the honesty of the enterprise, "as its founders are
men of high standing," and so on.

One trick is the "cash assessment on prizes." The investor is notified
that he has drawn a $150 prize, deliverable on the payment of "the
usual five per cent. for handling," which sum he will "please forward"
to the Grand Atlantic and Great Western Monster Gift Carnival and
Bottle Washer's Library Fund Association. The gudgeon protests that
there was no such condition on his ticket, but not liking to lose $150
by grudging $7.50, "forwards" this sum, and receives $150 worth of
stock in the Seashore Gold-Mining Company, or 3 undivided acres in the
Atahualpa Swamp--"the directors of the association having recently
decided to invest the receipts for their wards, the ticket-holders, in
this splendid property." There really need be no ticket drawing or
tickets for this swindle, as people who never heard of the enterprise
can be informed of their luck, and will all the more quickly forward
their "five per cent."

Some readers may remember B. Sharp & Co.'s fine "gift enterprise,"
whose drawing was postponed so many times on the plea that "the last
drawn numbers are as fortunate as the first," as indeed they were. It
begged ticket-holders to "exhibit to your friends and neighbors the
many rich presents we have so generously bestowed upon you." The
"committee" were engaged in the herculean labors of "drawing and
registering tickets at the rate of 6,000 per week, and in packing and
expressing prizes"; but alas! "owing to unforeseen expenses we have
been put to in purchasing presents for our ticket-holders," this is
what happened:

_We are compelled to make an assessment of_ 5 PER CENT. _on all
prizes over fifty dollars_ ($50) awarded to them; and in order to
expedite the business of the distribution in packing and forwarding
the gifts, ticket-holders must within _ten days_ after notification
of the value of the gift awarded to them, forward to us the amount
of per centage, with directions for the packing and expressing of
their gift, or else at the expiration of that time it will be
forfeited.

Then there was B. Flat's "National Engineers Gift Enterprise," which
with a spice of humor announced that it was controlled by the class of
men for whose benefit it was devised--"all engineers." It had as
"references" a "State senator" of New York and another of Illinois, a
lithographer, an editor, a hardware merchant,