38 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[January, 
of the current swindles have a direct reference to 
farmers. Hence it is not surprising that the first 
two humbugs the new year brings us are of 
an agricultural character. If any financial proposi¬ 
tions are made to you by strangers, or any circulars 
of money making schemes are sent you through 
the mails, you can set them down as being, with 
scarce an exception, frauds and humbugs. 
Frauds in Fertilizers 
have been so general, dealers often selling a poor 
or really worthless article at a high price, that 
many States have a law making it a penal offence 
to sell a fertilizer unless it is accompanied by an 
analysis showing its composition. We think that 
Pennsylvania has such a law; at all events there is 
a “ Fertilizer Co.” in that State which does not 
offer a fertilizer, but “rights” to make one. Its 
circular says: “ A farmer can have the right to 
make and use this Fertilizer on his own farm for 
the sum of $5.00. —This looks like a good thing to 
let alone. This “Co.” proposes to sell something 
which it does not own. The same circular says : 
“Application will immediately be made to the 
Commissioner of the United States and Canada for 
Letters Patent on the preparation.” If these are 
not granted, as most probably they will not be, 
what becomes of the “rights?” Every reading 
farmer knows that there are certain elements 
needed by plants, and the law protects him in 
the purchase of these. 
A Barnful of Engines, Mowers, etc., 
has been discovered in one of the remote wards of 
Philadelphia, concerning which is a history that 
may be told in brief. Three persons, formerly en¬ 
gaged in “mining” and other operations in New 
York, appeared in Philadelphia last spring. They 
divided forces, and the result was: “ D. W. Lee & 
Co.,” dealers in Lamps, Bronzes, Silver-Ware, etc., 
appeared in one street, and in another street “ J. 
A. Vail & Co.,” brokers and wholesale dealers in 
diamonds, jewelry, and watches, with much showy 
advertising in distant papers. The lamp business 
being dull, Lee & Co. became readers of agricul¬ 
tural and country journals. When fast horses, 
choice cows, sheep, poultry, or implements, or 
whatever could be turned into cash were advertised, 
a proposal came from D. W. Lee & Co , to buy, 
offering a note for sixty days. Many sent the 
articles at once, but if any asked for reference, 
it was furnished by Vail & Co., whose showy cards 
and letter-heads were often convincing. The stock, 
etc., received, was turned into cash as soon as pos- 
sicle, at any sacrifice, and often the worthless note 
was not sent in return. This concern 
Was Broken up by an Ohio Farmer, 
who had made a sale of fifty choice sheep to Lee 
& Co. Thinking the sheep would need care on 
the road, and not feeling full confidence in the 
purchaser, the Ohio owner concluded to deliver 
the sheep in person. Arriving in Philadelphia, the 
farmer found that Mr. Lee was absent, and in view 
of other suspicious matters he was advised by a 
friend, who knew Postal Inspector Barrett, to con¬ 
sult that officer. The upshot of the whole was, 
the farmer saved his sheep and the members of 
the firms of Lee & Co. and Vail & Co. were arrested 
for using the U. S. Mails to defraud. 
The Most Astonishing Result 
followed these events. It was discovered that the 
barn already referred to, as well as a large ware¬ 
house within the city, were filled with articles 
which could not be at once disposed of, affording a 
“regular mine” of articles from costly carriages 
and steam engines down to corn-shellers, etc. The 
astonishing part of the whole story is, that the ma¬ 
jority o£ these swindles, thought to be in the 
aggregate $30,000, were not practised upon unsus¬ 
pecting farmers alone, but upon some of the 
largest manufacturing establishments in the 
country. The list of victims includes the names of 
the best known makers of carriages, steam en¬ 
gines, flouring mills, steam pumps, stump-pull¬ 
ers, and others who could have satisfied themselves 
with the greatest ease as to the standing of the pre¬ 
tended purchasers. Of the three men arrested, one 
forfeited his bail of $2,500, and the other two were, 
at last accounts, awaiting sentence. The breaking 
up of this gang is entirely due to that excellent law 
preventing improper use of the mails, and for the 
repeal of which such strong efforts are made at 
each session of Congress. 
“The American News and Exchange” 
Is a new enterprise with Its headquarters at Cincin¬ 
nati. It proposes to collect—perhaps—news from 
every city and cross-roads in the country, and sell it 
to such papers as will buy it, paying the reporter 
whatever it may bring, less ten per cent. The con¬ 
cern is widely advertised and its circulars are dis¬ 
tributed in myriads, to those who would become re¬ 
porters. With each circular is sent an “ amuse¬ 
ment passport” a “transportation card,” and a 
blank application for membership. It is an easy 
matter for any one to become a member or reporter. 
He has*only to sign and return these documents— 
and enclose $3.—That seems to be the end and aim 
of this “ Exchange ” to give what appear to be 
“dead-head” passes to shows and to travel. In 
fact, the circular appears to lay more stress upon 
the “privileges and benefits ” resulting from these 
passports than upon anything else. As cards, they 
are well printed, but if one ever sees the inside of 
a side show to a circus, or rides further than the 
next station where he can be put off of the train, 
on one of these, we hope he will let us know it. 
In reading the documents of this Exchange, the 
scheme had a familiar aspect. Indeed, it strongly 
reminded us of another Cincinnati affair, the 
“American and Foreign Detective Agency” or 
some such title. As in this “ Exchange,” every 
one in that concern could be a detective, wherever 
he might be—and as in this case one can report 
“without interference with the regular business of 
the member,” so in that, there might be several 
detectives in one family each unknown to the 
other. While we do not know that the two are 
the same, there is a “ mutual ” character about 
them which suggests relationship. A Cincinnati 
writer gives an account of a visit to the office of the 
“Exchange,” where one of the “firm” was found 
to be a former manager of the “ Ozone Meat and 
Fruit Preserving Company.” This shows the 
“ Exchange ” to be well connected. Our advice to 
the many who have inquired about the concern is, 
to save the $3, and if they wish to travel or go to 
shows, pay their own way, and don’t join the army 
of “ dead-heads.” 
Free Prescriptions—Deafness. 
If Inman did not invent the free prescription 
dodge, he is one of the oldest in the business, and 
has had many followers. A prescription to cure 
“nervous prostration” and various other “re¬ 
sults,” is offered free of cost. When the prescrip¬ 
tion comes to hand, it is found to require various 
articles, the names of which are unknown to the 
drug trade ; or it may be that well known articles 
are prescribed, with directions for preparing them 
which are entirely unmeaning and intentionally 
blind. The difficulty in procuring the drugs or 
in mixing them having been anticipated. A circular 
sent with the prescription gently intimates that the 
sender can supply the real stuff at cost, which is 
invariably “costly.” This game is played with nu¬ 
merous variations, the last of which is 
Prof. Heinrich K.ugeler’9 Cure for Deafness. 
It is the old story. A chap was deaf—no relief 
until he went to Germany where old Kugeler so 
fixed him that he could hear—or as he beautifully 
puts it, could enjoy “ the pleasant sounds of ani¬ 
mated nature and the busy hum of life.” Kugeler 
taught the chap how to fix the stuff that cured 
him. Chap comes to America and scatters his pre¬ 
scription, which pretends to tell how to make the 
stuff, which to those familiar with such operations 
is amusing reading. Half the circular is devoted 
to showing how difficult it is to procure pure drugs, 
and even if these can be had, the cost of the ap¬ 
paratus and the difficulty of keeping it in working 
order are all against one. But relief comes in the 
announcement that the stuff may be had ready 
made for $2.30 “ the cost price of the drugs ”—The 
old humbug in a new dress. The assurance of the 
advertiser is shown by this statement “ This pre¬ 
scription will certainly cure any and every case of 
deafness—no matter how caused or of how long 
standing.” 
New Counterfeit Money< 
Counterfeit $5 pieces, so cleverly made, that they 
have deceived the most experienced bank tellers, 
are in circulation. These imitation pieces have 
the exact weight, and the perfect ring of genuine 
gold coin. They are made of platinum (which is a 
dead metal, and without ring, or nearly so), alloyed 
with the lighter metal, silver, which imparts the 
desired “ ring” to the composition. These pieces 
have an intrinsic value of $3.88. A counterfieit five 
easily detected, is the “ Webster Head,” 10—1875, 
letter C. This counterfeit has been in circulation 
about three years, and lately has been printed on 
imitation fibre paper. The points of difference 
between this note and the genuine, are the bad 
likeness of Webster, the square patch in the lapel 
of the coat, and the unshapely and badly arranged 
letters. Another counterfeit in circulation is a $5 
Treasury note, of Series 114. The date of the 
genuine is 1862 ; all others are counterfeit. 
Marriage Associations. 
A very active “industry ” in some of the South¬ 
ern States is that of the associations originated for 
promoting marriage. These associations solicit 
members, and offer the most enormous commis¬ 
sions. Some of them give the agent 90 per cent of 
the membership fee, and some pay the entire fees 
received by the agent for the first thirty days, or 
longer. One association, the “ Dixie Matrimonial 
Aid,” has a “Day ” plan, by which, on a certificate 
of so many thousand dollars, members receive so 
many dollars a day for remaining unmarried. Thus 
for $3,000, the daily payment is $3. Assessments 
are not more than six in each month, and are at the 
rate of $1.10 to $3 per thousand. Obviously, 
under this arrangement, celibacy would be its 
own pecuniary reward. One association, the 
“ East Mississippi,” offers the extraordinary 
inducements of allowing “a gentleman to take a 
certificate for his intended wife without marrying 
her a leaf, in fact, a branch of the “ No Name ” 
business. The “Daily Nuptial Guild ” offers $6 a 
day,as a premium on celibacy, while the “Royal 
Nuptial Guild,” and the “ Edvmion ” present their 
fascinating schemes, and all with one consent, pro¬ 
claim the fact, that there is no end of profit to the 
agents who undertake this work. How profitable 
this “ matrimonial insurance ” may be to the mem¬ 
bers is not so clearly set forth. But any scheme 
which offers $90 in returns for a single month, on 
an assessment of not more than $6.60, ought to be 
regarded with great suspicion. The whole thing is 
a curious illustration of the multiplicity and com¬ 
plexity of the schemes set on foot to make money 
in an easy way, and without work. That these as¬ 
sociations find hosts of members is not strange, 
when the gullibility of human nature is taken into 
account. Readers of the American Agriculturist 
need not be told that well-assorted marriages 
are best made by the parties especially interested, 
and that the intervention of guilds and associations 
is altogether unnecessary, and is indeed an affront 
to common sense. We do not hear that the associa¬ 
tions referred to have promoted immorality, but 
there is danger of wrong doing whenever a depart¬ 
ure is made from the customary and established 
forms that govern social observances. 
