Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 34, Number 97, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 August 1902 — Steel Range Fakers Coming Closer. [ARTICLE]

Steel Range Fakers Coming Closer.

As Jim Riley comes pretty near saying, the steel, range ped&et time is’a oomin round agin and there aiut no chap a liven without more cause Jo be tickelder than their prospective rural patrons. Ajgaug of them have recently been working in Carroll county, and a few days ago the same gang, probably, started out f r om Chalmers, White county. The Monticello Herald thus describes their usual mode of procedure. The modus operandi of the steel range peddler is to drop a carload or two ranges in towns, and start a number of canvassers out through the country with teams. The price quoted on their ranges is generally $69 or $75. The canvassers carry with them blank guarantees and notes as their goods are nearly al ways sold on time. The guarantees are carefully worded in such a manner as to protect the range company from any statements wide, either verbally or in writing, by the agents, while the note is a straight promise to pay that waives all statutory rights that the signers may possess. The agents are always smooth talkers who use every possible means to leave a range at a house and to get an agreement signed. There are many cases in White county in which parties thought that they were only signing a receipt for the ringe, when the paper turned out to be an ironclad agreement to buy the range and give a note in payment for the same. The steel range racket has been Worked over the country time and again. The oountly newspapers have gave the story of hundreds of those who have been victimized by similar gangs of canvassers. There is but one way to be on the safe side of such deals and that id to let all traveling salesmen severely alone. There is not a local hardware dealer in White county but What will sell the best make of iauges at prices that will save the purchaser from $lO to S3O on a range over those quoted by the traveling salesmen. Then the local dealers have their reputation to keep up, they pay taxes to help defray the public expenses and you always know where to find them. The traveling dealer drops into a town, stays a week or two, is gone and leaves no address, but your note will turn up in a bank and must be paid.