The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1920-11-27
GET RICH QUICK
is OLDEST BAIT
Hope Of Getting Something for
Nothing Springs Eternal in
Human Breast.
MANY WILD SCHEMES TRIED
Story of Romance, Hardship and Vic.
lencs, Of Adventure, Despair and
ouIlibility, With Sudden Trips
Abroad Made by Promoters.

GuIlibility, With Sudden Trips
Abroad Made by Promoters.
Bost0n.-Ever since the beginning OF
things men have been trying in one
fashion or another 10 achieve their
fortunes over night, TO recover the
Midas touch OF the fabuist, TO get
rich quick"
Sometimes they have succeeded,
Sometimes they have nurured their
hopes only 10 come back to hard re-
allty with a hard bump. Sometimes
In their haste they have been swInded.
From the days OF the sailing OF
Jason upon his long quest Of the
Golden Fleece, from the times OF the
alchemlsts of the middle ages. who
puttered out their lives among dusty
tones, seeking with tired but hopeful
eyes for the key TO the enigma Of sud
den weaIth--the touchstone which
should transmute lead to gold--io the
days Of mushroom fortunes in Inter
national reply coupons" isn't such a
far cry after all, James Fl. Powers
writes In the Boston Globe.
It is a story OF romance and hard
ship and violence. Of adventure and
despair and sometimes absurd guilt
bility and sudden trips abroad made
by promoters with gripsacks stuffed
with cash.
Mad Rush for Gold.
In America the story really begins
with the mad rush across the prairies
and the mountains In 40 TO tile gold
! fields OF California. There had been
other gold hunts" before this, but
none OF them developed such nation
al fever as resulted from the announce
ment OF This discovery Of nuggets
weighing as much as half pound
apiece" that percolated through the
East and started that famous uproar.
Enthusiasm rose to unbelievable
heights. Families started out from
Massachusetts New York and other
eastern seacoast states without even
bothering to sell their houses. By
horseback. farm wagon nn1 by ship
the migration got under way. Parties
OF prospective millIonaires chartered
schooners and sailed NIL the way
around the Horn in their excitement.
And upon the iretlna Of the Inner
eye OF every one persisted the dream
picture OF marble hHlls," and a
-'span." and the Imagined luxury OF
doing nothing In particular, while
obedlent lackeys lowered about for
ever after, like the genb Of Aladdln's
lamp. awaiting orders. sa
The California gold rush enriched
thousands, though nj the price OF vast
hardship aud sacrifice. Thousands Of
others II ruined, when they became
stranded IN wilderness, 5000 miles
from settled civilization, on their ~
fated claims. The best thing about
It wasn't the wealth II produced al
all, but tie fact that Il began the
definite expansion of the United
States.
Capt. Kidd and the Kiondike.
Something for nothing" many
years later, drew thousands more
Americans down in the Oklahoma ter.
ritory when the government an
nounced that It would permit home
steads to he rushed" on certain
date All the man who wanted tC
become n property holder had to dc
was TO he on hand when the sigma
was given.
Government officials lined of the
start, MS II II we're a $40 yard dash Of
today. Fences were built and every
claimant had TO be behind the bulwarb
ready. Then, at a given signal. dowr
went the barriers and the swarm Of
fortune hunters piled into the plains
pellmell. to stake their claims and be
gin their new careers, and be happy
ever after.
So. too. in the latter part Of the
last century, when the Nondike be
came word OF magic. Just as In The
days OF 40, there was a wild rush FOL
gold. the prospectors being. IN thC
main, men who were doomed to fail
ure, although hundreds OF them wor
from the frozen rocks aud river beds
the fortunes upon which not few
American families bn'se their ablit!
to purchase a new seven passenger
car every year.
One OF the oldest and the most per
sistently attractive lures Of colder
affluence that awaits the fortunate Il
the mythical buried treasure Of Capt
Kidd, the pirate, familiar to ever!
sohoolboy and to the sehooboys o
Boston in particular.
For the two centuries or more tha
have elapsed since Kidd swung at tn,
gibbet in Execution Dock, England
expeditions have been contlnuousl.
gotten up with the purpose Of dndnl
his buried booty. All that has beer
recovered to date has been abou
100000, most OF which was found n
one end of Gardeners island. The MI
merous search parties, according (,
some estimates, have spent total o
about $700.OO0 In the effort.
To Pay SO Per Cent Year
Along with the popular quests 70
"gold In the raw" or IN hidden caches
there have also been scores of cleve
schemes for enrlching people throug
marvellous "new" discoveries an
through manipulation. Massachusetts
has had It's full share OF such yer
lures In the last haIf century. an