Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 37, Number 20, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 March 1905 — Don’t Give Money To Strangers. [ARTICLE]

Don’t Give Money To Strangers.

There whh h decidedly br s j v looking h d talkirg female in tiwn Fridiy, so iciting money for "Mi-si ms ” Bbe was very per sistai t when p m pie wers r» luctant 11 oon’ribute, acd itfsultrng when mey q isstioned *hs grninsn-as of her oojsct. Sh- hid a g’eisy looking blank b>< k in whici she apparently noted dovn ih-> <"o itribu ions sh s rrc-ived, and th y seemed to be numercui. In fact there >s but litde doubt that the great major ty of th. se she en countered gave her a oom of some denominati m cr oth -r. People ee j m to think that became a stranger solicits them for contributions fcr a wcr hv or religion cause, then they must be genuine, by very virtue of that cans- 1 , ano they dig up th sir money accordingly. Yet the fact is that persons who, as newspaper or 4magtzine writers,, or emp'oyes of charitable and philanthrop c institutons havo investigated the ways of professional beggers and grafters, say there are none more successful ncr flagrantly fraudluent, than those who work under the guise of religious or philanthropic agencies The woman who was here Friday may have biea honest and acting Lr a deserving cause, but the chances that she was a fraud we consider at least nine out of 10, if not 99 out of 103.

' No money or goods should be ; given to strangers, no matter what cause they claim to bs working for unless they first produce the evidence of their reliability, and their authority. Moreover, if they c'aim to be working for missions, churches, or other great benevolent purposes, they should either ba accompanied by tone resident friend oi ttose objects wl o cen vouch so the reliability of tie solicitor oi have their writtea endorsement.