The Daily American Republic issued a timeless warning in 1949: Never trust anyone claiming their new business venture “practically prints money.”
100 years ago
May 21, 1924
• Plans are being laid for a new concrete highway. State Division No. 10 engineer Frank Newton told The Interstate American to expect a road linking eastern Butler County to a bridge across the St. Francis River in Dunklin County. Initial state plans called for a gravel road, but since the route will likely become a major thoroughfare it was upgraded to pavement.
• Strawberry season is in full swing. Missouri Pacific trains are hauling an average of 35 cars of berries a day through Poplar Bluff on their way from Arkansas to St. Louis and other cities.
75 years ago
May 21, 1949
• Scams are nothing new, but the tale of the “green goods game” stands out for its bells and whistles...plus dials, lights, levers and occasionally fake smoke. The DAR described a “preposterous, unbelievable and ridiculously phony money-making machine racket” that has fooled investors from all backgrounds.
Readers should beware of anyone with gadgets they claim can transfer the ink from dollar bills to blank paper. The operator wins over their mark with a demonstration, putting two $10 bills and a slip of paper into a box covered with mechanical accoutrements and flipping a switch to generate some noise, lights and even smoke. The blank paper gets swapped for a third $10 with a secret compartment, and the machine opens to reveal three $10 bills. The serial number of the extra bill is even doctored to match one of the original bills so it appears to be a copy. Convinced, the mark hands over more cash — sometimes thousands of dollars — to be duplicated. He never sees his new friend or his money again.
“Far more suckers fall for the swindle in this area than in most parts of the country. I don’t know why,” said Jackson N. Krill, a Secret Service agent stationed in St. Louis.
A Southern Illinois bar owner reportedly lost over $9,000 to the scam. Unnamed victims farther abroad include a Texan sheriff who stole $50,000 from his county to fund the venture, and a Washington, D.C. resident who lost his life savings.
50 years ago
May 21, 1974 — No issues available.