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TTTT1 OMAHA DAILY BEE: MONDAY, JULY 15, 1907.
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StM' BY FARTHER
Sanaa Rube Hands Stafford Legal
Lights New Gold Brick.
HOW CLEVER THICK WAS TURNED
TV'nrnlns; Note t Member of tfce
Profession Who Ire Hungry .for
a. Fee The ntsappearaa.ee
of the nab.
Topular supposition hns, ever since the
beginning of time, catalogued the farmer
the logical prey of the bunko man. and
vhllo the farmer may have now and then
touglit a gold brick or risked hta money
on the ancient padlock game, hla turn to
laugh haa conic at last hla turn to laugh
at tho smart lawyer man, too.
In various parts of Kansas within the
current four weeks half a dozen or more
erudite barristers have been fltmflammed.
The bunko artist who has thus carved for
himself a new niche by discovering that
' lawyers are gulllhle, operates how tanta
llilngly strange in the role of a farmer.
That he Is smooth Is self-evident. More
aver, he Is an actor, an Impersonator of
rare ability.
The experience of Robert Garvin, the
most prominent lawyer In Stafford, Kan.,
few days ago HluMrates the plan of this
Ingenious bunko artist.
One afternoon a man In rural garb, look
ing every Inch the farmer, entered the of
fice of Attorney Qarvln and awkwardly
announced himself aa "Thomas Splcer of
Eylvta. Jlst over th'' line In Reno county."
Shuffling the tarda.
"And what can I do for you?" suavely
queried the lawyer, scenting client.
"E I wus a-goln' for f say, I Jlst
d rapped In f ast ye how 'bout colleclln'
o' a debt what Is owln' t' my boy. Alec,"
answered the visitor.
, "Who owes the boy and how much Is
the debt?" the attorney asked.
"Jim Kuaka'a the man what my boy
worked fer on th" farm an' It hes Tun
up f a hunderd an' eighty dollars."
, "Why, Kuska Is ons of this county's
wealthiest farmera," Iawyer Garvin ex
claimed, "and he Is certainly good for any
ordinary amount I cannot understand why
there Is any trouble about the collection."
lilt's this a-way," the cUent explained.
"Ye see, one o' Kuaka'a h Mea died Jlst
after my boy had druv It. an" Kuska he
reckons he ortent t' pay nothln', a-clalmln
es how th boy was f blame fer th' hoss
a-dyln". How much will ye charge me fer
f collect the a-hunderd an' eighty?"
"Twenty dollars ought to be about
Tight," replied the attorney gravely, "and
if you so authorise me I will write Mr.
Kuska a letter demanding a settlement."
"All right, let r go. Mister Lawyer,"
and the bucolic client went away, promis
ing to call again In a few days to ascertain
what progress had been made.
J. W. Kuska Is a rich farmer, Irving near
St. John, Kan., on a rural delivery route.
St. John being but a short distance from
Stafford. A letter- from Lawyer Garvin,
couched In the usual dictatorial style as
turned by collection, lawyers, went out on
an evening train to Mr. Kuska.
The Ool4 Briek.
Three days later Lawyer Garvin re
ceived a letter bearing what purported to
b the signature ef Mr. Kuska, saying that
while be fen that the boy really ought to
be held responsible for the death of a fine
hone, ha would, rather than be dragged
Into court, pay fit by way of compromise,
and accordingly be enclosed his check for
tiro, made payable to the lawyer, assum
ing of course that hi offer of com promise
would be accepted.
Shortly after tho receipt of this letter
"Ffcnrler'' Splcer" agaftf 'appeared at the'
office of the attorney, and as he poked his
tousled head into the doorway he Inquired:
"Hain't heerd nothln' ylt, hev ye?"
"Yes, s-l-r," triumphantly replied the
lawyer, "I have a check here for tl'A
Kuska wants to compromise; I advise you
to do It."
" 'Pears f me htts pow"ful hard fer th'
hoy f hev his wages cut up that a-way,
ylt I ain't no lawln' man, an' I reckon es
how maybe I'd better take, 'lm up on his
offer, ylt It hardly seems right."
A look of Injured Innocence swept' over
the face of Honest Farmer Splcer as he
mournfully discussed the con promise, and
fearing that he might back out and thaf
eventually the case would be lost the law
yer again urged the advisability of cinching
the tlM). Accordingly after some more par
leying and many regrets on the rart of the
man who answered to the name of Splcer
the two went to a bank, where the lawyer
endorsed the J150 check. When the cashier
handed out the cash the lawyer retained
t'JO for his fee and handed the other 1
to "Mr. Splcer."
Parted Good Friends.
There their ways parted, and returning
to his oltice the lawyer closed the Incident
at least he thought he was closing It by
mailing to Mr. Kuska a receipt In full and
an accompanying note explaining that the
terms of compromise had been accepted.
Mr. Kuska could not understand the
meaning of the strange missive. He had
not made overtures for any kind of a
compromise and had not mailed a check
of any kind to Lawyer Garvin. .Puzzled
and thirsting for the answer to the enigma,
he rode Into Stafford, sought the lawyer
and compared notes with him.
Then It dawned upon the lawyer that
he Had been bunkoed and that "Farmer
Splcer" Is a confidence man and that his
Vson Alec" Is a myth.
Mr. Kuska said he was sorry, but, after
all, It was none of his affair. He didn't
have any unpaid hired hands and none of
his horses had been killed.
There Is still more or less mystery as
to the exact method of working out 'this
confidence game, but it la believed that
the sharper first of all Informa himself as
to the name and location of some wealthy
farmer, taking care to use those located on
free rural delivery routes. Then, It Is be
lieved that after the lawyer haa written
the letter the man follows it up, keeping
close In the wake of the rural carrier. By
swift movements he is usually able to lift
the letter from the rural box without de
tection. Having accomplished this rather
I delloate pait of the game, he finds It eaay
to forge an answer to the letter. Inclose
a forged check and then well, all that re
mains is for him to get back to town and
let the lawyer pay him the money.
Lawyer Garvin Is Just now receiving con
siderable notoriety because of the smooth
trick played upon htm, but he is not the
only victim. The same game lias been sue-
QCZ3C
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From the receiver, appointed by the United States Court, we have purchased the entire
stock of the O'DonahoeRedmond'Normile Co. This company was organized less than
one year ago and occupied one of the finest buildings in Omaha The stock, which is
practically new, consists chiefly of High Grade Dry Goods, and was valued at over One
Hundred and FiftyNine Thousand Dollars We paid the receiver Sixty Two and One
Half Per Cent of the value This purchase was, we think, the largest transaction of the
kind ever made in the state We have removed the entire stock to Lincoln and will have
It on sale in our store, commencing Tuesday Morning, July Sixteenth It is needless to
add that it will pay you to come a long distance to attend this sale Please remember,
we purchased the stock in Omaha, but will sell it in Lineoln
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cessfully" worked In several other Kansas
towns, but, aa a rule, the victims maintain
discreet silence, and, even though the story
leaks out, they decline to verify it. Lawyer
Garvin, however, believes that he owes It
to the other members of the legal profession
to give publicity to the swindler, thus pre
venting him from further operations.
Meanwhile, every policeman In Kansas is
on the alert to capture the farmer whose
boy's wages are held up because of a dead
horse. St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
WOMEN WANTJEARLY CLOSING
Representatives of Their Organisa
tions GO After Store Owners
on Topic.
After several conferences during the last
two weeks the various women's organiza
tions of Omaha have united In an effort to
induce the retail merchants of the city
employing women to close their stores at
S o'clock every afternoon except Saturday
during July and August. A meeting was
held at the Young Woman's Christian as
sociation rooms Saturday afternoon. In
cluding representatives from the Woman's
club. Young Woman's Chrlstlap associa
tion. Woman's Christian association, Wo
man's Christian Temperance union and
other woman's organizations, and It was
decided to make a personal appeal to the
merchants.
During the afternoon the proprietors of
all the larger department stores and dry
goods stores excepting one were Inter
viewed and all were willing to close on
condition that the one department store
proprietor not seen would agree. This
merchant Is out of the city, but- will be
interviewed Immediately upon his return.
Several of the Jewelry stores have already
commenced closing at 5 o'clock and a num
ber of the larger grocery stores are on the
list, agreeing to close If the other stores
will. The women are keeping a careful list
and will continue the work next week until
all have been seen.
This action Is In line with a movement
that has become almost national among
women's organizations. Club women In al
most all the larger cities are asking the
o'clock closing during July and August,
and where unwillingness has been en
countered on the part of merchants mass
meetings have been called to ask shoppers
to withhold their patronage from these
stores after S o'clock.
Asked what the Omaha women would do
If the local merchants failed to agree, the
president of one of the local organizations
said: "We have not considered that yet
and we hope it will not be necessary. The
one merchant upon whom the success of
the plan now depends has in the past shown
g disposition to do all possible to make
things easy for the women In his employ
and we do not anticipate that he will fail
to co-operate with other merchants of the
city In this."
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Ji.,.- 11 : Trrrr it . -L - mnf . u - r -tr -
ran Ym 1 haw
UP AGAINST HARD PROBLEMS
Elaborate System of Regulations
Under Pure Food Law.
WORK TOR AGRICULTURAL DEFT
Gradual Development of System of
Inspection and Governing Holes
Activities of Various
Bureaus.
When congress passed the pure food law
last June with considerable enthusiasm, at
least on the part of some, neither the con
gressmen nor the people generally Tot
alized what a really complicated problem
they were putting up to the secretary of
agriculture to enforce the various provi
sions. The secretary and his assistants
have been wrestling with the problem ever
since the law went Into effect on January 1.
They thought they had been wrestling
with It before the law went into effect,
after Its passage, but this was only In a
theoretical way. They had the proposi
tion of compelling manufacturers and mer
chants to stop putting poisons Into food In
only an abstract way. Since January they
have had It in the concrete, but during
these Ave months and a half they are
little further on than they were at the
beginning of the year.
All sorts of samples of adulterated food
articles have been sent to the Department
of Agriculture, and the chemists have
been kept busy analyzing and the secre
tary haa been kept busy ruling that this
article or that Is injurious and Ita sale
Into interstate commerce Is Illegal, but
this Is about all practically that has been
accomplished. Adulterated foods are still
being made, still being sold and still being
eaten. The federal law cannot touch ar
ticles of any kind unless they go Into Inter
state commerce. The people In Connecticut
can make, sell and eat as many wooden
nutmegs as they choose.
nmmer Cruises.
The Agricultural Department is not at all
discouraged, however. On the contrary, the
men In the bureau of chemistry under the
Department of Agriculture, which is chiefly
in charge of this matter, are enthusiastic.
Last week Dr. W. D. Blgelow of the
chemical laboratory started out on a tour
of practice with some twenty newly ap
pointed food and drug Inspectors. On
January 1 about fifty of these food and
drug Inspectors were appointed after a
complete examination. These came to
Washington and are being put through a
course of training under the direction of
Dr. Harvey W. Wiley, chief of the bureau
of chemistry, and the man who is said to
shredded wheat moan
FOR BREAKFAST this morning? You can't build "buster" boys or
girls out of white flour bread or pastries. Shredded Wheat make3 nood
brain, healthy tissue and sound teeth.
Heat in oven to restore crispness.
-"""""" -mnr ir' 1
know more about what 1s good to eat and
what is not good to eat than any other
man in the country. These Inspectors are
practically at school, taking a regular
course In the study of how to Inspect
foods, how to quicken their suspicions as
to adulterations, how To purchase samples
to be analysed In the chemical laboratories,
and what to do with these samples.
The tour which some of them are taking
now with Dr. Blgelow Is a kind of "Sum
mer cruise," as one of the officials In the
bureau of chemistry terms It, correspond
ing to the summer cruise of the midship
men of the navy. They are visiting the
various big cities like New York, Philadel
phia, Pittsburg and Baltimore, near-by
cities being selected. They are purchasing
in the grocery stores and drug stores sam
ples of foods and drugs which they sus
pect of being adulterated and which are
to be analyzed at the pure food labora
tories and passed upon by the pure food
board. Three packages of each article un
der suspicion are purchased, and upon
each of these three la placed a label,
which is carefully made out In triplicate
form, and each package la sealed with
the seal of the department. One of these
packages is sent to the nearest pure food
laboratory. The sample Is analyzed by
the chemist there, and a report made to
the Board of Pure Food Inspectors at
Washington. If the sample contains no
adulteration and Its manufacture and sale
Into Interstate commerce Is not In violation
of the law, the merchant from whom it
was purchased Is then notified so that he
may continue his sale of it. If, on the
other hand. It Is found to be adulterated
In violation nr the law. then the mer-
chant Is alHO notified and asked to come
to Washington and show cause before the
Board of Food and Drug Inspection why
he should not be prosecuted. If the mer
chant has a guarantee from the man or
the concern from whom he purchased the
goods that they are not In violation of
the law, then the man who gave the guar
antee Is summoned to a hearing.
System of Inspection.
" The Board of Food and Drug Inspection
Is a special device or Institution Inaugu
rated by the secretary of agriculture for
the purpose of relieving him of the details
of carrying out this law. It was ap
pointed on April 25, and consists of Dr.
Harvey W. Wlluy, chief of the bureau of
chemistry, as chairman: Dr. Frederick L.
Dunlnp, associate chemist, and George P.
McCabe, solicitor of the Department of Ag
riculture. These are the men who are, In
effect, In charge of the whole system of
food Inspection, Including the Inspectors
and chemists who will be stationed In all
the big cities of the country, and may be
termed the watchdogs of our stomachs.
This board meets twice a week, on Tues
days and Thursdays, for regular hearings.
Even though the regular food Inspectors
have not gone to work, this board has had
something like fifty hearings, and has made
over seventy decisions upon various articles
of food.
It win be but a short time, only a few
weeks perhaps, when the Inspectors who
are now undergoing training will be as
signed to the various' portions of the coun
try to begin tbelr Inspections, purchase
samples and to send them In to the various
pure food and drug laboratories which are
being established throughout the country.
Eighteen of them, including the five or six
already established, are to be at ports for
tha analysis of Imported articles. New
York Times.
PLAYED REAL MEAN TRICK
How Two ITnahanda Got Their Wives
to Bet Recklessly Then
Silence.
Two of the meanest men in town live up
on Capitol hill, not far from the state house
In Denver. The other night one of them
took his wife over to call on the other and
his wife. The women brought up the sub
ject of poker and each claimed she was an
expert at the game. They wanted to play.
The husband of one winked at the other
man and the two excused themselves a
moment on a trivial pretense. They went
Into the next room and the one who had
winked said:
"Let's play a little trick on the old girls."
"Fine," replied .the other. "What shall
we do?"
"Fix up a deck of cards for them and
start a poker game. Each will get a big
hand before the gam has progressed far
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and you and I will drop out.
watch the fun."
The other agreed and they got four decks
of cards all alike. A deck was fixed up con
taining eight aces, eight kings, eight queens
and eight Jacks, with enough other cards to
make the fifty-two. They then went back
to their wives and suggested a game of
draw poker.
Their plan worked to perfection. On the
first deal looks of surprise and pleasure
came over the faces of the two women and
they began to bet. The men dropped out.
It was woman against woman and the way
they bet was a caution. Each was so con
fident of winning that the limit was taken
off. Each called her husband and showed
her hand.
vWell, I'll stand by my wife as long as
she wants to bet." said one of the men.
"I'll stand by mine," said the other.
They kept up their betting, keeping tsb
on the wagers, until the pot wit Then
one woman decided, she had had enough and
called for a showdown.
"I've got four aces," satd the other.
A look of keen disappointment spread over
the other's face and two tears came oozing
from her eyes. "I've only got four kings,"
she said In a faltering voice.
"Then I win," said the other triumphantly.
"Bee, Charley," she said to her husband,
"I've won you $400."
One man winked at the other. "Neither
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Try it with milk or cream.
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of you wins," he said, j "You've both
cheating."
"v -n-a-t?" the women said together.
"Look at your hands," snld the man.
"You," pointing to. his wife's cards,
"you've got four aces, but two of them
are aces of diamonds and tho other two are
aces of spades,"'
"And look at your hoad," said the other
husband to his wife; "you've got four
kings, but two of them arc king of hearts
and the other two are klns ot clubs. What
do you women mean by choking like that?"
Astonishment of the women's faces soon
began to give way to aner as they reallz-'d
that they had been tricked. Just as one of
them brought hor fist down on the tahle the
two men fled to the next room and locked
the door.
That was three nights ago. Their wives
have scarcely said anything more than
"Yes" and "No" to the mean men since.
Denver Post.
Arrow
CLUPCCO SHRUNK
Collar:
Quarter Sixes, IK each, J for 35c.
cluctt, etseoDV a co.,
tltktr, of Clurtt fti4 M.utrab Shtria.
t, 3, 4 and 6-Hor.e Evenero
For SULKY, 6AH5 and DISC PLOWS
Ask Ycmr Dealer for "Helder"
Ereners, or Write Us
HEIDER RIFQ. CO.,
Hfm af aU kind of aenera, Ladder Ma
Dept. CARROLL, IOWA. ,
)tJS Delicious
of Lemon, Almond, etc., are as natural
and strong a can be made.
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At your grocers.
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