Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1912-06-13
low CHEAP swINDLERs
Always Catch THE SUCKER


possibly the way people fall for the
schemes that swindlers are willing
to present to them. All of these men
operated for nearly thirty years.
They were known everywhere to be
swindIers. They always played the
old game that everyone could easily
recognize. Aid they made thous-
ands of dollars by the process. One
Of them was s. A. Potter and the
other two were Clay Wilson and
Charles B. Duncan. who were part
ners for the greater part OF their
swindlIng careers.
About year and a half ago Pot
ter worked the old, gray-bearded
gold-brick scheme on wealthy Eng
lishman. That was the scheme which
eventually landed him in jail. Potter
wrote from New York to his victim
to-be in England. and 80 alluring
were his representations that the
Englishman easily fell for the game
and even came to this country on
the strength of it, and gave Potter
several thousand dollars for brass
brick neatly gold plated and we'll
sailed western mine. When the
English victim finally came to his
right senses and saw that he had
been swindIed, he complained 10
Scotland Yard and Potter was fin
ally arrested.
Potter had a confederate during
the greater part of his career named
Starkloff. These two worked three
kinds of swindles. One, the Gross
roads swindle," has been practised
by them in ohin and Texas in ~
toIn number of ti,ies. They - ID
20 to farmer and agree to purchase
his farm at his own price. They
would tell him that they would pay
him in all cash, but that they would
absolutely have to have the farm
at a certain date, demanding that
he put up $1,000 with his lawyer
or any other reputable resident of
nearby town.
Everyone knows this fact. There
is scarcely human being in the
length and breadth of the country
who does not know chat he will
probably be swindled II he buys a
tract of land without seeing it. But
they are nevertheless falling over
each other today to purchase land
in Florida which they have never
seen with the firm expectation Of
making fcl tune out of the propo-
sition. 1t is an old game, Sc they
think it must be safe.
Here is the theory which has been
scattered the country over in page
ads at vast expense: A land of per-
petual perfection OF warmth and of
inexbaustible fertility, hitherto held
by wealthy men who selfishly would
not give up to the common people.
Now-for this reason or for that
the opportunity for the poor man
has arrived. Five and ten acre tracts
ON which any man can make HIS for
tune are being sold at ridiculously
low prices. 1t is the chance of a
lifetime. Grab it quick! You don't
have to see 1t. Throw your money
at us and come when you get ready. :"
Such proposition as that will
get the people every time. They
know perfectly we'll that any deal
couched in such terms is swindle
but they fail for it just the same.
Throw in some meaningless state
ment about the selfish rich man and
the people will crawl to you on their
knees to give you the last cent they
have. Tell them in plain words that
1t is the chance of lifetime and
the game is up; you have them lash
ed to the mast. OF course, they have
probably heard that hundreds Of
times, but that doesn't make any
difference; they bite just the same.
And what is the result? People
go down with bag, baggage and ba-
bies, with little money or none. and
are turned loose upon these tracts
in colonies literally by the tnous-
ands who had bitten at the first bait
been hooked and are sending money
In installments to pay for land
which they have never seen and have
but hazy notions about using when
they do see.
That's the most extraordinary part
Of the whole business. People buy
the land who have no use for land
and who wouldn't have thought Of
buying land had they not seen the
flaming ads, which below that you
can make $4,000 an acre in Florida
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