1861.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
7 
lice is an establishment (we hardly know its pre¬ 
sent name, it changes so often), which has had 
half a dozen branches, more or less, carried on 
under different names—the post office address 
is the same for a part, while other branches aie 
located in different streets. We know that one 
man pays all the printing bills for each of these 
concerns, while those receiving their circulars, 
would naturally conclude that they are distinct 
parties. This enables the same man to humbug 
the same individual under a variety of names, 
and with different schemes. Under the name 
of one firm, he offers one or more journals, with 
“ splendid prizes ” of various kinds. Under an¬ 
other name he proposes to furnish books of 
sundry kinds with numerous “ gifts ” to each 
purchaser. Under another name magnificent 
engravings are offered dog cheap, with one 01 
more gifts, and a chance at prizes of four to five 
hundred times the value of the small amount of 
money you are asked for. Valuable agencies 
are proposed to all who become his costumers. 
Under one name a catalogue of books was 
sent out through the mails, so plausibly worded 
that a multitude of persons were led to send in 
their money. Numerous complaints have come 
to us, that nothing could be heard of money so 
sent. We forthwith applied at the establish¬ 
ment for redress, and were coolly informed that 
there was such a man there a few weeks since, 
who merely rented a desk, but u he leit a week 
or two ago for Philadelphia, and we can tell 
nothing of his whereabouts.” 
Go into this establishment on any day, and 
you will see a number of persons industriously 
at work mailing private circulars by the tens of 
thousands to all parts of the country. It is cer¬ 
tain that patronage is received, or the business 
would not be continued. 
Such parties will continue their operations in 
some form as long as they can find dupes. 
The main root of the matter lies just here; 
many persons believe a dollar's worth of goods can be 
obtained for a dime. Sharpers play upon this be¬ 
lief. They promise great gains for little pains— 
a fortune for a dollar invested in a lottery 
scheme, a farm for a trifle, a gold watch for a 
song, and so on to the end of the chapter. They 
skillfully arrange their plans to meet the desires 
and raise the expectations of their intended 
dupes. They will continue the game in some 
form, until all learn the simple truism that no 
no man can make a living by doing a losing busi¬ 
ness. The expense of printing and distributing 
circulars by the hundred thousand, the risk of 
detection and punishment, in addition to the 
means of livelihood, must all be paid for. 
Whenever, then, a man advertises to furnish 
goods at rates greatly below their value, some¬ 
body must suffer—when he does it as a business, 
those who buy will be the losers; for the ad¬ 
vertiser can live only by swindling. So, then, 
no matter how plausible a circular may look, if 
it promises to give more than an equivalent for 
your money, it conceals a cheat; burn it with¬ 
out further examination, or use it only to expose 
the swindle, and put others on their guard. 
Here are a few examples of the operations now 
being carried on. 
GIFT ENTERPRISES. 
A firm in New-York, in their circular, which 
was received by one of our subscribers, profess 
to carry on a “ Great Newspaper and Periodical 
Enterprise.” They offer “ to furnish any week¬ 
ly or monthly journal at the regular subscrip¬ 
tion price, and to give to every subscriber of $2 
for publications, a handsome gift, worth from 75 
cents to $100.” Among the list of periodicals, 
for which they solicited subscriptions, we no¬ 
ticed the Agriculturist ; and having never author¬ 
ized them, or any other parties, to offer this 
journal on such terms, we proceeded at once to 
look up the establishment. Upon inquiry at 
the place to which their letters were to be di¬ 
rected, we were politely informed, that they had 
vacated the premises, leaving the landlord minus 
a month’s rent. The only notice they gave of 
departure, was by a note slipped under their 
landlord’s door in the night. What sort of gifts 
would such parties be likely to bestow ? They 
took in all the money they could get, until par¬ 
ties began to inquire after it, and then shut up 
shop—and are doubtless now operating some¬ 
where else under a new name, and in some new 
scheme. 
A CHARMING HOME FOR RIPE ! 
Who would not bite at such a bait? Are we 
not all working for this very thing by day, and 
dreaming of it by night ? But here lies a pam¬ 
phlet, issued by a firm in this city, giving a 
chance of securing one valued at $10,000, by the 
payment of only $1 ; also a chance for four 
fine farms in the state of Iowa, “ valued at ” over 
$5,000; also $50,000 worth of jewelry; also 
Ladies’ Needlework Collars ; also Linen Hand¬ 
kerchiefs, etc.; also ten first quality double- 
thread sewing machines; also many other things. 
The pamphlet contains a full description and 
engraving of the “ Charming Home,” and al¬ 
most pathetically appeals to the reader to send 
his dollar, and secure a chance. A long catalogue 
of books, engravings, magazines, etc., etc., is giv¬ 
en, which they offer for sale with the prices an¬ 
nexed. -They say: “We will present to each 
purchaser with every article of one dollar or 
more, one of our rich and valuable gifts, and 
one of the land certificates.” 
To make this more emphatic, and prevent any 
misunderstanding, they say in addition : “ The 
purchaser under our system receives : 1st. The 
article ordered. 2d. A gift, frequently of much 
greater value; and, 3d. The land certificate, 
giving him a chance of securing a charming 
home for life.” Only three pages further on, 
they say : “ We propose to sell... .any Book or 
Engraving in the American Market.... at the 
lowest retail price; and for any Engraving at 
one dollar or over, to give one of our rich gifts, 
or a certificate of one share in the Home and the 
farms, the purchaser to take his choice. Where 
no choice is expressed, we shall send the certifi¬ 
cate.” This appears to be not exactly “ on the 
square.” Again, supposing a purchaser to re¬ 
ceive his “ certificate of a share.” What use 
can he make of it ? Are the shareholders to 
draw for the “home” ? or is it to be divided and 
served out in small parcels? On this subject 
the pamphlet is silent. In absence of this nec¬ 
essary information, we conclude the “ certifi¬ 
cates” are worth the paper they are written on, 
and no more. Again, there is no limitation to 
the number of shares to be issued; the “ home” 
may serve as stock in trade for the concern for 
fifty years, for all that appears to the contrary, 
and if one hundred thousand dupes can be 
found, the proprietors will, in the course of 
time, make a “ nice little thing out of it.” 
But will not the jewelry, etc., promised, pay 
for an investment ? No. One of this very firm 
said in substance to a friend of ours, “ we al¬ 
ways know what article to send, and the value 
is in proportion to the amount of books sold. 
For a dollar, some cheap trinket is thrown in. 
If any one wants a watch, the order must be 
large enough to make it pay.” 
The whole thing amounts to just this; you 
may get what you pay for ; but the deceptive 
nature of the promises made by these parties, is 
not calculated to inspire unlimited confidence 
in their business transactions. 
We have dwelt at length upon this matter, 
from the fact that this firm are said to have cap¬ 
ital sufficient, and intend to extend their opera¬ 
tions throughout the land. It will be entirely safe 
for our readers to “ let them, and all similar con¬ 
cerns alone severely”—we shall not. 
Ths Lottery Swindle Again. 
Can it be necessary to say any thing more to 
the readers of the American Agriculturist, on the 
subject of Lotteries? We should certainly be¬ 
lieve nothing more was needed by our older 
readers, yet it may be well to occasionally note, 
a new dodge of the ticket sellers—partly for the 
benefit of new subscribers, and partly that the 
agitation of (he matter, and talking it over by 
our readers, may, perhaps, be the means of put¬ 
ting on their guard those of their neighbors who 
are not so wise, or so fortunate as to avail them¬ 
selves of the benefit of these columns. It is cer¬ 
tain that plenty of people are still patronizing these 
lottery dealers, otherwise they would not continue 
to send their circulars broadcast over the coun¬ 
try at so large an outlay for printing and post¬ 
age. We desire to do our part towards dimin¬ 
ishing their patronage. 
Let us premise, that no man who understands 
the working of lotteries, can be persuaded into 
investing his money in them. The victims are 
among those who are under the impression that 
these concerns are honorably conducted, and 
that they, do afford a reasonable chance of a 
large return for a small investment. The few 
cases of reported success, which are held up in 
such glowing colors by the interested parties, 
dazzle them, and they permit themselves to be 
led blindly into the snare. They forget that be¬ 
fore any chance at all is given to ticket buyers, 
the managers first secure to themselves a large 
sum for profits and immense expenses. They 
forget that for every case of reported success 
there are a vast number of unsuccessful buyers. 
But we cannot stop to discuss the subject—our 
present object is to notice 
The Latest Lottery Dodge. —We are in 
receipt of a great number of Lithograph letters, 
so well executed as to appear like genuine let¬ 
ters of hand. These have been sent to persons 
in various parts of the country, in most cases 
marked “private” or “confidential.” They 
purport to come from some “ Old, successful, ■ 
etc.,” ticket selling firm. The special tempta¬ 
tion is, that the writers of these “ confidential 
letters” profess to desire to send a magnificent 
prize to the persons addressed, so as to create a 
sensation in their several neighborhoods, and 
thus build up a future business there. Their 
letters are so worded as to leave the impression 
upon the recipient of the letter, that he, and he 
only, is selected to be the fortunate recipient of 
the prize in his own region. In one case we 
hear that nearly one hundred persons in a sin¬ 
gle town each received the same proposal, viz.: 
that for $20, a prize of $5,000 to $50,000 was al¬ 
most certain to be secured—and all for the pur¬ 
pose of getting up a future business in that lo¬ 
cality ! The prospective business to be derived 
from that town must be large, if to merely build 
it up, the lottery dealers can distribute five mil¬ 
lion dollars ($5,000,000) in prizes to the one hun¬ 
dred persons who will barely send $20 each, oi 
$2,000 in all. It is an unmitigated swindle. 
