"AGONY" COLUMN FRAUDS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 35, 6 March 1909, Page 4

"AGONY" COLUMN FRAUDS.

! NKW DODGES OF AIiTFUL BEIiIURS. { A went charge brought a j woman of atti'iiiptiiig to procun; cliaviI table coiiti'ilnilioifci by making false j"; |n-esentati(iiis tlirmig.li tin: mi'iliuni of "agmi.v" column adviTtisemeiiln (says a lUnne pajjer) calls attention to tlie J'aet that tile "noble army of nevev-woi'ks. 1 I who prefer to live on oilier people's <«iocl nature instead of doing a day ,s lionesi labor themselves, often liml this partienlar 'acwspapei' fwiUiru very useful and prolitable. People who usually ignore the advertisement of a paper—although there is often to lie found therein lmieh that is interesting and humorous—will, in nine eases out of ten, glance down the "agony" column, and when they sect an appeal" like this: "Who will buy Jliy crochet work Alone, in despair, anil crippled with rheumatism. Cannot move from my chair; dependent entirely on kindni'Ss* of landlady. Do, please, buy mv work, ami so help an unfortunate gentlewoman'I—the 1 —the chances are that many of .them will be moved by the pathos of the advertisement and send half-a-crown or live shillings. MAKE ENQUIRIES FIKST.

it is by no means the contention of the writer that every appeal of "unfoitunate gentlewomen" who have work to sell is a fraud, although the crippled "gentlewoman* who inserted the afore* ' mentioned advertisement in a J/>mlon ! daily was ultimately proved to he an | able-budied rogue who had already served a couple of terms of imprisonment for gulling the public. The majority of such advertisement 9, however, are probably genuiue, for most newspapers nowadays exercise such care in regard to publishing advertisemi'/H----ot any kind that the scope for fraud lhas become limited in consilience. Even lite newspapers, however, are deceived at time-;, and it is therefore always advisable to make enquiries, say from the clergyman of the district, as to the merits of the before sending money. For the begging-letter writer has of late turned his or her attention to begging-adverli^emeut-writing. JJOOI'S INFANT MISSIONS.

l The favorite dodge is to appeal, not .so much on their own behalf as on behalf of some charity in w : liich they profess to be interested, Appeals for donations to ".-struggling infant uiiVsion-" or "homes' aru often very succcssi'iil. Here is au example of one which is >ajd to have liirought in between .C-l'iu and C.VIO to the advertiser, "whose home of a dilapidated house in a London suburb, with three ill-clad, halfstarved children, who were proved to he , liN owu: "lu terrible distress. Home iu s debt, uiul likely to be sold up. Hope- | Je-rs- to carry on <.iod\ work miles-, J "ci l!") 0. Shall lie pleased to meet any generous-hoar ted reader and explain matters fully." And when a genenm>liearted reader did visit this uniting humbug, he found no children, but wa< told that a kind-lieartcd friend had taken tln'Ui--ten altogether—away for the day. Voluble explanation* as to distressful position of the home were offered. but the visitor's suspicions were aroused, ile icommunieated with the police, but before they could lake action the hint bad flown. The evidence of the neighbors provided them with the true character ot' the man and the sad rotate of his three children. TilK CONSUMPTION SWINDLE.

Another illustration of the "agony" enlumTi fraud is provided by a suH'erer Trom consumption, who appeals thus: "Am dying for want of Doctors} say I have *ix months to live"if I stay in this country. Suggest California. U2O necessary to take .me there. J)o ■help one sull'ering from the. whit' 1 One, of these "consumptives' was brought to hook in the Midlands a few months ago, and was sent to gaol for six months to try the cure there. |

"The poor stricken brother of the pen.'' who evokes, the aid of other authors in the word*. "I'o|- (!od">s >nk ( \ help me to publish my book b\ - a siib>erip!i<m," and who usually I urn- out to be an individual whose attentions bave been mainly devoted to the pint pol instead of the pm. is a similar fraud to thi< broken-down musician, who is fluttering 'from foreign competition, has a wife and three children, but has a chance of work if he can get his violin out of pawn. Only £5 is wanted. Summed up, it may be said that the '"'agony 1 ' column fraud is very much akin to the begging-letter swindle, hut often proves more successful, simply because one advertisement appeals to so mam' more people, and. on the face or it, seems so mucli more genuine.