The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1917-04-12
Easy-Money Fakes
By Frederick J. Haskin

blOii II OlA- Gil OOSCulG SIN III III ISdOlLB
something like this: ITO introduce ard
advertise our ready-to-wear goods in
the least time, we give to any one com
plying with conditions herein stated one
1916 model skirt petticoat. retailed at
$3.50. give SIZE of band, length of
skirt and color wanted.) Make five
copies Of this and send to five different
friends. Then mail their names to the
National Order Broker, Globe Building,
Minneapolis, Mimi, and you will re-
ceive a silk petticoat. Enclose 10 cents
to cover the cost of wrapping and post
age"
While the Offices of the mysterious
National Order Broker, dispenser of
silk petticoats, were closed within two
wees by the United States postal
authorities, the letters, once set in
motion by some member of the trust
ing public, are still going on. Women,
young, old and middle aged through the
entire country, are still trying to take
advantage of this remarkable opportun-
itY to get silk petticoat. One woman
even confesses she wrote for the very
largest size in skirts, so that she, being
small woman, might cut it up and
make two out of one. She was very
much disappointed when her letter
came back to her,
Apparently only few Of the re-
cipients of these chain letters suspect
ed the validity of the offer, and the ma
jority of these were men, who, having
no interest in the wearing apparel Of
fered, were able to regard the matter
with an unprejudiced mind and quickly
pointed cut its flaws to the nearest
postal authorities. But on the whole
the trustfulness of the public in mat
ters of this kind Is almost incredible.
Here the swindle was for only small
sum-10 cents-but there are hundreds
of such cases on the postoffice records
in which the investment is anywhere
from $40 to S25,
1t used to be much worse before the
government stepped in. Half the mail
of the country was made up of fake
circulars and letters, until it got so you
felt disappointed if you didn't receive
at least three mining frauds and a
couple Of lottery notices in the morn
ing mail. But when several of cur
most eminent statesmen were induced
to buy shares in an agricultural pro-
ject which existed only on emblazoned
note paper Congress rose up in wrath
and passed law making it prison Of
fens to send such offers through the
mail. Even so, however, it keeps the
government postal authorities extreme
ly busy tracking down violations Of
this law.
The Postofice Department has a
secret service bureau of 42O in
Guiding some of the best trained de-
tectives in the country. Experience,
expert judgment, strong nerves, keen
eyesight and sort of sixth sense which
warns him when new game is about
to be ''pulled," are some Of the re
quisites OF postal inspector, but there
are many others. He must know the
principal criminal of all the large cities,
their personal characteristics and their
methods of work; he must know the
"fenses" men who BUY the criminal
goods; he must be an expert account
ant, so as to detect discrepancies in
postal accounts, and he must be a man
of some imagination, tor his work is
primarily with the imaginative and
intelligent criminal.
The silk petticoat fraud offered the
public too much. But here is a scheme
of a more difficult order: Some time
ago firm known as the International
Lumber and Development Company
was organized. with the ostensible pur-
pose of bringing to high state of cul-
ture 20. 200 acres of land in Mexico.
There were many well-drawn maps to
shcw just where the land was situated;
the promoters were apparently we'll
educated enterprising business men,
who made their representations in just
the proper tone of confidence and en-
thusiasm, and the certificates of stock
were executed in the best possible
style, with special clauses concerning
the permission of the Mexican govern
ment. Over 1000 persons in all parts
of this country, Europe and Canada,
bought these certificates of stock, and
the promoters collected approximately
$4,000, 900. They also went to the pen
itentlary, escorted by the inspectors of
the Postoffice Department.
Fraudulent stock schemes are, of
course, the most popular form of
swindling in this country. Out of the
$40, 900, 900 swindled out of the public
every year, it is safe to say that at
least $50, 900 is obtained through bogus
stock companies. And the most I'M
fortunate part about it is that the VIC
tins are not the affiuent or the people
who make money easily, but usually