86 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
[March, 
A Talk about Suadry Humbugs. 
Our suggestion last month has been so largely re¬ 
sponded to, that already (Feb. 12th) we liave a large 
basketful of letters, detailing the operations of swindling 
concerns. Most of these are from new subscribers, those 
who have not read our frequent warnings. There is 
abundant evidence that had tire Agriculturist been read 
in every family in the country, for a singie year, the ag¬ 
gregate saving in money paid to swindlers, would have 
far exceeded our entire subscription receipts for five 
years past. From the attention we have recently given 
to the subject, we think the daiiy receipts of these swind¬ 
lers range from Jive to ten thousand dollars a day ! We 
have the names of over thirty ditferent concerns, though 
several of them are run by the same individuals, under 
different names. Their circulars are scattered through¬ 
out the whole country, from Nova Scotia to California. 
By various, means, they have gathered the Post-Office 
addresses of perhaps two millions of persons ; and to 
these they are continually forwarding their ingenious 
schemes to trap .the unwary. It costs but four cents to 
prepare these documents and send them very confiden¬ 
tially as a post-paid letter ; and if the bait takes with one 
in a hundred, so as to bring them five or ten dollars, they 
make a large profit; for very few of them give even tlie 
smallest return for the money received. (And here we 
desire to say, in answer to sundry hints and inquiries 
from some subscribers, who wonder where tlieir names 
were obtained, that no one has ever had access to our mail 
books or list of subscribers, on any pretense, or for any 
purpose rvhatever. We have been so cautious on this 
point, that when referring to any correspondent, W'e give 
only his county, omitting his town and Post-Office, to 
save him the annoyance of receiving a host of humbug 
circuiars ; nor do we ever allow any kind of circulars to 
be enclosed in the Agriculturist. They get names from 
Post masters under false pretenses, and by special offers 
to persons who privately send (hem (he names of a 
hundred or more persons in a town.) 
One of the worst features of the business is, that the 
swindlers are .adepts at evading the laws. We have con- 
: lilted with the Mayor and our City District Attorney. 
We found Mayor Hoffman ready and anxious to do what 
he could, yet greatly trammeled by the want of specific 
haws to reach the cases of certain of these operators. 
For example, our State laws entirely prohibit dealing in 
lottery tickets, yet the dealers contest the application of 
these laws, claiming tliat their U. S. license is above 
State laws. This matter is in litigation and not yet de¬ 
cided. While waiting this decision, and the results of 
other efforts, we must do what we can to warn people ; 
and we beg our readers to talk over the matter, and get 
these warnings and exposures as extensively known as 
possible. For this purpose alone it would be desirable 
to have the Agriculturist still more widely circulated.— 
Show this page to the Post-master, and ask him to warn 
people ag.ainst sending letters to any of these names, or to 
others of like character or pretensions. Every Post¬ 
master would find it to his advantage to subscribe 
for the “ U. S, Mail,” a monthly journal, edited by J. 
Gayler, New York, and furnished at $1 a year. Besides 
its great amount of information about all Post-Office 
matters, it is severe on tlie class of swindlers operating 
through the mails. The Feb. No. contains an excellent 
suggestion to Post-masters about fraudulent concerns. 
All important Bill is now before Congress in reference 
to excluding these humbug circulars from the mails. It 
ought to pass at once.-We here group together a 
number of humbug operators: 
“Hayward if Co.”—The villain operating under this 
name, and sundry aliases, has done an extensive and 
successful business. We have letters concerning his oper¬ 
ations from alt over the counlry. Some time since we 
found him in a small room at 229 Broadway, in an upper 
story, with less stock than could be put into a carpetbag, 
aside from the immense numbers of circulars he was 
sending out witli tiie aid of clerks. Yet he has distributed 
a circular vN'ith his name emblazoned upon a picture of 
the whole front of the building, which is occupied by more 
than fifty business offices. Very few of the occupants of 
these offices even know tliat there is such a person as 
Hayward in the building. He pretends to have bought 
great stocks of watclies and jewelry of “ a large number 
of Importers,” etc., who have failed by the decline in 
gold. There iiave been no such failures.—For a time 
he offered tickets at 25 cents a piece, or less. Latterly 
he has sent the tickets at once, .pretending to have re¬ 
ceived the money for them. These tickets call for various 
articles, watches, diamond rings, chains, gold pencils, 
elc., etc., valued from $6 to $250 each, on paying $5.24. 
Sometimes, as a bait, he sends out gold pens, etc., where 
there are many to be caught. This takes, and back 
come a lot of $.5.24 letters, which .he pockets. UsuaJlj 
no answer can be obtained from him. He generally 
denies the receipt of these letters, but when sharply 
cornered, or caught by a registered letter, he pretends 
the money had been abstracted before it reached him, or 
(hat he has forwarded the article. He puts on a patron¬ 
izing air, and tries to avert suspicion by pretending to 
caution people against other swindlers. His dodges, as 
described to us in a multitude of letters, are “ too numer¬ 
ous to mention we cannot noi« answer further inquiries. 
D. W. Hammond ij- Co., 1G2 Montague-st., Brooklyn, is 
of the same ilk as Hayward & Co., probably the 
same party. The circulars are every'way alike, except 
the different headings, and address, of Hayward & Co. 
and Hammond & Co.—the type-setting, and orthography, 
and even broken letters showing them to be printed from 
the same type or stereotype. 
E. G. Horton, Danville, N. J., “ Manager of the Cali¬ 
fornia Manufacturing Jewelry Association,” is another 
like Hayward & Co., if not (he same. 
I. E. Loomis if Co., Warren, R. I., of the same class. 
“Dr. Freeman” and his “Journal of Science,” have 
been too often denounced as humbugs, to need more than 
the mere recording of his name in this list. 
Chidester ^ Co. belong to Dr. Freeman’s class of 
wonder-doing pretenders. 
Jason H. Tuttle, Flathrookville P.0,, N. J., imitates 
Hayward & Co., (if not the same party) ; but offers large 
things—Rosewood Pianos, etc.—for $2. VVe hear of 
multitudes taken in by him. An unmitigated swindler. 
Chester M. Wakeman, of Jersey' City or N. Y., started 
a “Mutual Protection Union,” a pure swindle, directing 
his letters sent to Danville, Me. ; but thinking be had got 
the Post-master there to assist him, he “caught a Tar¬ 
tar.” He uses fictitious names, etc., on his grand scheme. 
The Danville P. M. will attend to his case, if he will call 
there. There are three other scliernesof the same kind, 
differing only in some of (he names used. 
Everett E.Morgan,is one of those chaps we have often de¬ 
scribed, who offers to lie a ticket through a bogus concern. 
Of course he lies everybody out of money, who trusts him. 
IV. H. Morgan, same class as E. E. hloi gan. 
George Y. Hoffman, same class as C. M. W.akeman. 
James P, De Wolfe, same class as E. E. Morgan. 
Mr. H. H. Colfax, same class as E. E. Morgan. 
The above are a variety of the names used by a com¬ 
paratively few parties. They will, as heretofore, con¬ 
tinue to change name and P. 0. address from time to time. 
If our readers will cast aside every templing bait offered 
in printed circulars .and advertisements proposing to 
give any thing by chance drawings, or to furnish any thing 
at less than its legitimate value, there will be half a mil¬ 
lion at least, whom these swindlers cannot reach. 
Beware of “ No Ink Pen,” which don’t exist; of Pho¬ 
tographic apparatus offered cheap by unknowm parties ; 
of sending money for Maps to be published at some in¬ 
definite future time : of (Rev.) Jos. T. Inman, etc., etc. 
Lottery Tickets. — We can not, in these days 
of intelligence, greatly sympathize with those wiio lose 
money in any kind of lottery schemes. Yet we can 
not but pity those who suffer from any deficiency of 
judgment or discretion. If there were no such persons, 
we should cease to “have tlie poor always with us.”—We 
have received hundreds of lottery schemes, forwarded by 
subscribers. The following are among the most promi¬ 
nent operators at present, who, under the plea of a U. S. 
license, and other subterfuges, manage to ev.ade the 
laws. That they are successful, our observations at the 
Post Office delivery furnish abundant evidence. 
No. 1. Fletcher Bros,, Box 5549, P. 0., N. Y. City. 
No. 2. T. Seymour if Co., Box 4259, P. O., N. Y. City. 
No. 3. Hammett if Co., Box 2X00, P. O., N. Y. City. 
No. 4. A. Buck 4- Co., Box 232, Washington, D. C, 
No. 5. P. Hofman 4 Co., Box 224, Washington, D. C. 
No. 6. XV. J. Elliott 4- Co., Box 4G09, P. O., N. Y. City. 
No. 7. Egerton Bros., Box 4196, P. O., N. Y. City. 
No. 8. Thos. Boult if Co., Box 5713, P. 0., N. Y. City. 
These eight parties all use precisely the same printed 
lottery schemes, except that (he headings and signatures 
are changed to correspond with the several names. Each 
incloses a printed envelope directed to himself. Each 
sends a “ private and confidential ” lithographed letter, 
resembling a written letter. All these letters gre,atly 
resemble each other. No. 4 and No. 5 are exactly the 
same, except heading and signature. No. 1, 2, 3, 0, 7, 8, 
are essentially alike, except the names, and a little va¬ 
riation in the prizes—$2000 in one, and $1200 in the other 
two. No. 6 varies the form, talks about doing away pre¬ 
judices against Lotteries by getting for some one $5000 
(not a mere $1200 or $2000, but $5000 !) They all appear 
to emanate from the same mind, and all operate alike. 
An explanation of one answers for the whole. Thus: 
Hammett & Co. write to (he person addressed, (hat 
they are agents (with U. S. license) for a Covington legal 
lottery, and send gr.and scheipes for prizes ; that they 
want to do a large business, and that accidentally meeting 
the name of the addressed party, they were led to think 
him just the one to help them. They therefore offer to 
send him, for (he bagatelle of $10, a “ certifcate of a 
package of tickets,” (not the tickets themselves) “lucky, ’ 
for $1200 to $2000 : that from long experience they know 
how to select lucky numbers ; that they do this because 
the party receiving them is expected to show his prize to 
many, and make known the character of the said Ham¬ 
mett & Co. as sellers of lucky tickets, and they thus will 
get a large business, while the prize money will come 
out of the pockets of (he lottery managers. There is a 
lot more of stuff, such as the offer of other tickets free, 
inquiries how to forw.ud the money, etc., etc. 
It seems strange to many that there should be persons 
unsophisticated enough to bite at such a bait, yet there 
are, and it is the duty of those who are wiser, to do what 
they can to enlighten the ignorant and credulous ; to in¬ 
form them that these swindlers make the same “ private 
and confidential ” offer to every person in the same town, 
whose name they can get; that any lottery is a fraud, 
even if the chances are made equal, for from the money 
distributed large sums are deducted for expenses, profits, 
etc.; that if a lottery be fairly conducted, it is a fraud for 
any one to claim -the ability to select lucky numbers; 
W'hile, if not fairly conducted, every investor is likely to 
be defrauded ; that these “lucky agents” would keep and 
draw sure lucky tickets themselves. For example, would 
T. Seymour & Co., instead of keeping a ticket sure to 
draw $2000, be likely to send it to you as an advertise¬ 
ment of tliemselves, when (hey would have to sell in 
your neighborhood Thirteen Hundred $10 tickets, in 
order to realize $2000 as the commission of 15 per cent, 
on the tickets, to say nothing of postage, printing, etc.? 
Finally did anybody ever hear of a prize drawn by these 
“private and confidential” agents, who send $10 each? 
We have thus devoted unusual space to this subject, 
because it seems to be needed. Until we can get the 
strong arm of the law to crush these pests of society, who 
fatten upon the ignorance and simplicity of the people, 
we shall keep on uttering warning after warning. We 
have on hand and are constantly receiving accounts of 
other swindling operations, which will receive attention. 
Some of them are under investigation. 
•---»-<—^- s-a -- 
A Spools: into e, dwindling'' Sltop. — 
In (his city, and elsewhere, especially in large cities and 
towns where a new ffock of victims can be constantly 
secured, there have lately sprung up a great number of 
establishments, at w'hich are offered a lot of articles, all 
at $1 each, with a chance for a “ splendid prize ” thrown 
in. In order to study the modus operandi, we took a 
dollar (leaving the pocketbook behind for safety), and 
droppeii into one of these “ splendid prize ” shops, up 
Chatham-st. There was a fine array of silvered ware, tea 
sets, etc., all numbered and marked as prizes, with cases 
full of articles for sale at $1 each, and apparently fully 
worth that sum. We invested $1 in a “ Ridgewood Case,” 
the usual price for a well-made article being $2 to $5.— 
Ours probably yielded a profit at $1. But the “splendid 
prize ” was wliat we were after. A large box of envelopes 
was handed out, from which vve drew one containing 
ticket No. 232. That gave us a “ gift locket,” costing 
less tlian a one cent^and worth 0. (We noticed that 
out of 300 numbered prize articles, 200 were these 
“ lockets,” about 80 were other showy but valueless 
things, and -about 20 were things worth apparently from 
$1 to $50.) We were told that by paying half-price (50 
cents), we could draw again, and for effect, we showed a 
partial willingness to do so. While this was going on, 
two men came in, and each paid fifty cents for a chance. 
They both drew “ lockets,” and tried again at fifty cents. 
The second time one drew a pretty gilt bell, for which 
the operator immediately paid him $1, and the other got 
a fine silvered butter plate with ornamental cover, for 
which the operator paid him $5. They went on drawing 
rapidly, now lockets, then costly articles, and selling 
them back. They were apparently having grand luck, 
and making lots of money. They were of course “ stool 
pigeons,” to dazzle our eye's, and by means of privately- 
marked envelopes, and slight of hand in changing num¬ 
bers, got any articles desired. XVe received numerous 
invitations “ to try our luck,” but after learning enough, 
we left to write out this item. The above shows one of 
(he ways these concerns take in the unwary. 
■ m t M - 
€M1 SwliKlles. — All old comrade in the 
Agricultural laboratory at Y:ile College, who lias for 
many years resided in soulli-eastern Ohio, (except while 
absent in command of an Oliio regiment during llie war,) 
sends ns a familiar letter, from which, thougli a private 
one, we take the liberty to publish llie following extract; 
“_I think you were wise in excluding from the Agri¬ 
culturist all advertisements of oil companies. From my 
location, and olher reasons, I liave practically been 
obliged to study oil in its geological relations more lhan 
