. He advertised everywhere for young men to act as agents and offering to send absolute v free and by express prepaid sam pie wheel to use for advertising pur- poses.
 The best of wheels were then sell ing at S100 to S125 and the second grade at $60 to $S5, so when the Cut Rate Bicycle company offered a brand new S75 wheel for $25 and to send a sample wheel free to its agents the applications for agencies were received by bushels at time By fine system stic work just 1000 applicants in 1000 of the smaller cities were selected and, IS had been promised, every one of them received a free wheel, shipped express prepaid direct from the fac- tory.
 "The agents received letters author- izing them to accept 20 orders for the same style and grade .of wheel at $25.
 Cash was to accompany the orders. Every Tom, Dick and Harry on the job got from two to 20 orders with the cash and within a short time the Cut Rate Bicycle company's office was as busy as a beehive acknowledging orders and remittances and sending out letters stating that the great demand would cause little delay in delivery.
 Went to Egypt
 Well, the fellow who conducted the swindle held out just as long as he could and when he had orders for ap- proximately 10000 wheels and $250,000 cash in hand he lit out for Egypt, and he may be there yet for all I know.
 Then there was that chap who had no nerve at all, who advertised for cor Respondents for a dramatic paper and who answered all the applications by stating correspondents would have to be subscribers at $3 a year, payable in advance but that each and every cor respondent would receive pass for himself and friend at every theatrical performance in his town. This fellow mailed all his letters in one day from his little 6 by office, then he locked the door, which had a slit in it for mall to be pushed through, and hiSed off to the country for week. When he re- turned he could hardly push the door open, so closely packed were the let ters behind it.
 That spineless chap gave on long look at the stack of letters and fled. No one ever saw or heard of him again. The great success of his idea scared him out before he had time to real ize on it.
 "rhen there was that mean follow who advertised for men to collect week. ly installments for the largest install- ment book house in the world. When. the applicants letter was received he was sent a blank with space for the names of 10 references and was told to return the blank and 1 cents in postage for each reference, a 2-cent stamp to be used to write to the per son given as a reference and another to be put on the return envelope. Tbis fellow, as nearly as the postal author ities could estimate, had at least 20,- GOO victims and it is safe to assume he profted by % cents on each of them.
 That surety bond swindle was an- ~other scheme to get money out of poor young men seeking employment. The way this was worked was by having . fake mercantile agency in New York and as fake bonding company in Phil adelphia.
 The mercantile agency advertised for district representatives and every ap- picant received a favorable reply and was to be engaged on condition that he furnish a $1000 fidelity bond. This could be obtained by the applicant from the Philadelphia bonding company for