Democratic Sentinel, Volume 9, Number 49, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 January 1886 — TRAFFIC IN NAMES. [ARTICLE]

TRAFFIC IN NAMES.

The Curious Prof a-ion of a New Yorker. A pleasant, gray-bearded gentleman sat in a Sixth avenue elevated train, talking to a younger man. A reference to the occupation of the older man made him say: “Mine is an unusual business, bee here.” He pulled out a card, -f his name had been Henry Jackson, the card would have read: I HENRY JACKSON, I DEALER IN NAMES. I “Won’t you explain ?” said the younger man. “I buy and sell the addresses of people in all parts of the United States and Canada. There are hundreds of business men wh > reach their customers by circulars as well as by advertising in the newspapers. Thus a book publisher gets out a new book which he wants to sell through agents. He is anxious to learn the names and addresses of all the men and women in the United States who sell subscription books. He also wants the names of those who sell other goods in the same way, because they are very likely to drop the other article for the sake of the new book. Then he wants the addresses of the people who have never acted as agents, but who want to try it to see what they can do. He advertises for agents in a variety of papers, and at a pretty heavy expense. It costs him several cents for every letter of inquiry about his book that he receives. To that letter of inquiry he sends his elaborate circulars. I come to the relief of the publisher by selling him a very large number of agents’ addresses at a small part of the cost of getting them by advertising.” •How do you get them?" *Teu see every publisher has a list of agents whom he has employed at one tune and another. Nearly every one will sell me a copy of his list for a consideration. The combined copies make a formidable pile of manuscript. Then there are the novelty men who accumulate large lists of names of agents. Agents from one line of special names. Invalids from another.” “Not necessarily. Every community has a lot of people who are always buying medicine. They are the most valuable lot an advertiser can reach. The consumption remedy circular gives them a hacking cough and a* hectic flush. The blood purifier circular flushes them with eczema. So it goes through the list of chronic and acute ills that flesh is heir to. They will buy anything from beer and bark to a steam atomizer to doctor a sprained foot All these people at one time or another write to some advertising doctor or vender of the elixir of life. I buy the names from the advertiser, classify them according to the number of times the names have been used by medical men and the last diseases that afflicted the writers, and sell them over and over again. Sometimes I sell the original letters outright. The careful advertiser sometimes varies the character of the circulars sent according to the characteristics of the letter writer, even writing a personal letter in some cases.” “What other classes have you?” “ Two general classes. One for the sharpers and one for the general advertiser. The latter class is cosmopolitan, It includes all others, really, but it is made up mostly of farmers. “What prices do these names bring?” “I have got as high as $25 a thousand for names for sharpers’ use. Good lists of habitual invalids are worth all the way from $lO to S2O a thousand. Agents are so easily obtained that $lO is a big price; from $3 to $5 is ordinary. Gen-eral-use lists, copied from the letters, bring from $3 to $5 where they have not been mailed to more than twice. When mailed to oftener than that, and where a year or two old, they get down to a dollar a thousand.” “Are many in this business of yours?” “Not .continuously. They drop in, make a good thing, and straightway begin mailing circulars on their own account The number of actual addresses handled by me in one year has never exceeded, 1,000,000, but it has crowded that figure closely."—New York Sun.

It is evident that Leopold means business, and everybody would do well to avail themselves of this oppor unity ts saving 25 per cent on all goods sold by him. The Chicago Grocery, R. FPriest, proprietor, i j now in full blast, in the Williams-Stockton block. Extensive stock, new, fresh and at prices, that defy competition Everybody respectfully invited to call and see for themselves. It i a notorious fact that Leopold gives greater bargains than any other house in town. Call and examine for yourself. Buy the best of Fruit Trees, and in doing so leave your orders with “Turkey Joe”. Satisfaction guaranteed. > • I • Priest, at the Chicago Grocery, wants a chance at your Butter, Eggs, and country produce generally. Farmers, give him a call.

Special Invitation’- Everybody is respectfully invited to call and price my goods, and I will guarantee that out of every 25 customers 24 will be bound to buy of me, as I have reduced my entire stock to such prices that they will feel constrained to purchase unless they have money to throw away. — I mean business, and am determined to secure, by the above method, new friends. Do not be misled, but come at once and convince yourselves of. the truth of this statement. Very respectfully,

A. Leopold.