The Dillon herald. [volume] (Dillon, S.C.) 1894-????, 1920-10-07

travelling man.
Where can 1 get some of that
California Ranching Stock" he
asked.
! Better 60 back and try the bond
department" replied the Information
Lady with a merry twinkle IN her
eyes.
He actually went back and tried to
get some of the stock.
He explained that he took a flyer
in everything that was offered, and
he thought he would get in on the
California Ranching Company deal.
Then a theatre manager inquired
about the stock. He was looking for
a chance to turn an honest nickel
into an honest dollar overnight, and
the venture appealed to him.
Finally a plainly dressed Irishman
with the native brogue in his tongue
approached the information desk
with the query:
Cant somebody here tell me
what this window poster
means? l can't get near enough to
read all of it, but what l have seen
looks all right"
"Oh, that isn't anything" respond
ed the young lady. 1--WE have other
! stocks that you would like better"
! But 1 don't want any other kind
of stocks. 1 want to put my money
into a live stock company, something
like that advertised
Others came forward to ask ques-
had fn cfQn
back. Finally he went out very
much peeved because the bank
would net give him an opportunity
to invest his money in "live stock
company"
One of the bond statesmen with a
very red face came in bursting with
laughter. After he had quieted down
and become coherent, one OF his fell
low statesmen remarked:
Tell us the joke, so the rest OF us
can laugh"
Its that rat and cat stock offer
Ing out there in the window. Some
of my clients are actually taking it
seriously"
After listening to the foregoing
incidents and more like them, went
after Baker.
"Is it possible" 1 asked, THAT the
people who inquired about that cat
and rat stock were really serious?'
1T sounds unbelievable, but it is
true" he replied. I'VE were all sur
prised at the effect of the advertise
ment. My idea in getting up the
window display was to show some
thing extremely ridiculous that no
body would believe it. And you
know the result. l am more firmly
convinced than ever that some sup
posedly smart people are quite gull
BILE, and tnat they will invest money
in almost any kind of wildcat
scheme if it promises quick returns
for a small outlay"
do you think that state of mind
is quite general?" asked the writer.
ITO use a common phrase, is the
sucker list an extensive one?
There is no doubt about it, Ba-
ker replied. otherwise there would
not be so many wildcat propositions,
and so many fy-by-night statesmen.
According to Houston Thompson.
Federal Trade Commissioner, the
America npeople squander $5OO,OOO,-
600 annually in wildcat investments.
Anxiety to attain financial independ-
ence too often induces people of linz
tied means to yield to the glittering
promises of extraordinary reward Of
fered by unscrupulous promoters.
Let ME tell you about an estate
recently settled in New York. The
supposed value of that estate was
S9,0OO,00O, but 498 out Of 552 in
vestments were found to be worth
less. The decedent was shrewd
business man, but he took long
chances and lost enormous sums OF
money. There are many such cases,
among which l recall Chicago wo-
man who died very recently, leaving
all estate inventorled at 100000.
Include din her holdings were s21O,-
600 in stocks and $4,000 in bonds,
which proved to be dead loss. II
these individuals, experienced in
financial affairs, lost heavily through
improper investments, can't you
imagine how susceptible must BE- the
average. inexperienced man or wo-
man?
Just think of the people who
have sd, iced their Liberty bonds,
More than a third Of a billion dollars
OF American sowing have h"cc CO