The Camden chronicle. (Camden, S.C.) 1888-1981, December 10, 1920, Image 10
IS OLDEST BAIT
Hoffe of Getting Something for
Nothing Springs Eternal in
Human Breast.
. - - [ i . mil r ' i. m i l
MANY WILD SCHEMES TRIED
Story of Romance, Hardship and Vio
fence, of Adventure, Despair and
Gullibility, With 8udden Trip*
Abroad Made by Promoter#.
ltoMon. i;v. r since t tit* beginning of
things men have, been trying in oiih
fashion or another to achieve their
fortunes oyer night, to recover tin*
Midas touch of the fabulist, fo "get
rich quick "
Sometimes they have auccvedjd.
Sometimes they have nurtured their
hopea ouly to com* baek to hard re
ality with a hard hump. Sometimes
in their haste they Imve been swindled.
From the day* of the sailing of
J aeon upou his long quest of the
Golden Fleece, from the time* o ( the
alchemists of the middle ugos, who
pattered out tholr lives among dusty
toraea, seeking with tlre<l hut hopeful
eye# to r the key to the enigma of sud
den wealth? the touchstone which
ahotild transmute lead to gold? to the
days of mushroom fortunes in "inter
national reply coupons," isn't auch a
far cry after all, James II. Powers
writes In the Boston G.lobo,
It Is a story of romance and hard
ship and violence, of adventure and
despair ami sometimes absurd gulli
bility and sudden trips abroad made
by promoters with gripsacks stuffed
with cash.
Mad Rush for Gold.
In America the story really begins:;!
with the mud rush across the prairies
and the mountains In 'ID to the gold
fields of California. There had been
other "gold hunts" before t.his, but
none of them developed suclr a nation
al fever as resulted from the announce
ment of this discovery of nuggets
"weighing as much ais half a pdtfnd
nplece," that percolated through the
Kast and started that famous uproar.
Enthusiasm rose to unbelievable
heights. Families started out from
, Massachusetts, New York and other
rastorn aeo const states without even
bothering to sell their' houses. By
horseback, farm wagon and by ship
the migration not under way. Parties
of prospective millionaires chartered
schooners and sailed all the way
around the Horn in their excitement.
Ami upon the retina of (he Inner
eye of every one persisted the dream
Picture of "marble halls," and s
"span," and the Imagined luxury of
doing nothing in particular, while
obedient lackeys hovered about for
ever ufter, like the gouiL_nf Aladdin's
lamp, awaiting orders. v.
The California gold rush- enriched
thousands, though at the price of vast
hardship and sacrifice. Thousands of
others it ruined, when they hecatue
Hfranded in a wilderness, 5,000 miles
from settled civilization, on their, ill
fated claims. The best thing about
it wasn't the wealth it produced at
all, hut the fact tlmt it began the
definite expansion of the t*nlted_
States.
Capt. Kidd and the K.ondike.
"Something for? nntlilni;/' many
years later, drew thousands mure
Atnericaus flow n In the Oklahoma ter
ritory when tin- . j;o\ernment an
nounced tliaf it would permit h<?me
Kteads to be "niched" on n certain
date. All the man who wanted to
become a property holder had to do
was to he hn hnnd when the signal
was given. v
? (Jovernmenf otliciuls lined otT the
start, as If it were a I 10 yard dash of
today. Fences were built and yvery
claimant had to he hehilid I lie bulwark
ready. Then, at a nl\en signal, down
.went the barriers and Llie swarm of
fortune hunters piled Into the plains,
pellnu'll, to stake their claims and he
Kin their new careers, and h* happy
ever after.
So. (on. in the lattiw part of the
last century, when the Klondike In*
came a word of magic, .lust as in the
days of '-IP. there was a wild rush for
gold, the prospectors being. In the
main men who were doomed to fail
ure. although hundreds of them won
from the frozen rocks and river hods
the fortune* upon which not a few
American families base their ability
to purchase a new -e\ on passenger .
car every year.
One of the olde-t and the most per
Msientlv attractive ltir<? of golden
affluence tint await- the fortunate Is
the nnthical buried treasure of Capt.
Kidd. t li r- pirate, familiar to every
schoolboy and to the -choolhoys of
Hnstnn in particular.
For the two emu urn'- ot more that
have elapsed since Kidd swung; at tli^
gibbet in Fxecutb t I>oek, Kngland,
expeditions have been continuously
gotten tip with the purpose of finding
Mix hurled booty All that lias been
recovered (o date has been about
$00,000, most of which was found at
one end of ?Inrdner's island. The nu
merous search parties, according to
some estimates, have spent a totnl of
about $71)0,000 in Lin* effort.
To Pay 96 Per Cent a Year.
Along with the popular quests for
"k'oSd in the raw," or in hidden caches,
there have also l>een scores of clever
schemes for enriching people through
marvelous "new" discoveries and
ihrocjjf* manipulation. Massncbusctt*
has had its full share of such ven
tur#*; In ihe last half century, and
Boston has been the cantor of the ac
tivities of not a f? w.
More It) (in forty years agw, for ??*'
shui-e, ther? was In*1 notorious
"Ladle*" iviHNjIt," conducted by Mr*.
Sarah K. Howe at 9 Kust llrook line
mutI. Mrs. Howe had ? sensational
career In giving people "*omo?blng for
nofhlM."
The ' i-iuiirv Deposit" wn* an inatt
lutiMM based npon her stntenient thai
4he wuh tl agent of ? legacy amount
to more. ttian Sl,fuX>.?oo. wiittfi
left by a Quaker who wmiit'il to Uo
benefactor of "widows and Mingle
women only."
With this money she was supposed
to establish a foundation In Boston
which paid iBCh wouiun, whow in
comm-s Hi'ii- inadequate to penult thriii
to live In comfort, Q6 l'??" Ctlll ? >,ar
a , deposit* made at the "Ladles' De
posit." Mrs. Howe was no parslmonl
ous person. She paid Interest three
months In advance.
Three Years In Jail.
Mrs. Howe Is described as being
"short* fat, ugly looking and lnde
serlhably vulgar." She couldn't write
grammatically and this wan one of (he
<11 dsns of hor dfuvnfall In Boston, for
hor lack of culture sronsed the sus
picion of th#? authorities at last and
they began an Investigation which
landed her In Jail." v '
Then It came out In the con rt trial
that Mrs. Howe's "Quaker" was a day
dream and despite the fact that during
Hn> last day* ot "l.adles' Deposit,
when fho run started, she paid out
tyBlwen J|75,000 and $100.O<X> in one
day, the Investigators found that her
insolvency amounted to $U00,00(>, with
the "hank" and some cheap furniture
profusely covered with gilt as assets.
.Mrs. Howe Insisted to the last that
she was uierely a salaried agent, re
colviug $1-0 a year for her work from
the "Quaker organization," but that
did not keep her from serving three
years lo Jail. Boston Vfij? In an up
roar dlirj|| tin* whole flfoceedlng and
hundrdH* of fascinated hopefuls
ihronged*"the Institution during the
week' before the crash.
Received Secret In a Vision.
Then there was the masterpiece of
nil strokes of the Imagination, the
lte>, r. F. Jernegan'H scheme for yet
linn gold out of sea water. As a "get
rich quick" scheme this Is yet unsur
passed?both from the romantic aspect
of the undertaking and in the Sheer
audacity wlt7T~\vhlch It was worked
nut.
Mr. Jernegan was a -former Ibtptlst!
minister, a graduate of Brown uni
versity and of tho Newton Theological
seminary. After s few years In the
ministry his health broke down and he
went south to recover. It was on the
way hack that "the heavenly vision"
came to P. F. Jernegan. and the
"Electrolytic Marine Salts company"
took shape In his brain.
The "heavenly vision," according to
the claim of Jernegan, showed him a
marvelous way of fretting "something
for nothing"? of jetting gold from the
water In tho ocean by a secret process.
lie formed a company. He opened
offices In this city at 53 State street
and 2J? Washington street. The "Ma
rine Salts company" became a slogan^
of amazement and wonder. Mr. Jerne
gan showed to the donbtlng Thomases
he met several thin metal plates upon
which there had been cst'Sfalllzed
small deposits of gold.
lie suggested the wonderful secret
In his possession and spoke vaguely
?>f the fabulous fortune that awaited
him. Financiers, men and women of
wealth, poor and prosperous ? folks
Thronged his offices to buy shares of
Uls stock.
There was, ho affirmed, about four
cent.?*' worth of gold In every ton of
_sea water. Now, Ju?t think of !t.
four rents' worth in every ton! And
t lie Atlantic, Pacific, Indian. Arctic ?
nil the noVaiis In tho world wore t.o pay
tribute to his sChome. t a* make their
deposits of gold In tho pockets of his
shareholders.
Mr. .lernegan estimated tho possible
(???turns ;i t 72,000,fX)0,000 ton- of gold.
Hoston w??fct Into a fronzy. All Now
PJngland wont Into another frenzy. Mr.
.Tornoyan wont to Now York, whore ho
deposited $tkS,0(X> with one of the larg
est savings hanks there. Soon after
Tie made another large deposit. The
deposits were cheeks. A few days af
ter this ho drew out $20.<kM) and then
$7.r?.()00 in hills. Then the hank told
him Jhnt they didn't want his account.
He to|d New Yojkors that he In
tended to issue 2,r>00.000 shares of
stork at ?1 a share. Meat) while, his
friend. one "Frank \Y. Thompson,"
took the money withdrawn from the
New York hank and between them the
pair bought .tlJAOOO* worth of govern
uient bonds.
Machinery Never Caoie
Meanwhile, at North Lubee, Mr. the
Marine Salts company*' hegnti opera
Mon*. \ dam was raised, and when
'he tide receded it left unter twenty
feet deep behind the dam. Thi* was
to he flowed over tftc ">eeref*' ma
i liair invented by Mr .Ternegntr. tnd
h\ :i "secret" process tin* metal plate*,
??ailed accumulators were fo g.?M?er the
i'liM from the sea
Mor?* than WO workmen were hired,
and the buildings were begun. Tt v this
time I? h ).t)O0 shares of (he ? t ? ?< k had
been M>ld and the eftpital wn? In the
hands nf the rx < tei ?'\ .i:?r ???>... lew!
?tad the "vision."
To work the plai t at it- proper cn
pa i i f \ . ?naehlner\. of ???njrs.?t was urc
c>s ary. Mr .fernegau :tri<| I !* partner
boarded a French liner f < >r I.cIIavre,
Fi*ua<e to cet flu ma<hiuerv. Mr.
.Iomega n took passage as "I.miiIs Sin
clair i>f Chicago," with "fh. vevessarv
fundi' thnf I " a!! ?>f 1 1 ? - : ? j
Tl.r day after l.i* dcpartine gold
censed to rrystnJIize on the j ? ? ? #"?h of
that marvelous ? -??< ret" maf !i.ne up In
t.uhoe. Mp Tl^e coiapa r.y >u>pende<l
huflino*- and rh> <V*i u -rkuien on the
new buildings were out ??! a joh.
Th e ?hn i eV ahler* :n "l"evt.-ot > tie
Murine Salt* company" were wit In nif
their money. too. The gold Or.VHtals
on tt?*? plsfett luiil been "plumed."
!u apite of efforts tu bilng about ex
tradition, Jt-nngtiii and lil>? |?ul vh?
In T|m'.v later *(?ot ??i?e
??f (heir money buck (o rhMi typ tin*
Ivllh-H of th< < '? >i i) ; i.i it y , I?tH :?.cy did
tint |I|U\?' hack to |lo?toil.
920 Per C?nt Miller.
Not more t li h it t\v<nr> yea*** aj/o
there was miolher hiicJi ^ilteme (?r
overnight vxitaUh, the notor.ou* Irank
l|i> tiyndlciite. which wns pledired to
imy Us iDvOMlorw "CO |>er rent. This
syndicate. the product of the br-.'n of
William I'ninklln Miller. had pt? nir
?'? pie OINCCX urut OIMU IIIOMW IMMVt Mini
*tnr|ed Ill New York.
The pin ii wa* aftiT the fashion of
^the endless chain." (.'old was to How
forever to the depositor*. at the rate
of ten pt?r cent a week. Any sum was
acceptable to Mr. Miller. When the
HchOftO collaptfed there was 3.1 10 I
creditor* and claims for $238,(XKV
which were not finally cleared np un
til fifteen yearn ofo,
; No the atory runs, year after year.
The ''Luck Box" l? an affair of only
ye<derduy. To make oue's fortune
without an effort, to hope desperately
for "good luck" In "taking a chance."
to find a silver mine or become heir to
a kingdom, to dig for Kldd* treasure
or to buy a muchlne wliich will turn
out crirfp uew bank notes In a legal
manner; sbove all, to uvold as much
work as p^lble In the -whole alTalr,
has been a LLtnan trait ever since
Adam fared forth from ICdcn, when'
he was not bothered with such
dreams,
Gets Dividend Check
From Oil Circular,
('ha (Iron, Neb. ? Frank 10. Ko?*
\ , '
ter, tin itinerant carpenter, is
Under arrest here on the charge
of obtaining money hy false pre
tenses, In Ills travels about the
country Foster picked up some
oil stock literature in which whs
related the story of a poor wid
ow who had Invested $2,000 in a
certain benefHvni corporation
and soon aftenyard .received a
dividend check for $200. To
prove ii a facsimile of the $20(>
check was printed In the circu
lar, and Foster, it Is alleged, cut
out the check, indorsed it on the
hark and, presenting it to a
green young teller In a country
bank, walked off with the $200
It called for.
When the boss banker found
It among his assets lie set the
officers on Foster's trail. The
check bore the \Vbrds "fac*
simile" and "void" across the
face, but evidently that did not
Impair Its cashing quality.
RECORD DOWNFALL OF RAIN
Two and One-Half Inches in Three
Minutes Has Been Known in
the Canal Zone,
' * I
Two and one-hull inches of rainfall
in throe minutes !
A reproduction of the rain gage ro
ister showing thnt downpour ? a ree
ord. made In 1011 and still recognized
by the weather bureau, United States
(tepartment of agriculture, as the
most Intense rainfall of which It has
data? appeal's in. th? current -number*"'
of Jthe Monthly Weather Review, pub
lished by the weather ' bureau.. The
illustration accompanies a technical
discussion of ruin and sunshine in the
Canal Zone. This heavy fall of rain
occurred at Porto Hello In the Canal
Zone.
Not alone in the Canal /.one but at
points in the Tinted States the
weather bureau maintains observation
stations at which accurate records are
kept of rainfall, snowfall, temperature,
etc., so that any person interested can
ascertain accurately the weather his
tory of practically any section of the
country by applying to the weather bu
reau, Commercial and scientific or
ganizations, as well as farmers and
others interested in various crops, fre
quently apply to the bureau for infor
mation of this sort.
EVEN MONKS PRINT MONEY
Tyrol Government Puts Ban on Craze
of Issuing Currency ? Becomes
Scandal.
Vienna, Austria. ? Tin* Tyrol govern
ment has prohibited the further issu
ance t>f communal fractional curren
cy, which has becorjie a scandal In the
Austrian states. It was found that
none <*?f the notes were In circulation,
till the issues having hern sold to col- |
lectors at enormous profit. Some Is- '
eues of ten anil twenty-dollar notes I
have sold as high as SO i<> H>0 crowns .
apiece.
The craze of issuing currency has
spread to concerns and associations of
various kinds, among those printing
their own money being the monastery
of tf^tweig and the Anli-Seii?hic n? :
social Ion of Amsteftcn.
Prodigy Enters High Schorl,
Armada, Mich --Carol M. Hart, the
ten-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs.
W IT. Hart of this village, is perhaps
the vonngAst child in the state I" pas.- i
successfully the Michigan eighth grade !
examination^. The K'irl i* in the so - (
? ?mi?- ura?le. but through ^ j ?* -4 ? J n 1 iui
noli *?> licr father wl:n was furnier j
t\ n 1 1 superintendent. she cjual
.rieil ei i> r riu- i?-?iv ll?*r brother
who is llir ??? " eai-s her s??ilior. carried
? > i . h - i !,i?s f; passing, and
\VAV ' .UiMiii; (lie WO Mac ?.Kiih
cuiili ?> stiiUi; .> vsi;<' passed.
Champions of the World
The American Small-Bore Rifle Team won the Olympic matches in
Belgium last summer with U. S. .22 N. R. A. cartridges. The great
majority of prize-winners at the national matches in this countiy used
them also ~ - ?
.22 N. K,. A.
iUKAV.1 ucMSHHrinMHaaiaaHMBMi
Long Rifle Lesmok Cartridges
are used aimort universally by expert
.22 calibre usera because :
1. ? They are cbsolu' w^y -Accurate at all
ranges, from 25 yart's to 2,?0 yards.
2.? If after ucinp *, art of a box you
are dissatisfied witi. thief vi, yynr dealer
will refund the. pr:.ce of full box.
The following is quoted from a news
itepn regarding the Olympic contests
in a famous rifleman's publication, dated
July 15, 1920: "They picked U.S. Am
rr\unition for the cold - blooded reason
that they found it to shoot straighter
than anything else on the market."
> -? ,? " O
U. 5. C~ riri 'ge Company, New York, Manufacturers $
Come in and gci a copy of the U. S. Game Law Booh? Free
?V ? ? ''r*
MACKEY MERCANTILE CO., Camden, S. C.
BURNS & BARRETT, Camden, S. C.
,'M^* W A A. ii a
Women are going nfter city offices
in the municipal election during the
eamhiar spring and fall, warns Mrs.
Harriet Taylor Upton, of Ohio, .promi
nent suffragist and one of Senator
Harding's campaign chiefs. "There is
no better place to start the clean-up
proceedings than in the cities," Mrs.
Upton said. "Women sire going to
take a leading part and start this job
witty enthusiasm and determination.
Tla\v^are well qualified for this parti
cular sort of work. City government
is hut a large housekeeping and that
is one thing women understand. It
rather, looks as though the entry", of
women into municipal politics mcaii
the smashing of political
nationwide." .Mrs. Upton haa
mentioned" for u place in "tti? Hartiag
cabinet provided the department o{
edhefttjon with a ciihinet member it
i i s head is created.
Legit Blanks for, sale at Ms qflk-e
Facts of the Telephone Situation
in South Carolina
By J. Eppg Brown, President.
SOUTHERN BELL TELEPHONE & TELEGRAPH COMPANY
What the Company Asks ~
The Company asks to earn only such i>rof
tts as are necessary to protect the rights of
the public.
The public needs and demands adequate
and efficient service, now and in the future.
To furnish this service, additional facili
ties, coating many million dollars must be
constructed.
This men ey must be gotten from the in*
voting public.
Investors will not put their money into
an established business unless they are sure
of a fair and adequate return upon their In
vestment
They cannot receive a fair and adequate
return upon their investment unless the
business earns a fair and just proft.
The inventor is guided by the profits earn
ed in the past, and the prospects of profits
to be earned in the future.
When fhe Company's profits a:e such as
will enable it to obtain from the investing
public the money needed to furnish adequate
facilities to supply the demand for service,
Its earnings will be fair and reasonable.
A fair and reasonable profit is as neces
sary for the protection of the rights of the
public as it Is for the protection of the prop
erty rights of the Company.
What return is a fair and jusl profit de
pends upon general economic conditions.
What was a fair and just profit in 1914 is
not a fair and just profit in 1920.
The investor Is entitled to, and demands,
'he pame return upon his money invested In
the telephone business a* he receive* on
money invented In other businesses.
The profits earned In other business de
termine whRf profit i h#> telephone business
must earn
Tho available supply of money for inveat*
ttent 1h limited. The opportunity and 6+
maud for new capital is unprecedented.
ne telephone business must compete with
all other businesses, public and private, for ?
tnis money.
The lnrestor will put his money in the en
terprise which assures him the best return.
To protect the rights of the public to re
ceive adequate service, the profits of the
Jelephone Company must be sufficlenl to
attract the foresting public.
do Company must earn as
Tnlr^v as *,en 'cent upon its investment.
The Company's Investment is all physl*
raI Property; poles, wires and equipment
exclusively used In furnishing telephone
service. No franchise, going value or any
"tangibles are included, nor is there any
>onds, stocks or other forms of capltallxa
tlon Involved.
1 he amount of the Company's investment
'5 what It originally cost to construct its
physical property; the "bare bones" of Its
telephone plant. Practically all of the plant
was constructed at low pre-war prices.
Its present value today Is much greater
?nan its original coat.
To reproduce the Company's plant at to
'lny'a prices, after making full allowance
f or its present condition, would cost ?0 per
cont more than the Investment.
Ton per cent return upon the Investment
's less than 6 per cent upon the value of the
Company's property.
No one questions the right of the Company
to earn a fair and reasonable return upon
'he value of its property.
Measured by the profit* earned today 18
other businesses In South Carolina, the re
turn the Company la asking to earn Is a fair
and Just proft. ?
EC