Rensselaer Union, Volume 8, Number 8, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 November 1875 — Swindling Farmers. [ARTICLE]

Swindling Farmers.

There is a class of people who make swindling of farmers a specialty. They are like a clam out of water when not thus engaged; and the only way we know for the farmer to rid himself of them is to do with them as he would with a clam—eat ’em up. You cannot effectually drive them off. They will pounce down on you somewhere—if not on the farm < the first time you go to town; and it is necessary, therefore, to be always on your guard. We do not mean that you are to be incredulous when anything of merit conies before you, and credulous when King Humbug himself appears to view. Then there are so many ways by which these swindlers work. If they cannot get your money they will have you sign an apparently harmless note. If they cannot do that they will adopt some course by which, if the farmer gives way at all, he is sure to find himself in the cellar in the end. To illustrate we will give a case just sent us by a Patron of Penn Grange, No. 542, Butler County, Pa. It happened only a few miles from Butler borough:

A man about thirty-five years of age, medium height and of light complexion, made his appearance in the neighborhood, ostensibly to buy a farm. He represented himself as having lately been engaged in the lumber trade at or near Altoona, Pa. He agreed to pay SIOO down to elose the bargain, and was very particular in binding McP. to keep the farm in good order and the fences in good repair until fall, at which time he was to receive possession. The parties repaired to Butler to conclude their business. The stranger presented a check for SSOO at one of the Butler banks, but being a stranger the bank officials refused to cash it unless indorsed by some responsible party. Unfortunately Mr. McP. was “ mild’’ enough to indorse the check. The sharper paid McP. SIOO and has not been heard from since. A telegram to Altoona revealed the fact that the check was worthless, but it was too late; the sharper had got away with S4OO. As these swindlers will continue to follow their nefarious business so long as they are successful the best plan by which to escape their snares is for.every farmer to be a constant reader of some good, live paper. Occasional reports of these swindling operations keep the reader on the alert. Where he fails to read he becomes slack in these things, and along comes one of the “ fancy men,” who robs him in one half-hour ot more clear cash than it would take to pay for a dozefi newspapers a whole generation.—Marrows’ Friend.

—The number of pupils attending daily the San Francisco public schools was, during the past year, 21,014. The average attendance at the private and church schools was 6,094, and 5,278 children went to no school whatever. The cost of maintaining the public schools was $707,445.36; the total value of the school property of the city is $2,367,000. The average annual salary of each teacher is $1,021.13; the average cost of tuition for each pupil was $29.82. The total expenditures of the department since its organization in 1852 have been $7,610,043. An Aroostook (Me.) paper says that the prospect for lumbering this winter is not very encouraging. The lumber biarket is so dull, and so much of last year’s stock on hand at the present time, that it is very doubtful if many operators Venture into the woods. It is authoritatively stated that. no less than 78.2 per cent, of the warnings issued by John Bull’s “ Old Probabilities” during 1874 were justified by subsequent weather. ~