1883 .] 
545 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
One thoroughly conversant with professional swind¬ 
lers, not long ago stated in conversation that the Amer- 
■ican Agriculturist was rapidly killing them off. While 
this, to a certain extent, is true, these rascals who live 
by imposing on the unsuspecting, are constantly resort¬ 
ing to,new means. Always be upon the alert for them. 
J, Golilsmith & Swindlers. 
James A. Price, Mount Vernon, New York, sends us a 
batch of documents which he has received from the 
“Royal New Brunswick Distribution of Cash Gifts.” 
Tiiey are signed by “ J. Goldsmith & Co., Stephens, N. 
B., Canada.” We have repeatedly exposed in these col¬ 
umns the swindlers at St. Stephens, who endeavor to 
•victimize the unsuspecting. Last April we devoted 
nearly a whole page to them, presenting illustrations of 
the coupons, etc. Again Hi June, we fully ventilated 
this J. Goldsmith & Co., wnoever that may mean. If 
the readers of the American Agriculturist will carefully 
peruse the Humbug column, they will find the various 
lotteries and other swindling schemes exposed from 
time to time. 
Tlie Woiulei’l'iil Tree fl5ea.su of 
Mexico. 
It is noteworthy that ail the wonderful seeds offered in 
late years have been advertised from some small west¬ 
ern town. Formerly, the headquarters of astonishing 
wheats and other grains was in a small Tennessee vil¬ 
lage. This “Tree Bean” is advertised from a small 
place in Wisconsin. Having spent considerable time in 
Mexico, and become familiar with its products, it is a 
little strange that we never came across this “Wonderful 
Tree Bean.” If any reader has tried it, please to send 
ns a pod, and, if not too late, a leaf. While we suspect 
what it is, we wish to make sure before exposing what 
we believe to be a humbug. 
•‘•If you. wish to I.ive Well, ISe Well, 
and Keep Well,” 
We should say, if you wish to be well, let all quack 
medicines alone, especially that of “Doctor” Dutton. 
Here is a most remarkable circular, with “ picters,” set¬ 
ting forth the many virtues of “ Doctor Dutton’s Vegeta¬ 
ble Discovery.” We are told that at the age of twenty- 
two “he was acknowledged to possess more knowledge 
of the botanical kingdom than any other person on our 
continent.” Having been somewhat acquainted with 
botanists during the past forty years, we feel ashamed to 
say that we never before heard of this Dutton. But his 
wonderful medicine is put out with the same story that 
has served so many. The statement heads the paper: 
“ For the Blood is the Life.” All diseases are due to bad 
blood. “Doctor” Dutton's stuff fixes the blood, and 
there you are. What more do you want ? We are told 
that the stuff is “ a Blood Purifier 1 A Blood Mixture” 
(whatever that may mean). “ A Disease Controller 11!” 
■“A Life Elixir! 1” “A Medical Marvel 111” (The 
exclamation points are those of the circular.) Now this 
seems to he quite too much for one poor medicine to be. 
It is a good thing to let alone. The appeals to persons 
to become agents for the stuff are more pressing than 
usual. What a pity that there is no law, as there is in 
some European countries, to suppress quackery like this. 
“ TBne Mag-isetic ^IttieS*!.” 
Those who have been advocating electricity as the 
universal remedy, are told that they are on the wrong 
track, that “ with magnetism we get all the benefits ever 
claimed for electricity, without any of the baleful effects 
following the application of electricity.” This is said 
in “The Magnetic Shield,” a paper devoted to all kinds 
of Magnetic “Shields” and “Appliances.” If the 
“ Shields ” are equal to the paper, they must be remark¬ 
able. We are told, “ Knowledge is power.” We think 
we have heard that before, but it is good. Then “ Po¬ 
larity is the Key to Nature, and Magnelism the Foun¬ 
tain of Life.” That sounds well, but what does it 
mean? “Magnetism is the Motor of Life. Its absence 
is Death.” There you have it. If you would not die, 
keep a supply of magnetism on hand. All this display 
of learning, this looking into the very nature of things, 
winds up with: “If you wish for warm feet in cold 
weather, send SI.00 for a pair of our Magnetic Insoles.” 
Glad lo See tlse Wrong Man. 
Sometimes the Bunko chaps “ wake up the wrong pas¬ 
senger.” One of these well-dressed fellows addressed a 
middle-aged man on Broadway, with “ How do you do, 
Judge M.? I’m very glad to see you.” Much to the sur¬ 
prise of the questioner, the stranger replied:—“ Im glad 
to meet you; how is your father? ”—“Is not tliis Judge 
M., of St. Louis? ”—“No ; I think not,” was the reply. 
—“Pardon me,” said the young man, “I mistook you 
for Judge M. May I ask your name ? ” Drawing him¬ 
self up, and in a forcible tone, he replied:—“ I am not 
Judge M.; but I am Dr. Howard Crosby, of New 
Before lie could finish, the young man Had vanished. 
Dr. Crosby has been too active in suppressing vice of va¬ 
rious kinds, not to be known, by name at least, to all the 
rogues in the city. 
“ l®!*ac4icsiR IPBailantlsn'opy.” 
A curious, if not ingenious, swindling scheme was ex¬ 
posed in the United States Court at New Haven, Conn., 
not long ago. It is interesting as showing how the most 
absurd statements, by unknown parties, will be accepted 
as true without investigation. One Isaac Henry Lock- 
wood, a young man, issued circulars to the principal 
banking houses in this country and England, stating that 
a wealthy banker, having when young used the funds of 
a hank, and stood on the brink of ruin, was saved by a 
rich old man, who advanced him funds to replace those 
abstracted, with the pledge that he, the banker, should 
assist others who might he in similar distress. Lock- 
wood claimed to have seven hundred and eighty thou¬ 
sand dollars in trust, with which to help those who 
would be frank, and give free information about their 
thefts. Strange as it may appear, there were numbers at 
home and abroad who were wiling to “give themselves 
away” to an entire stranger, and actually send him con¬ 
fessions of liishonesty. A postmaster in Connecticut 
discovered the fraudulent scheme, the young man was 
tried, found guilty, and sentenced to a year of hard labor 
in the State prison. The young scamp confessed that he 
hoped to find a cashier who had not been caught in his 
thefts, and would be glad to escape detection. Lock- 
wood proposed to get this cashier to steal two thousand 
dollars more, and let him use it. With this sum he could 
make hundreds of thousands of dollars by speculating in 
diamonds—the whole affair being an intricate scheme 
of blackmail. 
Tlae Connterfeit Money Swindle. 
This, while one of the oldest of fraudulent schemes, 
is now carried on in a manner so different from the one 
at first adopted, that it has several new features. In 
the beginning, long lithographed circulars were sent 
out; these approached the suhject with a great air of 
mystery, and mentioned the object, counterfeit money, 
under a variety of blind names, such as “ United States 
Chromos,” “Cigars,” “Documents,” etc. The present 
circular is more brief and business-like, and there is 
but little attempt made to conceal the fact that it is a 
proposition to sell counterfeit money. The newest 
specimen is sent us by a correspondent in Los Angeles 
Co., Cal., which, being brief, we give in full. There is 
no attempt, by the use of lithography, to make it ap¬ 
pear like an autograph letter, but it is printed in neat 
script type: 
New York, -. 
Dear Sir .—No doubt you will think it strange how I 
obtained your name and address; it was as follows: 
My confidential agent, who passed through your town 
not long since, gave it to me. He said he thought you 
were a man who was in a position to handle my goods 
in safety, and I concluded to write to you. If I have 
made a mistake, do me no harm, and let matters drop. 
My motto is, never harm a man who is willing to prove 
himself your friend. My business is not exactly legiti¬ 
mate, but the GREEN ARTICLES 1 deal in are safe 
and profitable to handle. The sizes are ones twos, 
fives and tens. Do you understand? I cannot be 
plainer until I know you mean business, and if you con¬ 
clude to answer this letter, I will send you full particu¬ 
lars and terms, and will endeavor to satisfy you on 
every point, that if you are my friend. I will prove a 
true and lasting one to you. be the trade for one dollar 
or one thousand. Remember I do not want money in 
advance, as I do not transact business that way. I want 
simply to convince you that I am just as I tell you, a 
friend to a friend. Yours in confidence. 
Please to return this circular if you mean business. 
A very ingenious “blind” is sent with these circulars 
in the form of a slip, apparently cut from some news¬ 
paper, though there is no clue to the paper. Some of 
these slips show that a man arrested for having supposed 
counterfeit money in his possession, but the bills being 
pronounced genuine by a bank teller, he was discharged. 
Another slip in a pretended “Washington correspond¬ 
ence” gives some fearful disclosures as to collusion be¬ 
tween counterfeiters and persons employed in the 
Bureau of Engraving and Printing, and the difficulties 
arising from stolen plates. Still another relates how a 
well-known broker asserted that a counterfeit bill was 
genuine. These slips are printed on both sides, and to 
the unsuspecting have every appearance of being genuine 
“ clippings.” 
The amusing features of the above document are its 
protestations of friendship, and its reliance upon the 
confidence of a stranger. The law which allows the 
withholding of letters from persons suspected of using 
the mails for fraudulent purposes, at one time shut off 
many of these swindlers. But, as in the present circu¬ 
lar, the signature is now written; we have sometimes 
had as many as a dozen copies of the same circular, 
each signed with a different name. By not having “ too 
many eggs in one basket,” they elude the vigilance of 
the post office clerks to a great extent. To those who 
have not kept the run of this swindle, we would explain 
that this circular is merely' a feeler, a bid for correspon¬ 
dence. Of the thousands sent out, a few will fall into 
the hands of persons of a low standard of morals. 
Only those who are themselves willing to become swin¬ 
dlers, by passing counterfeit money, can be caught by 
it. Whoever enters into a treaty with the senders of 
these circulars, declares that he is ready to circulate 
counterfeit greenbacks, and is at once in their power. 
Cautionary Signals. 
“ Save t Jie 
L. Templin and Son, of Calla, Ohio, are quite indig¬ 
nant at receiving a lot of circulars relating to a “ Grand 
Art Union Prize Drawing,” to be held in Ireland, “ in 
aid of the Mt. Carmel Orphanage,” at Stradabally. They 
ask: “Is it anew dodge?” and “What do you think 
of it?” It is not new for this “ Orphanage,” as it made 
a similar appeal “ To Save the Orphan ” a number of 
years ago, and, as at present, made a special call upon 
Americans. We “think” that whatever the name by 
which it is called, that no matter liow many Right Hon¬ 
orable Earls or Right Honorable Lord Mayors may have 
supervision of the drawing, the affair in its purpose and 
in all its machinery, is nothing less than a Lottery. 
That no matter how often “ Save the Orphan ” is printed 
on tickets and documents, it does not disguise the fact 
that the oiphan is to be saved by a Lottery. 
AS A MATTER OP POLICY, 
we would suggest to the Managers of “ Mt. Carmel Or¬ 
phanage ” that an appeal to Americans for aid would be 
more successful if it did not come in a form which the 
General Government and all the State Governments, but 
two or three, have declared illegal. Indeed, in many 
States, one by selling, as the Lady Supervisor in an au¬ 
tograph letter asks, “ even a few of the tickets,” would 
subject himself to a heavy fine, if not imprisonment, 
for violating the law against the sale of Lottery tickets. 
AFTER ALL THE CALLS FOR HELP, 
it appears that the “ Orphanage ” cares for only one 
hundred and fifty children 1 Instead of spending so 
much money on tickets, circulars, “ picters,” etc., send 
over your orphans. If we are to support them, it can 
be more cheaply done on this side, and not at arms- 
lengtli at Stradabally. 
Speaks for Siself. 
Poestenkill, New York. 
To the Editors of the American Agriculturist : 
Dear Sirs. —I wrote you some time ago regarding the 
“ Monarch Potato Digger Co.,” of Chicago. I will now 
say that I have given the Digger a fair trial, and I cannot 
make it work, nor can my neighbors. The earth and 
potatoes slip over the end of the tines and heap to¬ 
gether. I have written twice to the Company, telling 
them that I could not make it work, and asking them to 
refund the money, as promised in their ciiculars, but 
they keep putting me off’ and sending further directions 
about using the machine. They say they cannot send 
the money, merely because I say the Digger will not 
work. Now what would you advise me to do? I have 
preserved all their letters, circulars, etc. I cannot afford 
to lose twenty dollars. Yours, respectfully, 
Chas. E. Barringer. 
NEXT 1 I 
