The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1912-04-19
Takers GET
MILLIONS
Every Year Declares Post
master General.
~'Promoters'" Schemes Cover
Every Possible Phase Of
Industry.

General Hitchcock, the bane of fake
mining promoters and other getrch-
quick artists, estimates that the people OF
this country, during the past ten years.
have been robbed of 100000,
through fakes of every kind, patent
medicines, mining. real estate and
reclamation projects. The Postmaster
General estimates that the American
people are the most credulous people on
the face Of the earth. While Mr.
Hitchcock refrains from putting his
thoughts into words. he nevertheless
comes to the conclusion that the Ameri-
can people will take chance at any
thing.
AS a result of a years crusade against
the get-rich-quick schemes, who have
been using the United States mails in
the consumation of their nefarious
schemes. Mr.. Hitchcock says that. a
distinct type of criminal has been devel-
oped. During the last year, he says.
the American public has been swindled
out of nearly s77.OOO,0O0. The schemes
used by the promoters, cover every
possible phase of industry and business
life, from the gale of a single fake article
of a medical character to prodigious
mining scheme, we'll figured out on paper
and existing only in the mind of the
promoter
BIG COMMERCIAL HELP.
The crusade conducted by Mr.. Hitch
cock against these takers hasi been a grea
commercial help to the country. in one
case, single fraud operator or combina-
lions of operators manipulating railroads
bills of lading and acting agents for
s2,5oo,0o0 from foreign cotton buyers
and at the same time destroyed the credit
and confidence in the mediums of realiz-
ing upon the offering of cotton in the
market This was done through bogus
bills of lading sent through the medium
of the United States mails.
These wealthy fraud artists, Mr..
Hitchcock says, invest their money in
legitimate enterprises and many OF
them consequently become promoters
Of banks, owners of manufacturing
plants and ohetr wealthy and influential
organizations. Because of their posi-
tion and high station in life, it is
difficult matter to convict them, as
their resources appear to. be unlimited
PROMOTERS ARRESTED.
However" the Postmaster continues,
"during the past year more than a regi-
ment of these promoters have been
taken into custody by the United States
Government, their business disrupted
and nearly 200 of them convicted with
in six months on charges of fraud.
Among this number are some eight or
ten millionaires who are serving terms
Of Imprisonment in Federal peniten-
tiaries.
cock. cit has been the policy of the Post
office Department to utilize what is
known as the fraud order, directign the
postmasters TO refuse to deliver mail ad-
dressed to these nlegitimate concerns
The order must be applicable to some
pecial organization or individual I'M
mediately upon the issuance of the order
the enterprising schemer recognizes the
same scheme under a new name, uses,
with slight change, practically the
same literature. retains the old mailing
list, and in many cases is doing business
at the same old stand.
DRIVEN OUT OF BUSINESS.
1.-The crusade conducted by the de-
partment against the operators has been
pursued and has resulted in
large number Of the smaller
operators, who usually become frightened
at the attitude of the Postoffce Depart
driven out of business entirely.
These promoters can hardly be es-
timated. Some two thousand complaints
have been received at the Postoffice q
Department, but the limited corps of q
officers who are engaged in ferreting out .
.hese criminals enables the department
10 reach only some five hundred of them i
per annum. 1t may be estimated with /
n reason that these frauds exceed $780,
10000 annually This enormous q
amount Of money is taken from that !
class Of people who can III afford to lose S
t; people who work on salary basis. I
orphans. school teachers min
sters and, in many instances, persons {
with the army. enjoying d
'oSitions of life tenure. \
FEW COMPLAINTS MADE.
Zone of the most peculiar features Of
he fraud business is the Discrimination \
n the part Of the public 10 make COM 4,
laints. The average person would
ather forget the investment of the x