Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-12-03
HASKIN,S
LETTER
FLEECING THE GULLIBLE
By Frederic j. Haskin

Dec 3:-When
the late Mr.. Barnum went on record
as saying that the birth rate of the
gullible is one every minute he
neglected to add hat two future
gold brick artists are born at the
same time. At least that is the i'm
preston conveyed by q glance at
the records of the post office de-
partment pertaining to fraudulent
schemes operated through the mails.
Picturesque rascals is the onlv
term that describes adequately many
of the men and women who thrive
on %chicanery and broadcast through
the mails written and printed false
hoods that draw from the public's
pocket millions of dollars annually.
DR.. Cook of North Pole discovery
scandal is a personality. With that
asset and some worthless oil leases
he disposed of 100000 shares of
equally worthless oil stocks. In re-
Spouse to his misleading literature
! a deluge of gold poured in upon
him. The hard-headed and the
credulous the se~lf-regarded careful
investor and the trustful widow who
| sold the carpet off the floor and in
vested the proceeds, all responded
promptly to the siren call of get
| rich quick. And all were fieeced
| alike by the former Arctic traveller
who was exploring successfully
Americas pocketbook.
l. = y .
Nearly everyone knows that buy
ing oil stock without thorough in
vestigation of the company offering
it for sale, especially when large
dividends are promised, is the surest
way of being swindled. Neverthe-
less the sale of this stock does not
appreciably diminish, and would in
crease by leaps and bounds if the
post office department did not wage
an ~unceasing warfare upon the I'M
Scrupulous.
How lucrative this Illicit business
has become is illustrated by the
cas of a clerk who gave up his po-
sition and opened In oil office. Pur-
chasing eighty acres of land for
$4,000, he cut it up into lots twenty
| feet square and sold them through
| out the country on the representa-
ton that he would drill an oil well
on the tract. He actually did spend
$4,000 in drilling a well, knowing
hat there would be no yield of any
value. His entire outlay was So
900 and his profit over 100000. His
next operation was not so conserva-
IlNSs PCtVUO. " WOlLI VI NaldOlNFoo
stock being disposed of to Mr.. Bar
NUNS Simple Simons.
1t is noteworthy that those who
invest and lose their none in
fraudulent schemes are prone to
succumb to the wiles of the next
cheat who approaches them. This
fact is well recognized by sellers of
wild cat stocks who exchange what
they designate as sucker lists.
. =
Every sphere of human activity
has it's W set of knaves. The field
of education is no exception. In the
shadow OF our National Capitol a
self-styled university" was until re-
Gently engaged in the very profit
able business of selling degrees. No
body having the necessary cash need
deny himself the qualification of
being an M. d. or a Phi. d. Other
titles were equally easy to acquire.
Why not. indeed, be a master" Or
a doctor?
These so-called degrees meant
| nothing whatever in the professional
or educational worlds, but not all
of the graduates" who secured
| their sheepskins c. o. d. were aware
of that fact. This was especially
true of students" in foreign
tries who were led to believe that
this institution was of good repute
in college circles of America. Many
such We're misled by statements that
| degrees won by writing a discretion
and paying a stiff fee would be
recognized by our bona fide univer-
sites.
Ten yards of silk for a dime.
Beautiful high grade silk suitable
fnr ta,aIyfnn shirt waists onH other
fancy things. At such a price, what
oma could resist the impulse to
send in an order? Picture her
| chagrin when in return she was fur
nished with thirty feet of silken
thread. Clever, deceptive and dis
| honest; and so it was declared by
the post office department.
Those engaged in mulcting the
public may be woefully lacking in
conscience, but they are unquestion-
ably intelligent and keen. and well
acquainted with the weaknesses of
human nature. They are well aware
that opportunities to evade the pro-
| hibition law are eagerly sought by
many. A well planned, carefully
worded confidential communication
was sent to tired business men from
a Canadian address.
This missive contained the i'm
| portant information that for a spec
ial Introductory price the writer
would guarantee delivery to any
spot in the United States" in plain
sealed original package, nothing
added or taken away, twelve full
| quarts of pure Canadian rye. the
beverage of our grandfathers'
Many thirsty gentlemen pushed their
orders to this oasis of the north.
! When in due course the packages
! arrived, they were found to contain
twelve full quarts of pure Canadian
roasted rye grain, suitable as q sub
1 stitute for coffee.
The ~cure-all patent medicine has
been ridiculed in prose and verse
| in printed cartoons and moving pic
! lures for many years, Despite TINS
| campaign of enlightenment, litter
ate quacks and shyster physicians
are still reaping. rich harvest from
the sale of such eoncoctions as olive
oil. alcohol and water guaranteed to
cure any and every disease that
afflicts humanity.
One exploiter of the easily duped
claimed that the Lord instructed
him lust how to compound his
formula. He asserted that not only
would it cure cancer tuberculosis
curvature of the spine, and other
dreadful Affections, but that IN ad-
dition II would grow new eyes ano
restore sight to the blind. over
s2OO 600 a year was added to his
hank account through the sale oil
this stuff before the post office de-
partment put an end to his actlVl-