Democratic Sentinel, Volume 5, Number 28, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 August 1881 — Swindlers at Work Among Indiana. Farmers. [ARTICLE]

Swindlers at Work Among Indiana. Farmers.

l Indiana] Jitter to CiLioliuiaU JSiwjulrer.] city seems to be the headquarters of a number of scoundrels engaged in swindling the unsuspecting, and covetous grangers throughout the State. They deal mostly in pabetit-right frauds of various kinds,' from pitchforks to machines of more valuo on the farm. The fayiiers have often been warned against these gentry by the press, but they rend ily change their tactics and assume all sorts of protean forms for, intrapping tho unwary, njid scarcely a di\y passes that some countryman is not made the victim of the wicked Wiles of the übiquitous scamps. The latest board of is a gang who go aboqt selling an alleged seeding machine, and these have victimized a number of people. The reader is hereby presented with a toe simile ot the “ contract” drawn by these paten t-scediug-muchiuu fellows, which they induce farmers to sign, aud'which sliArtly afterward turns up as a plsin m»W of hand in the possession of some paper* shaver in his uu'ghborhood who has purchased the same ot thoswiudl is as follows:

India*apous, 1nd.,........ 1881. One yasir date. I promise to pay to JobnSmiihor .hearer Thirty Dollars when I sell by Order, Three Hundred and Twenty-five Dollars ■ worth of Patent Seeding Machines for value receiv j, at six per cent, per annum, fsaid Thirty Dollars when due. to be 1 payable at lidianapoLis, Ind. "* \ tt - : for Company.

The swrindlsrs got a a well to-do farmMMHtidittil ‘him-«lie has been .recommend ed ns* gooiknum to sell their uiacliine*, apd ask him to beacon* their-, agent. He is persuaded i that they sell rapidly, and that h«. can m%Kp » large per cent, profit. He is told thfit.hp will not be ecxpeahal to ;.»i*k any,, money or pay saytldug (gritil he iiu? (S<>s #■*2s w,oi th<»f the machines. He is qtyhiocd to sign the conduct ab<>vq jgfjpty tylpch, it will be »een,jsqts forth thisAigre*nmut \ hen read straight across. looks fair aiid hiuqccnt enough, iiud. spoil the farmer, .typified In tlyo Ipregbiiig document as Jphn puts his nulue lit the blank space just before the words “Sole Agent for' 3 • iy* CptepimV, Afterward tpe ' scamps chaffgfi thtf'doeurnqrft frptn it contract t<V sell into a promt&’drjf * notfc" by tearing off tftai part to tbe rigid, of the Hue drawn through the agreeiWiht as printed. 1; 111 - tlfn original pretexted to tiic iftirmers of course no line appears ; kud i it is.given here simply .to sh<rw tyhepodho diyiMOW takgs plnee..find pnrn.*xoii at 'vluen point so radically Midhgu.l the nit turf 1 <of me' docMnfeitt. seen at> .vglftiiSe- tluit tills is liaUb to deceive ap-y .uuu-without close inspection, and a mimW m Indiana farmers have been ctieiiteii with ihCm this sunimer. Tl\e hiflttheanl of the gang they,were operating. nxteiiHiyely. gi Bartholomew countv. Alta, the farmers’ notes get into {.ho hand's of ‘'irindeeht purchasers,” there is jio recourse but to pay them off, as they emmet well go back on the ».