Daniel W. VanArsdale
This incorporates prior bibliographies on chain letters prepared by Alan Dundes, Alan E. Mays and Paul Smith.
Here are the directories (folders) and files in directory /chain-letter/.
evolution.htm A history and analysis of paper chain letters.Abbreviations and conventions.
/archive/!content.htm An annotated index file containing links to all chain letter text files in the Paper Chain Letter Archive.
bibliography.htm An annotated Bibliography - THIS FILE.
glossary.htm Definitions of terms used for paper chain letters and pyramid schemes.
!information.htm Information on file formats for The Paper Chain Letter Archive. Acknowledgments.
/e-archive/!content-e An index file containing links to chain emails cited in Chain Letter Evolution.
/photo-archive/!content-ph An index file containing links to photographs cited in Chain Letter Evolution.
Example of specifications for a luck chain letter (Luck by Mail type).
q5n28d1w4 = copy quota 5,
a list of 28 names, deadline of 1 day to comply,
wait 4 days to receive good luck.
Example of specifications for money chain letter (Send-a-Dime).
sdq5n6d3 = send a dime
(d) to top name, copy quota 5, list
of 6 names, deadline 3 days
Reports on Chain Letters in 1935 are day-numbered from Friday, April 19 (Day 0) - the day of the first newspaper account of the Send-a-Dime money chain letter craze.
AMARILLO GLOBE-TIMES.
(Amarillo, Texas). 1930. "Letter Chain Starts Anew in England"
April 21, p. 14.
[London. Current chain letter
attributed to an "alleged colonel who served in the American
artillery in Flanders." Prosperity type letters
from the US, which are first seen in 1932, claim an "American
colonel" as originator.]
AMARILLO DAILY NEWS (Amarillo,
Texas), 1943. "Chain Letter." Dec. 24, p. 2.
["The Berne correspondent of the Stockholm
newspaper Attontidningen reported that chain letters headed
"A True See" had been circulated in Germany declaring that the
air bombing was not the direct work of either the British or the
Americans, but that the Anglo-Americans were only the Instruments
by which "sinful Germany" is punished." ¶ According to the
Attontidningen, numerous
German provincial papers have urged their readers to surrender
such chain letters to the authorities, threatening punishment
for any person caught distributing them.]
AMARILLO GLOBE-TIMES. 1947.
Helen Thompson. "Chain Letter Superstition
Centuries Old, but Is Most Prevalent in Times of
Stress." April 24. p. 2.
[Full text
of a Luck of London letter. Incorrectly claims it goes
back to 1921. Mentions the "card chain" - no text. Mentions
a chain letter spreading in the Japanese army and navy,
and in: China, Russia, Germany, Sweden, England and Holland.
"In 1926 E. V. Buckwell, a resident of Brighton, England,
was found unconscious after a four-day absence from his
home. He had wandered off in a frenzy of grief, he said, because
he had 'broken' the letter chain." "In 1521 a letter with
magical implications called the 'Epistola manu del scripts'
was known in Poland. A similar letter is said to have been written
in Abyssinia in AD 731. Rev. E. Cobham Brewer in 'Dictionary
of Miracles' gives what seems to be the prototype of such letters.
In II Chron. XXI 12 it is said that Elijah sent a letter to King
Jehoram. It has been determined by scholars that Jehoram did
not reign until 14 years after Elijan's death and the text has
been interpreted to mean that the letter came from Heaven."]
AMERICA. 1960.
"Chain-Letter Nonsense."
V. 102, March 26: p. 751-752.
[Denunciation of LCL
specs q5n28d1w4. Some text: "General
Bratton received $8,000 but lost it after breaking
the chain." Names are said to be "28
California schoolgirls." "They (LCLs) are usually initiated
by malicious pranksters."]
AMERICAN CITY. 1935. "Anti 'Racket' Rulings."
V. 50, July: p .68.
[City laws against MCLs.
Some wording of Los Angeles ordinance.
Undated reference to U.S. Municipal News.]
JOURNAL OF AMERICAN FOLK-LORE. 1895. "Notes
on the Folk-Lore of
Newfoundland." Vol. 8: p. 286.
[Brief mention of use of
"the letter of Jesus Christ" for safe
childbirth and protection from harm.]
AMERICAN STATISTICIAN. 1977. Joseph
L. Gastwirth,
"A Probability Model of a Pyramid Scheme."
V. 31, May: p. 79-82.
[Analyzes "quota-pyramid"
scheme in which (1) entry fee is c dollars,
(2) participants receive d dollars for each
person recruited, and (3) no more than N participants
will be registered. In "The Golden Book
of Values" (Connecticut), c = $2500, d = $900, and
N = 270. Lesser money can be made by selling advertising
and coupons. Assumes that "the probability
that any one of the k current members recruits the next
one is 1/k." The number the kth participant
will recruit is expressed as a sum of random variables
Xi, from i = k to N-1, where Xi=1
with probability 1/i and Xi = 0 with
probability 1-1/i. Deduces the proportion of participants
who recruit at least r persons is 1/(2r ).
Hence about half will recruit no one. Shows investors
are defrauded as a class, depending on ratio d/c.
(Says results hold for non-quota pyramid but does not
justify. Certainly there will be some upper bound, N, of possible
recruits for an endless scheme. However there is no way
to determine N, and thus to know how "early" one is getting
into the scheme. Class defraud still holds. - DWV).]
ANNALES CATHOLIQUES DU DIOCÈSE
DE BAYONNE. 1905.
"Dévotions et pratiques superstitieuses."
No. 26, October 29, p. 2.
[<French> Have English
translation by Sarah Winter. Complains
of a circulating manuscript with "two prayers"
that is an early form of the Ancient Prayer luck
chain letter. No quoted text. Descriptions: copy
once a day for nine days; send to nine different people;
a great joy ("grandes joies") at the end of nine
days; terrible punishment for not complying; this predicted
by a voice heard in Jerusalem during the holy Liturgy.
<abate> "No prayer ought to be accepted
unless it has been approved by the standard of the diocese."
"Further, by attaching to the recitation and the propagation
of certain prayers an efficacy that the Church does not
recognize, one commits an act of true superstition." Source
provided by Jean-Bruno Renard.]
ARNOLD, DAVID. 1976. Chain of Letters.
San Francisco.
[Text and graphic arts embellishments
of a DL type LCL. Includes
7 fictional win/lose testimonials in newspaper
format. "C. Jason, . . . 4 days after receiving
the letter, after winning $23,000 playing Keno ...
was struck and killed at a Las Vegas Blvd. intersection
by a multi-colored Las Vegas Regional Transit Bus."
" Its simple. You will win & you will lose."]
THE ATLANTA JOURNAL CONSTITUTION.
1985. Web Garrison,
"Dixie Scrapbook" - "Chain-letter craze
prompted many to mail away a fortune in dimes."
Sunday, Oct. 13, sec. H, p. 2:4.
["Maybe you've recently received
this letter or a variant of it."
Only known record of "prayer exchange" LCL;
complete (?) text
(less name list). Brief history
of Send-a-Dime. For
a letter restricted to residents of a single Tennessee
county, Dr. C. R.
Fountain calculated a $300
loss per person for postage.]
THE ATLANTA JOURNAL
CONSTITUTION.
1987a. Francis Cawthon,
" 'Love letter' tempting but not worth
it." July 5, sec. J, p. 3:1.
[Humor. Receives LCL in mail
with Kiss title.
Initial five sentences of text
given, plus further descriptions (R.A.F. Officer,
Joe Elliot, Dalea Fairchild).
Says compliance would require typing
and international postage to "make a tour of the world."
<motive> Says that a factor to not comply was
the lack of a Georgia lottery. Speculates it is a plot by
Post Office to sell stamps.]
THE ATLANTA JOURNAL CONSTITUTION. 1987b.
Francis Cawthon, "Letter
Seeks to Inspire Chain of Hopeful Kissers."
Dec. 29, sec. E, p. 2:1.
[LCL received anonymously
in office mail slot. Kiss title, original
in "England." Further description
but no exact text. Had received XCL for "bottles
of booze." Humorously speculates LCLs are a post
office plot.]
BAKST, AARON. 1952. Mathematics: Its Magic
and Mastery.
2nd. ed., New York: D. Van Nostrand Co.,
p. 246-247.
["The Silk-Stocking-Bargain
Bubble." Description of a pyramid sales scheme
(not Sheldon). Startup: ads in papers promise three
pair of stockings for 50 cents. Sender
gets four coupons to sell for 50 cents each, money and addresses
of purchasers sent to company for stockings.
Continuation: Coupon buyer gets five coupons
from company to sell, sends $2.50 and addresses to company
for stockings, etc. Tabulated calculations.
<politics> Use of CLs in political campaigns.]
BELVIDERE
DAILY REPUBLICAN (Belvidere, Illinois). 1937.
"Chain Letters used to Build 'Club' Racket", May 5, p. 2.
["Within the past month, Solicitor Karl
A. Crowly has issued six citations and two fraud orders against
organizations and individuals who allegedly operated chain letter
enterprises in violation of postal fraud and lottery laws. ¶
'The present chain letter enterprise is different from
that in 1935 because it is operates from a central headquarters where
the money is received and distributed in premiums in each case,'
a department spokesman said. ¶ The previous craze, which reached
its peak in May 1935, was dependent more upon individual initiative,
it was pointed out. ¶ Club Affair Now. A majority of the
present chain letter enterprises are based upon a membership proposition.
'The membership idea is a device to hang the scheme on', a postoffice
official said. 'Persons in Maine and New Mexico are not interested
in some local park or club.' ¶ ... Under the membership enterprise,
the postoffice department said, an applicant usually forwards 25 cents
to the organization, which later sends him five application blanks
for distribution to other prospective members. The applicant's name is
inserted as the sixth to the sequence on the five blanks. May Pay
$1,562 Total. In the event the scheme is completed a person may
receive a total of $1,562. The amount which the organization retains
can run as high as 15 or 16 per cent, it was said. The chain letter craze
in 1935 accounted for a 9 1/2 per cent increase in the number of undelivered
letters received at post offices during that fiscal year. An increase
of $39,504 was noted in the amount of money found in letters."]
BERKELEY DAILY GAZETTE.
1949. Oct.
27.
[Cited in Western Folklore 1950
for a luck chain letter started by a French officer (Chain
of Good Luck?)]
BERKELEY DAILY GAZETTE.
1950.
Feb. 2.
[Cited in Western Folklore 1950
for a Mexican prisoner letter.]
BHATTACHARYA, P. K. & GASTWIRTH, J. L. 1983.
"A Nonhomogeneous
Markov Model of a Chain-Letter Scheme."
Recent Advances in Statistics: Papers
in Honor of Herman Chernoff. Rizvi, M.H.,
Rustagi, J. S. & Siegmund, D. ( eds.). New
York: Academic Press.
[Markov model of a
s$500 q2x$500, n6, max $32,000 pyramid
scheme.]
BITTNER, MAXIMILIAN. 1905.
Der vom Himmel
gefallene Brief Christi in seinen Morgenländischen
Versionen und Rezensionen. Denkschriften
der Kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften
in Wien, phil.-hist. Klasse, 51.1. Vienna:
Alfred Hölder.
[Traces Letters from Heaven
back to Greek original, gives Greek texts.
Ref. from W.F. Hansen.]
BLOOMINGTON (INDIANA)
HERALD TELEPHONE. 1985.
Jan. 22. Ann Landers.
["Heartsick in Calgary" reports
that her mother failed to send out a chain
letter shortly before husband died and now feels
responsible for his death. Unable to persuade
her otherwise. Denounces "crazy nuts who start
such letters." Ann Landers replies: "People who start
those letters are creeps who have failed to achieve anything
in life and use this means of exercising control over
others." Suggests eventual counseling.]
BLOOMINGTON (INDIANA)
HERALD TELEPHONE. 1988.
Hotline, p. A14. "This sounds like
recipe for trouble." **?**ber 17, 1988.
[C.D. of Bloomington reports
recipe chain promising hundreds of thousand
of dollars. Response: Indiana Attorney General's
Office says state's statutes in effect only
if $100 or more is asked for outright. Plan: send
$2 to each of six people for their "recipes." Mail
a minimum of 100 copies of the letter to friends, acquaintances,
relatives or total strangers. Promises you will
make $275,000.]
BLUEFIELD DAILY TELEGRAPH. 1931.
Screen Life In Hollywood by Hubbard Keavy. 3 Nov.
[Gossip column. "About once every three
months Hollywood is deluged with chain letters."
"Most of these chain circulars are of the you-write-to-nine-other-people
variety." Maurice Chevalier was "more than
amazed to learn that 400 such letters addressed
to him had been received in a single day."]
BRITISH MEDICAL JOURNAL. 1995.
James Owen Drife,
"The Chain Letter." V. 310,
March 25, p. 809.
[Receives Media LCL, specs.
q4+1, w4 typed in capitals, crude
English. Attached "wad" of "memos."
Sample memos: "I can't believe I'm doing this,"
and "There is some evidence that these letters work."
Names: Ministry of Defense, Metropolitan Police,
NHS Management. Author's parody.]
THE BROOKLYN DAILY
EAGLE. 1930. "Woman Is Driven To Suicide by A Chain Letter."
June 8, p. 12
[London. "Ends life by inhaling gas - was warned
not to break the chain." Widow found dead, husband died 2 years prior
after 20 year illness. Business failed. Brother critically ill.
Broke chain letter.]
BUDGE, E. A. WALLIS. 1904.
The Gods of the Egyptians.
Dover (1969), Vol. I & II.
[Various ancient Egyptian
texts in English. Vol. I. Book of the Underworld,
Second hour: "The text adds that those
who draw pictures of these Souls of the Tuat and
make offerings to them upon earth will gain benefit
therefrom a million fold after death (p. 208).
Fifth hour: "Whosoever maketh a picture of these
things which are in Ament in the Tuat, to the south
of the hidden house, and whosoever knoweth these
things, his soul shall be at peace, and he shall be
satisfied with the offerings of Seker. And Khemnit shall
not hack his body in pieces, and he shall go to her in
peace. (p. 221-2). Seventh hour: "The man who
shall make a picture of these things which are to the north
of the hidden house of the Tuat shall find it of great benefit
to him both in heaven and on earth; and he who knows it shall
be among the spirits near Ra, and he who recites the words of Isis
and Ser shall repulse Apep in Amentet, and he shall have a place
on the boat of Ra both in heaven and upon earth. The
man who knows not this picture shall never be able to repulse
the serpent Neha-hra." (p. 230-1). Similar, p. 242. "In the first
place, he (Thoth) was held to be both the heart and the tongue
of Ra, that is to say, he was the reason and the mental powers
of the god, and also the means by which their will was translated
into speech; from one aspect he was speech itself, and in later
times he may well have represented, as Dr. Birch said, the logos
of Plato." (p. 407). ]
BURRELL,
MARTIN. 1928.
Betwixt Heaven and Charing Cross.
Toronto: MacMillan, p. 277-282.
[Receives "Good Luck" LCL,
specs q9w9; some text. List
of 99 names: officers, actors, lawyers,
judges; gender all men. Calculations.
<origin> Thinks started as a joke.
Conclusion: "It is hard to write all the letters I
ought to write. I will not undertake those
I ought not to write." The circulation date of the chain letter
is probably years earlier than 1928.]
THE BUSINESS WEEK.
1933a. " 'Endless'
Chains." Feb. 1, p. 11.
[Pyramid sales. "Selling
by endless chain . . . has increased enormously
during the past 2 months." "Over 100
chain selling schemes are operating out of New York"
(pens, hosiery, wallets, razor, blades, stationery,
golf balls, kitchen utensils, clothing, bridge
sets). Legal: U. S. Supreme Court ruled against
Tribond Sales Corp. (stockings) in 1927.
Current proponents claim legality because they are selling
actual merchandise instead of a coupon (Tribond).]
THE BUSINESS WEEK. 1933b. "Endless
Chains End." June 7, p. 12.
[Pyramid sales. Post Office
Department fraud order against Sheldon Hosiery
Co. Pyramid sales schemes "about played
out anyhow." Estimated 200 companies recruited 750,000
participants.]
BUSINESS WEEK. 1971. "Cracking down
on 'pyramid plans'
" Dec. 11, p. 104+
[Pyramid sales. "Like the
familiar chain-letter scheme, an investor
antes up a fee for a distributorship, and thereby
becomes eligible to sell distributorships himself."
Securities & Exchange Commission ruling:
"Agreements between the companies and their
distributors may involve an 'investment contract'
or a 'participation in profit-sharing agreement.'
These would constitute a security, within the meaning
of the Securities Act of 1933, and therefore they
must be registered with the SEC. Further, anyone
selling such distributorships must register with the
commission as a broker-dealer." Glenn Turner's
Koscot charges $2,000 for the right to distribute "kosmetics."
Holiday Magic (Bus. Wk. 2/10/75, p. 38) and Bestline
Products experiences.]
BUSINESS WEEK. 1972. "The pyramid king
gets sandbagged."
June 24, p. 30.
[Pyramid sales. State, FTC
and SEC actions against Glenn
W. Turner and "Koscot Interplanetary" (cosmetics)
and "Dare to be Great" (sales training).
These corporations "are based on a complex system
of finders' fees, commissions, and overrides paid
to participants for recruiting others into the program
at anywhere from $1,000 to $5,000 a shot."
See also Bus. Wk. 3/27/78, p. 47.]
CHEERS OF THE CROWD.
1935. Monogram
Pictures Motion Picture directed by Vin
Moore, written by George Waggner, starring Russell
Hopton, Irene Ware and Harry Holman. 61
minutes.
[The date on this movie may
be given as 1935 or 1936; 1935 seems more
likely. A printed label on the cassette states:
"A series of murderous chain letters draws the attention
of a publicity expert who tries to find out who is behind
the letters." If this were the actual plot it would be
the earliest example of the "evil chain letter" theme,
which appears in recent young adult fiction such as Chain Letter by Christopher
Pike (Avon Books, 1986). However this is not at all
the plot. There is one brief mention of the "Send-a-Dime"
letter when a "sandwich man" gives a chain
letter to one of the characters on a busy sidewalk.
It is called the "Spread Prosperity Letter" and asks that
a dime be sent. The recipient is entreated to "Share
your wealth." No other mention of a chain letter appears
in the movie. Later the recipient throws a dime in
a spittoon. IMDB lists the movie
but does not give a plot summary.]
THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE. 1994. "Enough
already." Metro Northwest, April 20, p. 1.
[Business card variant of
Craig Shergold appeal. Requested
these be sent to Atlanta headquarters of the Children's
Make-A-Wish Foundation; 20 copies of appeal
to other offices. "Mountains of cards
arriving daily."]
THE CHRISTIAN CENTURY. 1935 (D26).
"Are Chain Letters a Hopeless Evil?" V. 52, May 15, p. 629.
[Complete text of a sdq5d1
anti-war CL asking also that 10 cents be
sent to The Christian Century for an exposé
of the munitions industry. Parodies
Send-a-Dime. This letter may not have
actually circulated.]
THE CHRISTIAN CENTURY. 1970. "To Break the
Chain." V. 87, Sept.
2, p. 1051.
[<numbers> Editor assesses
economic condition by "the number of
fiscally promissory 'chain letters' that are
being circulated - and the number is rising."
Quotes John Boni, Saturday
Review and gives fragments of same
(?) LCL. Recalls handkerchief XCL among young
girls. Quotes Biblical Recorder (a North
Carolina Southern Baptist journal) on MCL among pastors.
Text begins: "Do you need an immediate $8,000 for your
Church Project or Personal Ministry?" Specs. s4x$1
q20 n4 d2, max $7,300+ (originally n3 ?). Gives
8 participant names.]
THE CINCINNATI ENQUIRER.
1889. "A Multitude of Notes." May 12, p.
12.
[Interview with Mrs. Harrison (First Lady):
"As for the people who send progressive hints
and charity letters Mrs. Harrison never hesitates
to break the chain. Great numbers of chain letters
are received at the White House, but their progress stops there."
This is the earliest use of "chain letter" that I have
found. Also, note the "great numbers" of chain letters already
in circulation.]
COHN, NORMAN. 1957.
The Pursuit of
the Millennium. London
[Himmelsbrief. Mentions use
of "heavenly letters" in late Middle Age
millennial movements. Peter the Hermit
kept a letter on his person (c. 1090) that was given
to him by Christ at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre
in Jerusalem (p. 62). Jacob, organizer of
the Crusades of the Shepherds, claimed (c. 1251) the
Virgin Mary appeared to him and gave him a letter which
he always carried in his hand (p. 94). German flagellants
(1261) possessed a Heavenly message: a shining marble
tablet had recently descended upon the altar of the Church
of the Holy Sepulchre with an angel who read out the message
which God himself had inscribed. The text has survived: God,
angry at human sin, has brought recent afflictions and decided
to destroy all life. But the Virgin intercedes and
God grants humanity one last chance to mend its ways (p.
129). "And any priest who in his worldliness omitted
to pass on the divine message to his congregation would be
infallibly and eternally damned" (p. 130). <variation>
After the Black Death (1348) the same letter, with a paragraph
on the plague added, was used by a flagellant revival movement.
At gatherings this "manifesto" was read publicly, the
audience being "swept by sobbing and groaning." "Nobody questioned
the authenticity of the Letter." (p. 134)]
COLLIER'S. 1944. "Chain-Letter
Nuisance." V. 113,
No. 22. May 27, p. 78.
[Editor complains of quota
four+ luck chain letters as a waste of
paper, especially during wartime. "One frequent
specimen claims to have been started by a U.
S. Army officer."]
COLOMBO, JOHN R. 1975. "Chain
Letter." Colombo's
Little Book of Canadian Proverbs
. . . Edmonton: Hurtig, p.128-129.
[Full text
of earliest known LD type letter.
Reference supplied by Paul Smith.]
COLUMBUS DISPATCH (Columbus, Ohio). 1991.
Jan Harold Brunvand,
United Feature Syndicate, Urban Legends:
"Good-luck chain reaches the affluent."
Sept. 9, p. 3D.
[Media LCL.
"A chain letter that's been racing
through the American business, legal, government
and entertainment communities like an out-of-control
virus is a faint echo of its former self."
Complete text (standard, no golf item).
Compliance motivated because secretary does "the
dirty work," also the "Can't hurt, might help" attitude
expressed in many of the forwarding notes. "A folk practice
has gone uptown." Spy reference.
Compares text unfavorably to prior versions that "typically
began with a blessing, a prayer, a Bible verse or the
statement 'Kiss someone you love when you get this letter,
and make magic'. "]
CONTEMPORARY FOLKLORE AND
CULTURE CHANGE. 1986.
Mihály Hoppál.
"Chain letters: Contemporary folklore and
the chain of tradition." Ed. Irma-Riitta
Järvinen. Finnish Literature Society Editions
431. Helsinki: Suomalaisen Kirjallisuunden
Seuran. p. 62-80.
[<hoppal> Author received
8 LCLs in Hungarian town in 1983.
Three complete texts in both Hungarian and English
[text].
Specs q20/10, d9, w9. Titled "The Chain/Flame
of Luck." Analysis of text. Copying
error "flame" from "chain" (láng
from lánc). Testimonials paired
by "opposites" - e.g. girl vs. boy, West Germany
vs. East, loses vs. wins, unconscious offense vs.
deliberate, small punishment vs. great.
Quotes Dundes & Pagter 1975 extensively.
Quotes International Herald Tribune, Dec. 7, 1982
on Circle of Gold in London. XCL for scholarly articles
received by Hungarian professors in mid 1970's.
Older generation in Hungary called LCLs "Saint Anthony's
chain." Biographical data on Saint Anthony of Padua (1195-1231),
miracle-worker and master of alms. Latin and English translation
of 13th century poem to Anthony; ends: "All peril
shall disappear and so shall want; say this those, who feel
it, and tell those living in Padua." Later Hungarian version,
confusion with Anthony the Hermit (d. 365). Custom to
pray to St. Anthony nine Tuesdays. Qualifying characteristics
of contemporary folklore.]
CORONET.
1952. Ben Nelson,
"The Greatest Hoax of the Century."
V. 31, March, p. 135-137.
[Send-a-dime. Text
with 3 title variants incl. "Send a Dime
and Redistribute Wealth." "Good Luck" LCL dates
from World War I. Los Angeles stamp sales,
deliveries to movie studios. Humorous
variants. Springfield craze. U.S.
daily mail volume of CLs ten million (estimated
by Post Office statisticians - source?). Theft
of dimes. Telegraph chain. German suppression.
Since 1935 "Don't send money" appears on "good
luck" letters.]
THE (LOUISVILLE KY.) COURIER-JOURNAL. 1978. Mervin Aubespin, "Bigger stakes all that's new in the latest chain letter." Nov. 29, p. 1, col. 6. [Circle of Gold MCL / Pyramid scheme. Specs q2x$50, n12, s$50. Present in Louisville and Bowling Green. Investigated in San Francisco since October. James W. Winegar, Cincinnati postal inspector: "Mostly, our biggest problems have been with the pyramid schemes which promise people that they can make large sums of money at home in their spare time doing almost nothing. These people send off money only to receive a pamphlet telling them they have to send more money and get others involved." Craze during 1960's: ". . . a young Marietta, Ga. man ... set out to make himself a millionaire by begging contributions through the mail." 1950's: "the Panty Club" flooded the mail. 1940's: "a postcard promising good luck if you copied it and sent it on and bad luck if you didn't."]
CRAZY HOUSE - PURVEYORS OF JUST FOR FUN ITEMS.
Match book advertisement,
date unknown. Crazy House, 2221 Robb
St., Baltimore 18, Md.
[Pre-zip code address. Sells
"Crazy Chain letters." Also Insulting
greeting cards, Comedy patter books, Hilarious bull-thrower
tags. Coupon for ordering catalog, 10 cents, plus
get one gag free. Image]
THE CREDIT UNION
BRIDGE.
1958. "Chain Letter Rackets."
V. 23, n. 5, July, p. 21-23.
["March of Bonds" MCL, specs
q2x$18.75, n11, s$18.75, max $38,400.
Says started "three years ago." <origin>
Unreferenced historical accounts: "...
the 'endless chain' formula . . . was probably used
by the ancients in much the same form . . ."; "in
this country before the founding of the republic";
". . . in the files of the Post Office Department
as early as 1830." Some CLs end with "The curse
of the ancient Aztecs will fall on you if you break
this chain." <motive> Help friend whose
name appears at bottom of list. Oscar Auton pyramid
sales scheme. Details of "Tribond" hosiery chain.
1942 MCL used U.S. saving stamps (three examples have
been collected [text]
-DWV). Postcard XCL, specs s1q4n4 max64. Circulated by Boy Scouts;
Cub Scouts advised they can earn "collecting" badge
by joining. <target> Sometimes contains text:
"If you are not planning to cooperate give this letter to someone
else. Some of the people in this chain are polio victims
and it would not be nice to disappoint them."]
THE DAILY NEWS-DEMOCRAT,
1902. "The Endless
Chain." Feb. 26, 1902, front page.
[Subtitles: "Scheme being
used in an effort to find missing ones.
From Evanston, Ill. Relatives of Miss Florence
A. Ely and Frank Ely Rogers have started it."
Gives full text
of an "endless chain letter scheme"
to find two missing persons. Supplied by Richard
Stephens.]
DAILY SITKA SENTINEL (Sitka,
Alaska), 1983. Letter to Editor. Sept. 30, p. 2.
[A reader receives a chain letter mentioning St.
Jude and with a nickel taped on the bottom. Likely a translated
Mexican letter. See 1983.]
DANIELS, C. L. & STEVANS, C. M.,
(Eds) 1971. Encyclopaedia of
Superstitions, Folklore, and the
Occult Sciences of the World. Detroit:
Gale Research Co., p. 1119.
[Text of Lady Cubass Letter by Jesus
Christ. Once popular in Wales, "printed
and sold by J. Salter, Newtown." Also
contained 3 hymns and a description of "The Happy
Man."]
BEED & SEAL, GRAHAM. 1993. "Chain letters."
The Oxford Companion
to Australian Folklore. Melbourne:
Oxford Univ. Press, p. 62.
["The most common traditional
chain letter is one that begins 'This
paper has been sent to you for good luck.' "
MCL beginning with the text "To the women friends
in my life who know how to dream and create their own
reality" said to be "traditional," other MCLs not.
XCL spouse exchange "relatively recent."]
DAILY SITKA SENTINEL.
1995. L. M. Boyd. Sitka,
Alaska. Feb. 7, p. 7.
["Q. When did the chain letter gimmick get started?
A. In April of 1935, according to one checker-upper.
Members of Denver's Prosperity Club reportedly
organized a mailing of 165,000 letters, and the notion
took off nation-wide." DWV: There is no mention
of a "Denver Prosperity Club" in newspaper archives,
or in the Denver Post. Nor does postoffice inspector
Roy Nelson mention this as a possible origin of the Send-a-Dime
craze.]
DAWKINS, RICHARD. 1976.
The Selfish Gene.
Oxford: Oxford University Press.
[Introduces the term "meme" for a "unit of cultural
transmission."]
DAWKINS, RICHARD. 1995. River
Out of Eden. BasicBooks.
[Chain letters discussed,
pp. 146-150. Mechanics of chain letter evolution:
"In the case of chain letters, being efficient
may consist in accumulating a better collection
of words on the paper." "The variants that are more
successful will increase in frequency at the
expense of less successful rivals. Success is simply
synonymous with frequency in circulation." Full text of
LCL as given in Nature, 1994. Suggests
testimonials are "just invented." Chain letters vs.
natural replicators: "Chain letters are originally launched
by humans, and the changes in their wording arise in
the heads of humans."]
DEAR MR. THOMS.
1990. "Chain
Letters." V. 14, p. 32, 33.
[Full text of luck
chain letter (Kiss title, many modifications,
trailing notes). Full text of luck chain letter
(Kiss title).]
DE
LYS, CLAUDIA. 1948.
A Treasury of American Superstitions.
New York: The Philosophical Library, p.
458-460.
[<motive> "It is believed
by millions that anyone who breaks the
chain-of-luck by not sending out the prescribed number
of letters, after having received one, will meet
with disaster." And for compliance "unexpected
good fortune." <origin> Good Luck type
started in 1920 by American lieutenant in Flanders.
Population: boom in World War II (?). "The Luck of London" LCL
started during blitz, still circulating in Europe and America.
"A Letter of Protection" (Holstein type Letter from
Heaven) sold to thousands during WWI, large block of text.
" Letter from Jesus" distr. by Howard and Evans, West Smithfield,
London over 200 years ago; much text, "Lady Cubass"
(Sabbath) type. Compares to magic word-charms.]
DENTON (MD) JOURNAL.
1892. "Easier Than Working."
June 18, p. 1: 4.
[Newspaper article describing
charity CL started in 1889 to collect dimes
for college student. Subtitle: "A clever
scamp in college raises money in an ingenious
way." Ten copy with selfterminating after
10 levels. Full text but missing
level number. Editors had apparently
not seen such a letter; no use of term "chain letter."
Started with women in small western towns.
"In some cases ministers read the letter in the
pulpit and recommended the scheme to their
congregation. The letters which he received
were studies. Some contained stamps, some dimes wrapped
in paper, some motherly old souls wrote long letters
with volumes of good advice, and some more philanthropic
people sent fifty cents, a dollar, and a few even five."
-E. J. Barnes in New York Press. Reference
provided by Neal Coulter of Chattanooga, Tennessee.]
DENVER POST.
1935 (Day 0).
"Send-a-dime Chain Letters Trick Thousands
in Denver." April 19, p. 1.
[First publication on Send-a-Dime:
Friday, April 19 is "Day 0" for
1935 send-a-dime reports. Subtitle:
"Postal Inspectors warn get-rich-quick scheme
is fallacious and every participant is violating
law; originators of racket are sought."
<origin> "Its a modern variation of an old
chain letter scheme" - Denver postmaster J.O. Stevic.
Postal Inspector Roy E. Nelson claims illegal, seeks
to arrest originators and charge them with federal
crimes. Complete text
of letter, no names.]
DENVER POST.
1935 (Day 1).
"Dime-a-day chain letters still flood mails
despite govt. warning." April 20, p.
1+.
[Other headlines: "Denver's
post office staff takes question up with
Washington," <number> "Nearly every home
in Denver believed to have been solicited
on scheme to make 10 cents grow to $1,562" (<origin>
in the 3 to 4 weeks since the first letters
were started). Stevic has way to find originator
(presumed male!). Plan defended. Verified $400
winning. Charity use. Many dimes unwrapped.
Four women's accounts of winning. <gender> "Most
of the calls (received by the Post) came from women, .
. ." Purchases by winners. Dimes pop out at canceling
machine. Origin unknown but reported that it started in Denver.
Other articles on legal issue and calculations. "Thousands
of Denver persons, especially women, are participating
in a gigantic send-a-dime chain letter program, ... Where
the idea originated is not known."]
DENVER POST. 1935 (Day
1). "U. S. Cites Lottery Statute"." April 20. p. 1+
["Decision
by Postal Inspector Roy E. Nelson that the present
widespread chain letter circulation in Denver is illegal
was based by Nelson on two sections of the postal law,
one prohibiting lotteries and the other use of the mail
for purposes of fraud. Nelson Saturday cited sections 336
and 338 of 18 United States criminal code. ... The second
section provides that 'whoever having devised or intending to
devise any scheme or artifice to defraud or for obtaining money
by means of false or fraudulent premises, and then uses the
mails for this purpose, is subject to a fine of not more than
$1,000 and imprisonment for not more than five years.' In this
connection Neslon said the section of the letter which holds out
that if instructions are followed the sender 'will receive 15,625
letters with donations amounting to $1,562,50' is a false
pretense, as there is no guarantee and virtually no likelihood
that any such amount will be received."]
DENVER POST. 1935 (Day 2). "Send-a-dime
fad covers Colorado."
April 21, p. 1+.
[<number> Mail volume.
Send-a-dollar: distributed by hand.
Support of plan. Charity for families
on relief. Posing as postal inspector.]
DENVER POST.
1935 (Day 4). "Chain letters
passed out on streetcars." April
23, p. 1.
[Subtitle: "Send-a-dime circulators
canvass passengers on train." <target>
They "asked people if they would circulate
the chain letters," (if yes were handed copies).
<recruit> House-to-house canvassing
thru Edgewater for send-a-dollar. <law>
Nelson said P.O. not interested if letter not mailed.]
DENVER POST. 1935 (Day 5). "Chain letters
calling for $10 appear
in Denver." April 24, p. 8.
[Nelson receives $10 version,
otherwise worded like dime letter.
Send-a-dollar in wide circulation. Mail
still heavy.]
DENVER POST.
1935 (Day 7). "Stop chain
letters! Officials plead, with Denver mails facing
collapse." April 26, p. 1+.
[Subtitles: "67,000 extra
pieces of matter in single day clog post
office." <number> " 100 extra
workers employed in desperate effort to keep up
normal service; new notes solicit $1 to $10." <motive>
Rumors of big winners spur fad. Letters
spread to all parts of country. Copying methods:
mimeographed, multigraphed and printed. Winnings:
503 dimes in 3 weeks, 60 dollars in five days.
<charity> Participant claims man sent out letters
for four families on relief; they received $38+ and withdrew
names from the rolls.]
DENVER POST.
1935 (Day 8). "Government
Rules Chain Letters are Plain Violation of Postal
Laws." April 27, p. 1+.
[Karl Crowley, solicitor
of Post Office Department, rules "cash chain
letters are illegal and subject the participant
to a $1,000 fine or five years imprisonment
or both." Chains "clearly violate lottery
laws because they contain an element of chance."
However . . . "we will be guided by the legal
principle of de minimis non curat lex, which means
that the law does not take notice of trifles" (meaning
they wont go after dime letters). Starter of $10
letter put members of family from around country on letter,
they did not need to send any money themselves. The
man was on relief, had crippled daughter, so was not charged.
Mail volume. <variation> XCL: "Liquid
Assets Club" worked through liquor dealers - no use of
mails. <recruit> Crowds thronged about telephone directories
in library.]
DENVER POST.
1935 (Day 9a).
"Postal force labors late into night sorting
165,000 Denver chain letters." April
28, p. 1+.
[Subtitle:" Stamp sales
advance 50 per cent as fad makes fresh
gains." <numbers> Of 260,00 letters
sorted Saturday, only 95,000 are normal volume
(165,000 CLs handled on one day). Long
lines at four stamp windows. <recruit> "Hawkers
sold cash chain letter blanks on street corners."
First a penny apiece, then 5 for a penny. "Thru
out Denver, the chain letter fad was the principal
topic of conversation Saturday." <law> Many
distributed filled in letters on the street to avoid
mails. Omaha, 4/27: <variation> A $1 letter
with ten names appeared here. Also a flood of
send-a-dime letters. Topeka, 4/27: Santa Fe railroad
forbade employees to place letters in railroad's outgoing
mail or use company stationery and stamps.]
DENVER POST. 1935 (Day 9b). "Chain
Letters Put Voluntary
Tax on Participants, Says Dr. Kaplan."
Francis Wayne, April 28, p. 3.
[Sociological comments.
Desire for quick riches spreading geographically
and across social barriers. Dr. A. D.
H. Kaplan (Denver University): "From the economic
viewpoint, aside from the creation of a voluntary tax
thru purchase of stamps, stationery and the
like, people who get the largest return probably will
make larger purchases. While the inflow lasts,
the
shift will be from light
to heavier buying.". He disputes
economic utility. <recruit> Telephoning
friends before others get to them.]
DENVER POST. 1935 (Day 9c). "Dime Letters
to Run into Millions
if Chain Lasts Few More Days." April
28, p. 3.
[Washington, 4/27: "A Nationwide
brother-can-you-spare-a-dime bubble
was about to burst of its own geometric inflation Saturday
. . ." <origin> "Post office inspectors
said they would like to wring the neck of whoever
started the chain-letter scheme of wealth for everybody.
In hardly more than a week he has caused one of the
most amazing mass demonstrations of the get-rich-quick
philosophy in history." <variation>
Hundreds of other chains have sprung up. XCL: "Send-pint-of-whiskey"
closed with "how would you like to have 2,000 gallons
of whiskey?" Kildroy P. Aldrich, chief postal
inspector: "We'll simply have to wait until it collapses
which shouldn't be long." Enforcement would require
"they arrest most of the residents of Denver." Classified
Ads (Personals): "Chain Letters 1 cents Each, Out-of-towners
include postage. Mutual Multigraphing Co."
Two other ads, one at 5 for 10 cents, 100 for $1.]
DENVER POST.
1935 (Day 10). "Chain Letters Triple Denver Mail." April
29, p. 1+.
[Subtitle: "Carriers stagger
under burden of 350,000 pieces."
<numbers> Some afternoon deliveries canceled.
Thieves broke into five mail boxes Sunday
night. Mail volume. P. 3: "Chain Letters
Make Farley's Aids Jittery." ". . . hope impending
arrests will bring an end to the scheme."
<origin> ". . . admitted the 'dime' plan is a little
different from anything they have heretofore known."
St. Louis, 4/29: "Denver Letters Appear in St. Louis."
Pueblo, Colo. 4/29: "Chain Letters Take Big Jump in Pueblo."]
DENVER POST. 1935 (Day 11). "Chain
Letters make Denver Mail Nearly Half Million Pieces a Day." April
30, p. 1+.
[Denver mail volume and stamp
sales. Greeley and Pueblo volumes.
West Coast mostly dollar letters.
Luncheon club speakers debate merits of CLs
in Kansas City. p. 1: "Chain letter cash
pays taxes." Classified Ads p. 28: Howell Printing
offers 1,000 blanks for $3, including 10c, 25c, $1 and
"univ. forms." "Guaranteed" letters offered on
14th St. Hit of the Month Music Co. offers
"The Chain Letter Song" by "a well known music composer"
for 10c.]
DENVER POST. 1935 (Day 12). "Chain
Letters in Denver Show Some Decline." May 1, p. 1+.
[Subtitle: "Fad is gaining
headway elsewhere in State, Pueblo deluged."
Collections and stamp sales slowing in Denver.
Pueblo mail volume doubled. Grand County
Commercial club officially favors cash chain letter
enterprise. Their telegram to Farley concludes:
"Everyone is smiling in Colorado. Hope,
faith and charity bring prosperity." Jake Gerbes,
a crippled boy from Iowa, sends Denver woman a dime,
says: "I hope I am lucky."]
DENVER POST. 1935 (Day 13). "Farley
Winks at Chain Letters:
'Illegal' but they sell stamps." May 2,
p. 1.
[Quotes Farley: "They
help postal receipts." Classified
Ads, p. 35: General Printing offers 1000 for $2.50.
Howell Printing: "Chain fans starting today
'Cash on the Barrel' prosperity club forms.]
DENVER POST. 1935
(Day 14). "Chain Letter Fad Brings
Boom to Denver Business." May 3, p. 1+.
[More than 30 boys selling
blanks on streets in city. Printers
turned out about 275,000 blanks at average price
of 1/2 cents. Estimated $50,000 received
locally from chains. Benefits: stationers, typewriter
rentals, delinquent bills paid. XCL:
commodities exchanged "from cigarettes to liquor."
Sale of 150 $1 blanks to single man taken as evidence
of racketeering. Mail from outside city increased.]
DENVER POST. 1935 (Day 15). "Studios
Rush Films on Chain
Letters." May 4, p. 12.
[Hollywood, May 4, UP: Film
"Chain Letter" with Fred MacMurray planned.
Sol Lesser wedged in a CL sequence in movie
starring George O'Brien.]
DENVER POST. 1935 (Day 16). Letters
to Editor, May
5, p. 11.
["Bless the chain letters,
the little white messengers of good will.
It may not be good business . . . time will tell.
It is good psychology, this gigantic interchange
of thoughts of good will and it should thaw out
even God's 'frozen people.'" -Lois Sorrell.
Three other letters on CLs. Classified
Ads: "CHAIN letter club nationwide, money
back guarantee. Call 1405 Glenarm, room 207."]
DENVER POST. 1935 (Day 18). "Businessmen
Plead Not Guilty to
Chain Letter Fraud Charges." May
7, p. 4.
[Their defense: Postal authorities
made conflicting statements about
illegality. OK to put relatives names on
letters (who else?). OK to send out more
than five - boys selling wholesale quantities on streets
- most people sent out more than five. Nelson said
they rented an office for mimeographing, and mailed letters
third class (illegally). Photo.]
DENVER POST.
1935 (Day 19). "New Types of Chain Letters . . ." May 8,
p. 2.
[Subtitle: Give-a-party plan
spreads in amazing fashion in Denver." "The
chain party scheme works as follows: A hostess
receives a letter bearing five names. She
invites four other friends to attend a chain party
which she is giving. Each of her guests gives
her a quarter, making a dollar, which she sends
to the person who headed the list of names which she received."
Hostess then updates list, gives copies to guests
who must give a party within three days. Caterers business
increased. Difficult to find guests - friends dated
up for others weeks in advance. Mother's day chain:
send 25c to mother heading list, drop, add your own or another's
mother. <variation> Send-a-dime variant:
dime to each on list of six. XCLs: gasoline, neckties,
stockings, liquor, rare stamps (catalog value specified.).
St. Louis, May 8. AP: "Chain Letters Clog St. Louis Mails."
"Postoffice officials said the chain letter splurge
had increased the normal daily mail average from 450,000
letters to an estimated 800,000."]
DENVER POST. 1935 (Day 20). "Today's
Picture Today."
May 9, p. 1.
[Photo of crowded interior.
"A Chain Letter 'Factory'" in Springfield,
Mo. Notary attests that required amount
is sent to head of list.]
DENVER POST.
1935 (Day 21a). "Denverites
Rushed for 'Certified' Letters." May
10, p. 1.
[Striking photo of mostly
men crowded at tables, lights wired haphazardly.
Caption: Denverites Rushed for 'Certified'
Letters Friday as the latest variation of
the chain letter system gained favor. Fans overflowed
the offices of a printing concern, which was forced
to open another office to handle the rush.
The concern charged 50 cents for blanks, envelopes,
stenographic service, and a certification that the names
of the letter were not juggled." P. 4: "Dime Letter
Chain Locates Lost Kin." Classified Ads, p. 48:
Howell Printing offers: "Standard chain blanks, 1c to
$1; also Luncheon, Friendly Hosiery, Food,
Mother, Gas, etc. 100,
50c: . . . 1,000, $2.50. Assorted to your
choice. . . Also samples of Barrel Head
club, Universal Guaranteed (copyrighted) forms."]
DENVER POST.
1935 (Day 21b).
"Chain Letter Fad Adds $1,000 Daily to
Postal Workers' Pay." May 10, p. 1.
[Postal receipts increased
$80,000 for last fifteen days.
Collections in Denver have declined, but incoming
letters (no accurate count) sharply increased.
Work figures, mail volume. Box robbed
for third time. "A thriving business was done
by a printing concert that charged 50 cents for "certifying"
$1 chain letters carrying three names"
(error: had four names - DWV). Complete (?)
text of certified
letter. Some letters limited
to persons of same last name (Greeley, Co.).
Chain parties also popular in Greeley.]
DENVER POST. 1935 (Day 22). "Certified
Chain Letters Halted
by Government." May 11, p. 1.
[U.S. District Attorney Thomas
J. Morrissey accuses operators of "conspiracy
to violate the postal lottery and fraud
laws." Says certification "did
not guarantee returns to purchaser, but merely purported
to certify that the names had not been juggled,
and that the first purchaser had sent cash to the person
whose name was at the head of the list when the letter
was sold."]
DENVER POST. 1935 (Day 23). "More Chain
Letter Establishments
Closed by U.S. Officials in Denver."
May 12, p. 3.
[CL fad steadily declining
in Denver, but heavy incoming volume of
CLs from other cities. Many dead letters.
Letter to Editor (p. 11): Helen J. Hopper
says "many of the chain letter fans are using their car
to deliver" CLs to avoid mails. "At last it's happened!
Chain letter fan goes batty." Bellhop Arnold Arnberg,
23, became obsessed with calculations, called
Univ. of Calif., others, with odd questions. Stopped
cars, asked mathematical questions. "Saturday night they
took Arnberg to the psychopathic ward of a local hospital."
"Saturday Classified Ad: "Certified Chain Letters Delivered
by Western Union messengers. Bring certified
4-name, 3-letter copies to 2335 Larimer St. Open
Sunday."]
DENVER POST. 1935 (Day 25). "Fugitive
Trapped Thru Chain
Letter." May 14, p. 1.
[Jack Rodie from Denver mailed
CL to brother in Texas. Texas authorities
had felony warrant - telegraphed Denver police
who arrested him at mother's address used on
CL. Photo.]
DENVER POST.
1935 (Day 26).
"U.S. Jury Refuses to Indict Three Chain
Letter Mailers." May 15, p. 1.
[Federal grand jury refused
to indict three on fraud charges for
mailing cash ($1) CLs. They mailed 1,200 $1 MCLs.
Fairfield, Ill. <mental>
UP: "Chain Letter Craze Results in Suicide."
". . . Cecil Headlee, 39, father of five children,
. . . shot and killed himself because he thought
a mob was going to get him for breaking the chain.'"]
DENVER POST. 1935 (Day 27). "New Chain
Craze Probed by Police."
May 16, p. 1.
[DA's office swamped with
complaints but none violations of state
law. Eight men detailed to investigate
chains. Looking for: racketeers, jumping
of location, operating more than one chain, and
failure to pay. Some store operators complain chains
they had built up were "strangling them" - no way to
quit. Small merchants approached to establish
chains, split with three promoters. Reno, UP: Four
arrested for $5 chain operation, 20% fee for handling
the transaction.]
DENVER POST.
1935 (Day 28). "Chain Fad on Wane,
Says Post office." May 17, p. 6.
[Washington, May 17,
AP: "The send-a-dime letter fad is on the wane."
Letters forwarded to Washington for investigation
decrease from 200 to 100 a day.]
DENVER POST. 1935 (Day 32). "Mail Box
Containing $8,000 Chain
Letter Remittances Stolen." May
21, p. 1.
[Los Angeles, May 21, UP:
Stolen from 8th & Grand, near several
"dollar prosperity stores." Southern
California dotted with crowded "dollar stores" - eleven
arrests on fraud charges.]
DENVER POST.
1935 (Day 118).
"100,000 Chain Letters Go Unclaimed at
Post Office." Aug. 15, p. 1.
[Subtitle: "Faulty
Addresses Leave Notes Containing $3,000
to $4,000 on Hands of Denver Mail System; Money
Will Go to Government." Says craze died
with "equal suddenness" as it began. "Stevic
kept a scrapbook on stories printed about the chain
letter craze. It contains clippings from all
over America and fills scores of pages of a large book."
LCL with same text circulating in New Zealand.]
THE SUNDAY DENVER POST. 1980. Jane
Cracraft, "Chain Letter Users Call 'Gift List' Legitimate." March 16, p.
3+.
[The Gift List MCL / Pyramid
scheme. Specs: q2x$50, n12,
s$50 (cf. Circle of Gold). Payments sent by check
marked "a gift." ". . . it has touched
thousands of lives in Colorado. It is passed
from person to person by hand - often at a rally."
Brenda Richardson, 32, bought into 13 lists:
<origin> "My understanding is that this
began in California with a church that needed to remodel
and didn't have the money. One of the men went
on a prayer weekend and came up with this idea and it worked,
and then the chain was extended to other areas." Brenda
mentions frustration with the recession: "We are helping
the economy by getting money in circulation." "If
someone below her has trouble selling the list within
24 hours she recruits a buyer or buys the list back."
Businessman got $3,000 - goes to meetings with 200-300 people
gathered to exchange lists and explain program to new
people. His name, wife's and children's names appear
on a dozen lists. Teacher: "Every fourth person
on the list is a monitor and keeps it going." "Its a fun
thing"- attends rallies where investors cheer each other on.
"I've never met so many people." June 12,
p. 2: "Two More Persons Arrested In Illicit Pyramid Scheme"
by Howard Pankratz. Undercover investigator
attended meeting at restaurant with body microphone and transmitter.
Tipped by concerned citizen. Get $16,000 for $1,000 investment.
Authorities warn promoters get in early along with
their relatives. Investigator with DA: those
involved are "solid, middle-class people." "They frequently
have an expensive lifestyle and are having a hard time adjusting
to a lack of income."]
DENVER POST. 1985. "Unchained letter"
- Woody Paige.
March 17, p. 2A: 1.
[Paige receives DL type LCL.
Complete text
(title omitted?). Humorous fiction
about bad luck for non-compliance and good luck for late
compliance. Humorous testimonials.]
DENVER ROCKY MOUNTAIN
NEWS. 1935
(Day 1). "Send-A-Dime Chain Notes
Worry Postal Authorities." April 20,
p. 1. (This newspaper is titled ROCKY
MOUNTAIN NEWS except for 1935-1938.)
[Mostly women.
Callers hail as boon to poverty stricken.
All callers enthusiastic. "Re-distribution
of wealth." Motivation: participants have
"fun." Complete text
of a letter, targeted recipients,
no names. Nelson thinks started in Oklahoma.
Defended as wealth re-distribution. One and ten
dollar versions. Discussed at bridge parties and "wherever
women gather." Most women call addressees
to make sure chain won't be broken, and caution
them to take like steps.]
DENVER ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS. 1935 (Day 2).
"Send-a-dime Game
is Put Up to Washington," April 21, p. 1+.
[Thousands call to support
send-a-dime: hurts no one, keeps money
in circulation, aids cause of silver, offers
hope, increases postal receipts. Editorial
(p. 10): compares to false hope in prior oil boom.]
DENVER ROCKY MOUNTAIN
NEWS. 1935 (Day 4).
Letters. April 23, p. 14.
[Lecie M. Violett (of the
originator): "the only man in the
world who ever figured out a way to distribute
the wealth and keep it from getting into the hands
of a few." "This fellow, wherever he is, is smart,
and the postoffice here would do well to try to run him down
so Colorado can boost him for president, not put him in jail."
P.S. I had to sit up all night and put 15,625 marks on a paper
before I could figure how it works." William Howard: dime CL
a "harmless past time," helps substitute mail employees.]
DENVER ROCKY MOUNTAIN
NEWS. 1935
(Day 8). "Dime Letters Ruled OK."
April 27, p. 1+.
[Subtitle: "Postal Inspectors
Prepare to Smash Ten-Dollar Chain."
Claims an "exclusive" dispatch from Washington
postal officials stated "there is nothing
in the U.S. postal regulations to bar such letters
from the mails" (dime letters). "Overworked
carriers and clerks, while fatigued, viewed the
situation with no great alarm." Hundreds getting
overtime (time plus 10 %). One said: "Let the chain letters
come." <gender> Carrier besieged by house
wives demanding to see their mail. Postal receipts.
A.A. McVittie, returning after a two day vacation, had 2,363
letters awaiting him. P. 4: humorous "The Dime
that Broke the Postman's Back"]
DENVER ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS. 1935 (Day 9).
Editorial: "Chain
of Hope." April 28, p. 10.
[Approves of send-a-dime.
"Confidence in the other fellow's
fundamental honesty is the basis of the entire fad."
"Estimates of the value of silver now in the mails
are as high as a million and a half." "Who originated
the fad? Probably many will claim the credit..."
"The fad . . . has given to thousands a new faith
and a stronger hope."]
DENVER ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS.
1935 (Day 10). "Postal Clerks
Dig Thru Chain Letter Mountain." April 29, p.
1+.
[Mail volume in Denver &
other Colorado towns. W. Osborn,
president of the Postal Carriers Union: "You can
notice a different atmosphere along the
routes: people are happier." P. 6: "Chain
Letters Hit Hollywood."]
DENVER ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS. 1935 (Day 15).
"Chain Letters Bring
Denver 'New Money'. " May 4, p. 6.
[Estimated (method given)
$250,000 circulated in Denver by CLs - much
from outside. Predicted $500,000 before fad
dies. 25c, 50c, and $1 chains rapidly supplanting
10c chains. "Thousands of chains with
Denver names in payoff positions have gone thru
out the U.S." Huge demand for dime containers
(50 per). Winnings used for home improvements,
spring outfits. San Antonio AP: "Four more charged
with Dime Chain Fraud" - two others previously makes total
six. Classified Ads - Personals: "1000 for
$2.50, printed - not multigraphed." "CHAIN letters,
the guaranteed to go prosperity plan, is like a Townsend
revolving plan, a wheel within a wheel. There
is no refuge for chiselers here. Cut out little uncertainties,
for a larger real amount. I will help you
promote your list. No charge. Phone CHerry
0162."]
DENVER ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS. 1935 (Day 22).
"Mobs Besiege Chain
'Mills'" May 11, p. 1.
[Thousands "laughing and
shouting" gather seeking certified letters.
Promises $81 for $1 invested (plus 50c
for letter). Strangers approach each other to
keep letters going. Several shops selling,
hire attractive women barkers. Other women
work crowd silently. Kansas City UP: Notarized
letters started by two notaries in Springfield.
"A chain letter player would bring a prospective player
to the notary and before witnesses see that he mailed
out his contribution before he was allowed to sign his name
to the chain." "Within 24 hours exchanges were opened
in a dozen Missouri and Kansas towns." "Townspeople
were induced to send money to names supplied on waiting
chain letters and to have their copies of the chain letter
made by the waiting stenographers." Promoters move
on to another town after about a day. Display ad
p. 2: "Certified chain-letter station at Home Public
Market with a genuine Notary Seal on each letter."]
DENVER ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS. 1935 (Day 23).
"Five Certified Chain-letter
Mills Closed." May 12, p. 8.
[Three other printing shops
voluntarily sell out letters. Last
minute rush before crack down. "Now they have
gone and spoiled our fun" - said by man who had
been 'chaining' for three weeks (had pocket
full of $1 bills). Automobile chain (no details).
Chickasha, Okla, AP: Three chain letter emporiums
closed down. Oklahoma City, Okla UP:
Six sue 7 businessmen with failing to sell enough letters
to put their names at top. Slump at a dozen local CL mills.
Oakland, Calif. UP: "Figuring out Chain Letter Profits
Puts Youth in Psychopathic Ward." Bell hop called
UC, post office, etc. with questions about profits. Then
asked people on streets.]
DENVER ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS. 1935 (Day 24).
"Send-a-Dame Chain
Letters Worry Co-Eds." May 13, p.
1.
[Berkeley, AP: Send-a-Dame:
list of five coeds at top, date top, update
list adding a girl to bottom, copies
to friends. Originated by Eldon Grimm, College
of Commerce. Denver: Certified CL
rush continues. Most establishments use
messengers and pigeon-hole distribution cases
to avoid mail. Special officers required
to keep order and guard money.
One mill employed 10 stenographers,
10 clerks, and stayed open from 7:30
AM to 12:30 AM. Some mills handle "'old fashioned'
revolving chains" but certifieds more popular.]
DENVER ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS. 1935 (Day 28).
"City to Check Chain
Letter Promotions." May 17, p. 20.
[Proposal to license and
bond Denver CL establishments.]
DENVER ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS. 1935 (Day 29).
"Chain Letter Fraud
Scented." May 18, p. 12.
[Some operators getting
10-50% profit on funds placed. Proposed
regulations similar to that for brokerage
firms.]
DEVIANT BEHAVIOR. 1984.
Charles H. McCaghy
& Janet Nogier, "Envelope Stuffing
at Home: a Quasi Confidence Game." V.
5, p. 105-119.
[Detailed description of
envelope stuffing and follow up schemes.
" ... those answering ads buy materials encouraging
them to advertise in order to sell the same materials."
Comparisons to traditional confidence games.
Researchers answered 73 "Moneymaking Opportunities"
ads in the National Inquirer.]
DEVIANT BEHAVIOR. 1988. Jacqueline
Boles & Lyn Myers,
"Chain Letters: Players and Their Accounts."
V. 9, p. 241-257.
["This paper analyzes the
content and structure of the chain letter
and also describes the accounts which chain
letter players (N=129) provide for their participation.
<gender> Differences between male and
female accounts and participation strategies are
provided." Authors' husbands advertise mail order
business, 534 unsolicited MCLs were sent to the
address in these ads. Five essential parts of
MCL: salutation, legitimization, psychological
motivation, scheme description, moral and ethical
exhortation. Certain names appear in different
schemes: Steve Bessemer, Bill Needham, Nelson Robbards;
"used like talismans." "About 85% of letters close
with an exhortation to participate ... like "It works!",
"This gives big results," and "Hurry up!" "The typical
chain letter player . . . was a middle-aged, lower-middle
class man living in a small town." For men MCLs are
a way to beat the system, and illegality is acknowledged.
Women are more likely to accept the letter's legitimization,
see more value in the "product" delivered, and use the scheme
to make friends. Quotes from Butterfield on Amway.]
DEWAN, BRIAN. 1993. Song lyrics: "The Letter."
CD: Tells a Story,
Bar/None Records.
[ Cautionary tale in seven
four line verses. The sixth: "A butcher
got the letter and read it top to bottom /
But he did not consider himself a superstitious man /
The minute that he threw it out his blind and deaf
assistant / Cut him into pieces and sold him by the
pound." E-mail from John Burkhardt.]
DICKSON, PAUL. 1980. The Official Explanations.
New York: Delacorte
Press, p. 236.
[Author's parody of Death20
type text with book pyramid: "...and the
estate of Harriet P. of Toledo has 1,406 copies
(accumulated before she broke the chain and
died)."]
DIOGÈNE. 1987.
Jean-Bruno Renard,
"L'idée de chance: attitudes et
superstitions." No. 140, Oct.-Dec., pp. 106-130.
Gallimard, Paris. English edition: Diogenes,
140, 1987, pp. 111-140.
[Definitions of superstition.
The idea of good and bad luck. Freud on
undone or symptomatic acts. Upsurge of superstition
during historical crises. Mother of Algerian
War soldier sends out chain letter. Professions
prone to superstition (hunters, miners, farmers,
deep-sea fishermen, athletes, performers). Most
women (ca. 80%) think it preferable to be lucky rather
than beautiful. Women more superstitious than men
(esp. women at home). The old and young more superstitious.
Practices associated with difficult moments
whose outcome is uncertain (sickness, decisions, examinations).
Good luck held responsible for escaping injury, recovering
from sickness, success in an examination. Bad luck
held responsible for disease, failure, accidents.
Belief in signs of good luck stronger than in signs
of bad luck.]
DOL, MATT. 1978. Chain Letters -Road to Riches?
2nd. ed., Lanham
(MD): Dol's House Press,
[Mail order publication
- part of "Between the Lines in the Mail
Order Game." Says promoters sometime place
an alias in second or third place (of 4 to 6 total
on list). MCL texts: "Does $125,000 get you excited!
(1974); "$10,000 in your mailbox IN ONE WEEK." (1974);
"Do you need $125,000 Business Capital?" (1976). Legal
discussion with codes. Text of letters sent by Postal
Inspectors to participants in MCLs. Text of letter sent
in response to complaints about LCLs: "This
concerns your recent complaint regarding mailings known
as the "prayer" or "good luck" type of chain letter. These
mailings, which contain a threat of bad luck to those breaking
the chain, do not request money or other items of value.
They are not in violation of the postal lottery and fraud
laws, Title 18, Sections 1302 and 1341, U.S. Code. When sent
by way of postal card, however, they become unmailable
under Title 18, Section 1718, U. S. Code, which prohibits
threatening matter on the outside of mail. (But declared
unconstitutional in 1973 -DWV). "It is unfortunate the mails
have ben used in such a way as to cause complaint." Statistical
data on mail fraud investigations, FY1975 - FY1978 . One billion
dollars public loss to mail fraud in FY 77. Comments of
readers.]
DUNCAN, ROBERT J. 1976.
"Chain Letters: A
Twentieth Century Folk Practice." What's
Going On? (In Modern Texas Folklore).
Ed. Frances E. Abernathy. Austin:
Incino Press. p. 47-58.
[Mostly based on newspaper
and magazine reports referenced here. Text of LCL from
Goodman Ace, text of MCL
from Olson, text
of wife exchange from Sat. Eve. Post, 1959,
and text of
charity CL from the Independent.
Motives: "play it safe," "gamble on
it," and not to disappoint a friend who passed it
to them. XCL items: S&H green stamps, pieces
of string, pieces of cloth for world friendship quilts,
children's books, aprons, others. Send-a-dime and
Springfield history. Five-dollar notarized
letters sold for 50 cents in Springfield (?).
Familiar spin-off incidents. Hearsay influential.
Immunization effect ("duplication"). <numbers>
"They seem to be enjoying a current revival".]
DUNDES, ALAN & PAGTER,
CARL. 1975. Urban
Folklore from the Paperwork
Empire. Austin:
University of Texas Press for the American
Folklore Society.
[Traditional letters. Com.
Mapak variations (5). Complete text of Death20
type LCL. Complete text of fertilizer
club and dated wife
exchange. Husband exchange
letter from 1968 (little text). Medgar Evers,
other, as in Northwest
Folklore, 1966.]
EAU CLAIRE LEADER.
1908. "Written by Christ" Aug. 7.
[Subtitle: "Veteran at Marion Soldiers'
Home Sends This Paper Interesting Letter."
Gives a legendary lineage for the Jesus' Sabbath
letter starting with the convert; then his
son; then to US; then to Mrs. Townson; then published
in the Rome, Ga Tribune in 1891; then Mrs. Wortman;
then published in Indiana; then published here (?).
Text not copied. Found using newspapers.com searching
"fast five fridays"]
THE ECONOMIST. 1991. "Rimbaud-hoopla
goes overboard: A
season in hell." Nov. 2, p. 85-86.
[The French Ministry of Culture
sponsored a "Rimbaud chain letter"
as part of a celebration of the centenary
of the poet's death.]
ELGART, J. M. 1955. Furthermore Over Sexteen.
New York: Grayson
Publ Corp., p. 89.
[Wife XCL parody complete
text, possibly edited.]
ELLIS, BILL. 2004. Lucifer Ascending. The Occult in Folklore and
Popular Culture. The
University Press of Kentucky. p. 64-68.
[Chapter 3: Black Books and Chain Letters.
Translates a St. Germaine Himmelsbrief
(Fogel, p. 290) that demands:
"Write this letter out, one
person to another, or get it printed,
..." Following Fogel, relates an Ancient
Prayer LCL [1908]
to the Himmelsbrief tradition.
On a recent LCL: "The contemporary version derived
from this tradition maintains the essential elements
of the Himmelsbrief:
an unexceptional religious sentiment followed
by directions to copy and distribute it in the
form of written, typed or printed copies." Gives
text of 1952
(Halpert) LCL. Argues that a "1960's
chain letter" (Death20 type, Dundes, 1973u) put greater
emphasis on misfortune for breaking the chain;
and that in the 1980's and 90's this "section"
was "gradually lengthened ... so that it now makes
up most of the letter." Claims Chain Letter Evolution states that
"chain letters exist in an 'information environment'
in which the 'fittest' versions continue to circulate
...", and that it describes chain letters as an entity
"largely independent of the persons who circulate
it" (compare to motives).
Summarizes: "the chain letter is essentially a contagious
curse, contained in an amulet-like piece of
writing, which can only be removed by passing it
on to other people."]
ELLISON, E. JEROME & BROCK, FRANK W. 1935.
The Run for Your
Money. New York: Dodge Publishing
Co. p. 221-225.
[Commercial CLs (pyramid
sales). Oscar Auton, Gagetown Mich.
buggy dealer, said to have originated scheme in
1890's: (1) pay $3.75 for coupon (from Auton
or a friend), (2) send Auton the coupon plus $15, (3)
receive book of four coupons, (4) sell four coupons
for $3.75 each ($15 total), (5) when Auton receives
the four coupons you sold, each with $15, you are entitled
to receive $60 worth of merchandise (for cost of $3.75).
In 1932 "nearly every person in the United States capable
of opening his mail was 'chained' to one or another
of the myriad progressions . . ." ". . . millions
of the general public were made willing, hard-working
salesmen for fountain pens, automatic pencils, flashlights,
playing cards, key rings, stationery, bath salts, kitchenware,
lingerie, hosiery, billfolds and golf balls." 1932
pioneers: Amoeba Stationery Co. of Princeton, Pierce &
Co. in New York (pocketbooks) and Prosperity Sales Plan Corporation
in New York (pens). Amoeba scheme: (1) buy box of stationery
for $2.50, (2) included were ten slips each entitling you to sell
10 boxes yourself, (3) no commission on first 3 (per ten) sold,
$1 commission on remaining 7, (4) $1 commission on first three (per
ten) sales of second level agents. Prosperity Sales Plan similar
but did not limit number of sales. Brief description of Sheldon
scheme. Schemes collapsed just prior to send-a-dime craze.]
ESQUIRE. 1977.
Andrew Tobias,
"The Great Chain Robbery." V. 88, Aug., p.
12-14.
[Receives Death20 type CL
- much text. Received MCL, specs s$1, q20,
n4, w90. Miscalculates return.
Checked with no. 2 slot - no return. Send-a-dime.
Springfield notarized letter. Ponzis: Harold
Goldstein, Stanley Goldblum (Equity Funding
Corp.), Glen W. Turner (Koscot
Interplanetary, Dare To Be Great).
Approves Medgar Evers chain, coffee boycott.
Text of "Go play golf" office humor item - no
luck CL.]
ESQUIRE. 1979. William Flanagan, "The
Circle of Gold, Mr.
Ponzi, and the Tooth Fairy." V. 91,
Jan. 2, p. 101.
[Workings of Circle of Gold
MCL: specs s$50, q2x$50, n12 . Some text. Debunks.
Methods of cheating.]
ESQUIRE. 1990.
"I'm on the 'A' List,
Pass it on." Dec., p. 49.
[Brief comment on Media CL.
Three named transmittals incl. Pierre
Salinger to Art Buchwald. "The real reason behind
the letter's success, of course, is not fear, but
the thrill of having written certification that,
yes, indeed, you do belong to the inner circle."]
ETC: REVIEW OF GENERAL SEMANTICS. 1995.
Edward MacNeal, "The
Power of Powers: Schemes, Scams, and Panties."
V. 54, n. 4, Winter 1995-6, p. 406-415.
[Basic operation of five
different MCLs received from 1993-94:
(1) Recipes (s5x$2, n5), (2) Reports
(s4x$5, n4), (3) "Please add my
name to your mailing list" (s5x$1,n5), (4) Wealth
documents for $50 (Wealth Masters International,
n4), (5) Holiday gifts for $85 (first phase $10
to KNM Ventures to join Holiday Unity Foundation
and s5x$10 for secret techniques to use in filling your
ten-new-member quota q10x$10; second phase s5x$5
on Dec. 1 as holiday gift). Exponential growth
calculations. Foundation for New Era Philanthropy
(New Era) ponzi: promised to match deposits of
non-profit institutions with matching funds from charitable
donors within 6 months. Two local religious leaders
got 10% of $20 million in donations they arranged.
New Era references (11) from Philadelphia Inquirer.]
ETHNOLOGIE DES FAITS RELIGIEUX EN EUROPE, Actes
du Colloque de Strasbourg.
1993. Albert, Jean-Pierre. "La 'chaîne
de saint Antoline" : religion ou superstition?"
Éditions du C.T.H.S., 1993.
pp 207-220.
[No English translation.
At least one French text.]
EVENING NEWS (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1987. George
Weigel, " 'Airplane
Club' Illegal pyramid scheme may be flying
our way." May 15, p. C1.
[Airplane club pyramid scheme.
Specs s$2,200 (amounts vary), q2,
n4, max $17,600. Roles: pilot (1), co-pilots
(2), crew members (4), passengers (8). State
investigator obtained promotional packet at meeting,
some text: "Of what concern is it to anyone
if we wish to give a friend, or a friend of a friend,
$2,200?" "In the spirit of sharing
and fellowship, in the spirit of Christian charity,
and trust in your fellow man - this is the spirit of
Airplane." State Attorney General filed three
lawsuits. At outset of meeting promoters ask if any
police, FBI, IRS or reporters present. Club literature
advises: avoid using last names on airplane charts,
be discreet about talking about the club, deposit and
withdraw small amounts from bank, avoid using cordless
phones when talking about the club. Rampant in New York
state a few months ago; more than 20 arrests there.]
EVENING NEWS (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1987a. " 'Airplane
Club' grounded, charged
in pyramid caper." May 22, p. B2.
[UPI. State Attorney
General filed suit against 12 founders
of the Airplane Club MCL. Said members recruited
at parties featuring alcohol, food and music.
Names of defendants. Suit seeks to bar continuing
club, restitution and $1,000 for each violation.]
EVENING NEWS (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1988. George
Weigel, "Chain gangs:
Despite some new wrinkles in old pyramid
scheme, using the mails is still illegal, postal
inspector warns." May 13, p. C1.
[Describes Dave Rhodes MCL.
Specs s5x$1, q100+, n5, max 60x$50,000.
Some text. Postal inspector: "Chain letters
seem to run in cycles, and we've been in an up cycle
for about the last four months." Rhodes
scheme advised buying mailing list for $13 from S.E.
Ring Mailing Lists, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. A
spokesman there said he did not know how his company's
name got on the Rhodes letter, and that the firm did
not sell lists if the names were to be used to promote chain
letters. Amounts lost by four participants. Postal
Inspectors have tried to track down Dave Rhodes, Edward
L. Green, Harry R. Rhodes with no success. They use
a computer to log names on chain letters. Remainder
of article missing.]
EVENING NEWS (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1991.
George Weigel, "Chain
letters disguised." Jan. 18, p.
C1.
[Subtitle: "Promoters use
different approaches to hook consumers."
Describes "Friendship Club" MCL.
Specs q=20/year, s5x$5, n5, max $555,550. Includes
letter from alleged founder Betsy A. Jordan "who
claims to be a 53-year-old widow with terminal lung
cancer who got the idea after getting a $5 birthday
gift in the mail one day from her mother." Jordan
claims received $1.8 million in three years. "I
have absolutely no reason to story you: I'm too close
to meeting my maker." Letter claims attorney
checked out for legality; receipt of up to $10,000
a year tax exempt because they are gifts. CPA:
"When you have to do something to generate money, you can't
call it a gift," hence taxable. State Attorney general
recently closed the "Executive Income Program" MCL.
One woman has received 60 pyramid and MCL pitches.
Accompanying article gives claims of winnings & losses.]
FATE.
1975. Harold
Sherman. "The Chain Letter: Don't You Believe
It!" August 1975, 28.8, pp. 82-86.
[Psychic Harold Sherman estimates
that in his lifetime he has received
"at least 100 chain letters, all of them promising
great good luck, usually within four days, if I
will continue the chain by making 20 copies of the letter
and mailing them on to a list of friends." If you receive
one he advises you throw it away, and gives a meditation
to accompany this. A "condensed" text of a DL letter (names
were present but are not given) is given [le1975]. The text
appears very nearly complete. Sherman notes some
inconsistencies, including that late compliance
nevertheless produced good luck. He does not
note the compound nature (contradictory origins) of
the DL letter.]
THE FLORIDA TIMES-UNION. 1978. Karen
Brune & R Huard,
" 'Circle of Gold' chain letter surfaces
in Jacksonville." Sunday, Dec. 10, Sec. B,
p. 1+.
[$100 per person Circle of
Gold MCL in South Georgia and Jacksonville.
The Times-Union purchased a letter for
$100: it claims to have received "approval
of legal counsel," has two pages of instructions
and two (?) lists of 12 names. Top name an
Indiana man who says he has collected $1000, says letter
came from California. Participant: "You have to
call people and push it. I called one woman who said
she sold the one but couldn't sell the other. I
just picked up the phone and sold it." Savannah saturated.
<law> State Attorney's Office can file injunction
in circuit courts forcing participants to return
items of value received and get back items they have sent.]
FLS NEWS (THE NEWSLETTER OF THE FOLKLORE SOCIETY -LONDON).
1995. Jacqueline Simpson,
"Chain Letter (2)." n. 21, June,
p. 11.
[Summarizes and contrasts
two DL type LCLs received in 1993 (FLS,
Dec. 1993) and 1995 (The Independent, Jan.
16, 1995). Few direct quotes. Name
and amount variations. The 1993 is signed
by "Samuel & Gordon."
The 1995 uses pounds and reads: "The chain
comes from Venezuela and was written by Gordon
Lane de Sampa . . ."]
FLS
NEWS (THE NEWSLETTER
OF THE FOLKLORE SOCIETY). 2000. Jacqueline
Simpson, "Chain Letters." n. 32, November,
p. 5.
[Gives partial text of 1916 postcard
chain letter, likely one collected
by Paul Smith. Cites Phyllis Nye ( The
Independent, 6 May 2000, Review section, p.
2) that her parents thought of chain letters as "pernicious"
(even a postcard exchange) because "during the
First World War they and many people they knew had received
letters threatening death or horrors to their loved ones
in the trenches of France if the chain was broken." Comments
on the Letters from Heaven.]
FLS NEWS (THE NEWSLETTER OF THE FOLKLORE SOCIETY).
2001. T. R. Edwards,
"Chain Letters." n. 33, February, p. 8.
[Translates the "Letter
of St. Nektarios" (from I. M. Hafzifatis,
Orthodoxia ke Laikes Doxastes, Ellinika
Grammata, Athens, 1996, p. 81). Full English
text. "Write this letter 13 times and send it
to 13 people and in 13 months you will be fee from
various problems."]
FOLKLORE.
1915. J. S.
Udal, "Obeah in the West Indies." V. 26,
p. 284-286.
[Text of "Letter
from Jesus" sold in the Caribbean to protect homes from
fire.]
FOLKLORE. 1917. "Letters from Heaven."
V. 28, p. 318-320.
[Responses to FOLKLORE 1915
concerning Letter from Heaven. Presence
in south England (to protect against witchcraft
and assure safety in childbirth) and America ("written
. . . in letters of gold, or with His blood").
References. Father Delahaye traces back
to end of sixth century.]
FOLKLORE. 2005. Stephen G. Olbrys,
"Money talks: folklore
in the public square." V. 116, No.
3, December, p. 292-310.
[Thorough discussion of "currency
chains": messages and petitions written
on paper money.]
FOLK-LORE RECORD. 1878. "West Sussex
Superstitions."
V. 1, p. 23.
[An old woman keeps a copy
of the Letter from Jesus (to Abgarus),
purchased from a peddler, to ward off witchcraft
and the evil eye.]
FORBES. 1994. Fleming Meeks, "Chain
letter investing."
June 20, p. 251-52.
[Investment in Alpacas merely
because the price is going up (the "greater
fool theory").]
GALESBURG REGISTER-MAIL (Galesburg, Illinois).
1977. Comment by Jack Anderson. May 12. p. 4.
["Assistant Agriculture Secretary J. Paul Bolduc, imbued
with the new White House morality, is incensed over a chain letter
circulating in his department. It is a humorous letter, started
as a joke, calling the recipients to send their wives to the top
name on the letter (wifex).
But Bolduc took the letter seriously and fired off a a scathing memo
to all the department's 11,500 employees. He warned the chain-letter
recipients to forward the evidence to the Agriculture Department's records
division.]
THE GENTLEMAN'S MAGAZINE. 1867.
"A Curious Charm."
J. T. Fowler. Dec., p. 786
[Jesus' Sabbath Letter.
A copy of "one in the possession of
an honest farmer's wife at Saltfleetby St.
Clement's, who was very loth to part with it,
even for an hour." Complete text. "This curious document
has doubtless been copied many times
and treasured up, as it is even now at Saltfleetby."]
GEORGE WASHINGTON LAW REVIEW. 1936.
Andrew G. Haley,
"The Broadcast and Postal Lottery Statutes."
V. 4, p. 475-496.
[Essential elements of a
lottery: consideration, chance and prize.
Detailed definitions of these. Lottery
statutes construed to prevent evasion "for the mind
of man, inspired by cupidity and the desire for unjust
enrichment over his fellow man, has invented innumerable
subterfuges." " 'Chain letter' enterprises
have as their inducement the awarding of prizes on
the basis of one's position or relative standing in line."
"After the first few 'pay offs,' many contingencies governing
one's standing are so remote as to be unascertainable.
Even where the schemes are so planned that eventually
all participating will receive a prize, but at different
times, it is apparent that an inequality of chance prevails."
Legal references.]
GERMAN AMERICAN ANNALS.
1908. Edwin M.
Fogel, "The Himmelsbrief." V. 10,
p. 286-311.
[Traditional letters (Himmelsbrief)
among Pennsylvania Germans. " . .
. we have in the Himmelsbrief the old heathenism
under the garb of Christianity." Six categories:
St. Germain, Holstein, Mechelburg, Himmelsriegel,
Count Philip of Flanders, and Magdeburg.
All in German except one Holstein,
the Count Philip letter, and
the "Endless Chain of Prayer"
(an early form of the "Ancient Prayer" LCL).
Two versions exist, a long and short. Complete
text given of the
short version, later referred to
as the "Endless Chain Letter." Bishop Lawrence
mentioned in the text was an Episcopalian
(not a Methodist) - see Lawrence 1926.
Reference supplied by Alan Mays.]
THE GETTYSBURG TIMES
(Gettysburg, Pennsylvania), 1924. "Chain Letter Start
of Shooting" April 8, p. 6.
[Woman attempts to kill herself and her invalid
sister after breaking a chain letter. "The prayers were not written
and the aged woman steeped in melancholy sought happiness through
ridding the world of the burden of existences of herself and her
sister."]
GODDARD, DWIGHT (Ed.).
1938. A Buddhist
Bible. Boston: Beacon Press
(1970).
[The Diamond Sutra promises
great merit to those who "zealously and
faithfully observe and study this Scripture, explain
it to others and circulate it widely..." (p.
96). The Surangama Sutra: "Ananda, should any
sentient beings in any of the kingdoms of existence, copy
down this Dharani on birch-bark or palm-leaves or paper
made of papyrus or of white felt, and keep it safely in
some scented wrapping, this man no matter how faint-hearted
or unable to remember the words for reciting it, but who
copies it in his room and keeps it by him, this man in all his
life will remain unharmed by any poison of the Maras." (p.
275)]
GOOD HOUSEKEEPING. 1969. "Why most
chain letters are illegal." V. 169, July, p. 141.
[Basic legal facts.
Miscalculated return from a MCL with specs
s$1n6q6. "Ninety-nine percent of the people
who participate in circulating chain letters
do not realize they are breaking the law" - H. J. Wallenstein,
Asst. Attorney General of N.Y.]
GOOD OLD DAYS.
1977. "Chain Letter
Madness." Esther Norman. Vol. 13, No. 9,
March, p. 4-48.
[Rare nostalgia magazine.
Esther Norman comments on the 1935 Send-a-Dime
craze. "The best kind, the experts decided,
were the ones that would 'scare' the ones who
received the letters into complying with keeping the
chain unbroken." Gives complete text (no addresses)
of Send-a-Dime type with general bad luck threats,
me1936uup_sd_badluck_q5.
Also gives text of a Send-a-Dime letter with non-traditional
explanations, me1935u_sd_norman.
Says she and her friends were "afraid" to break chains.
Says handkerchief and tea-towel exchange letters followed.
Quit responding after receiving
quarter money chain. Only source for a money chain
letter with bad luck threats.]
GOOD PROFITS IN CHAIN LETTERS? YOU BE THE JUDGE.
1978. Darien
Publications, Huntington Beach, CA.
[Mail order publication,
16 pages stapled. MCL appeal:
(1) promise of big, quick profits. (2) small
start-up costs, (3) easy work, (4) all cash
business. Sent out 86 questionnaires with SASE
to participants in five chain schemes. Received
54 responses (25 positive, 19 negative, 10 uncertain).
Promoters strategies: use of aliases, group efforts,
selling addresses and printing services. Woman
in top slot (of four, selling reports) knew nothing
of chain, returned dollars. Legal: text of codes.
MCL texts include "Millionaire's Newsletter"
testimonial accompanying "The Letter." Sample
of "report": "How to Raise $10,000 Overnight."]
GOODSPEED, EDGAR J. 1931.
Strange New Gospels.
Univ. of Chicago Press.
[Christian apocrypha - much
was expanded upon in Goodspeed 1956. "The
most ambitious and yet the most commonplace of
modern apocrypha is probably the "Letter of Jesus
Christ," said to have been found under a stone near
Iconium, where it was deposited by the angel Gabriel.
It is sometimes sent through the mail with
a request that the recipient send copies of it
to three others, as some great misfortune is likely
to befall him if he does not. 'Do not break the chain.'
It was published almost in full some years ago in the
Chicago Evening Post, and is sometimes found framed
on the walls of people of more piety than intelligence."
(p. 100)]
GOODSPEED, EDGAR J.
1956. Modern Apocrypha.
Boston: Beacon Press. p.
70-75.
[History of the "The Letter
from Heaven" (concerning Sunday, Lady
Cubass). Complete text. Origin
(R. Priebsch): Ebusa Island (Latin) sixth century.
Bishop of Carthagena denounced it in a letter
of 584 AD. Reappeared through the centuries.
English form much simplified, from 1700, may have added
the Abgar and Lentulus letters. Mentions "A Letter
of our Lord Jesus Christ, Found on the Grave of the Mother
of God," revealed when the patriarch of Jerusalem
smote a stone that had fallen from heaven.]
GREGG, JOHN ROBERT. 1941.
Applied Secretarial
Practice, Second ed.
New York: The Gregg Publ. Co.
[Up to 4 carbons OK with
standard weight first sheet (20#) and light
copy sheets (13#). Up to 10 copies OK with
light first sheet (p. 12). Now obsolete
duplicating methods: mimeograph, gelatin duplication,
liquid duplicators, multigraph, multilith, Vari-Typer,
Hooven typewriter, Postal-card duplicators and multifax
(Ch. VI). Multigraph (p. 142) produces letters
that look typewritten. Type is set on a cylindrical
drum and covered with an inked fabric ribbon. Paper
fed between type drum and a rubber platen roller.]
THE (MANCHESTER) GUARDIAN. 1990. "Diary"
- Judy Rumbold.
Nov. 7, p. 21: 2.
[Brief mention of husband
exchange parody CL "currently circulating
in New York." Some text; receive 16,748
men. One woman broke the chain and "got
her own son-of-a-bitch back."]
GUIGNÉ, ANNA. 1993. The
'Dying Child's Wish'
Complex: A Case Study of the Relationship
Between Reality and Tradition. (M.A.
Thesis), Memorial University of Newfoundland.
[<guigne> Thorough
analysis of the Craig Shergold appeal. Examples
of similar appeals, many full texts. References.]
HAND, WAYLAND. 1959.
"A North Carolina
Himmelsbrief." In Middle-Ages-Reformation.
"Volkskunde." Univ. of
North Carolina Studies in Germanic Languages
and Literatures, No. 26. Chapel Hill, p. 201-207.
[Complete text of "Our Saviour's
Letter" (Cubas) from No. Carolina, with
differences present in an earlier English broadside
(Herefordshire). Legend of how the "Ancient
Letter" reached America, with bad luck for
failing to publish it. Newspaper references.
Early Christian belief in letters from heaven.
Some believe magic & holy writings lose efficacy
when copied off (note 13). "...a practice whose
origins are to be found more in journalism and in the printing
trade, perhaps, than in religious history or folklore."]
HAND, WAYLAND (Ed.) 1961. The Frank
C. Brown Collection
of North Carolina Folklore, V. 6.
Durham: Duke University Press, p. 11-12.
[ "A charm known as 'The
Letter of Jesus Christ' will insure the safe
delivery of a child, if possessed by the mother."
References to published texts of Himmelsbrief,
including Jewish, foreign, Islamic.]
HAND, WAYLAND; CASETTA, K. & THIEDERMAN, S
(Eds.) 1981.
Popular Beliefs and Superstitions:
A Compendium of American Folklore From the Ohio
Collection of Newbell Niles Puckett,
V. 2. Boston: G.K. Hall & Co.
[P. 845 & 907:
Six accounts of belief in good / bad luck,
e.g. ". . . if you break a 'chain-of-luck
letter,' disaster is sure to follow" (F, age 66).
Complete text
of LCL with specs q4+1, d1,
w4. Name list of 15 at bottom omitted.]
HAND, WAYLAND & TULLY, FRANCIS. 1996?.
"Chain Letter. "Encyclopedia
of American Popular Beliefs and Superstitions.
New York: Oxford Univ. Press.
[Quotes Duncan,
Dundes and de Lys. African missionary
letter - ref. Hyatt. Send-a-dime basics.
Classification of CLs: (1) financial, (2) religious/lucky,
(3) humorous/satiric, (4) leisure/interest. For
MCL calls copy quota its "width," number of names on list
its "length." Motivations.]
HARRISBURG TELEGRAPH.
(Harrisburg, Pennsylvania). 1929. "Worry over chain letter
breaking excites victim." Sept. 3, p. 6
[Brighten, England. "Found in Field without Food
for Four Days After Incident." Found semi-conscious on the downs.
Had scribbled: "I have broken a Flanders Field chain of luck and
this is my punishment." He and wife had put the letter in the fire.]
HOBBIES, THE MAGAZINE FOR COLLECTORS. 1935.
V. 40, No. 8, October.
[(1) Autographs - A Chain
Letter. "A chain letter that was started
in 1894 by seventeen members of the Eureka College,
Eureka, Ill., graduating class, has been going
the rounds for these forty-one years. When a member
receives it he chronicles his activities and thoughts
and sends it on. So far it has traveled to China
and the remote corners of the world several times.
Fourteen members of the class are still alive and contribute
to the letter about twice a year." (2) Market Notes
and News. "The custom of inscribing the initials S.A.G.
on the backs of letters, dates back to 1729, and supposedly
insures the letter against any mishaps along the route
to its destination. The letters abbreviate Saint Anthony
Guide, and the custom is mainly Roman Catholic." (3) Market
Notes and News. "The chain-letter racket, which is practically
non-existent now, has been the cause of some interesting
oddities in the news. When the idea first started, about
five months ago, many collectors started a "philatelic chain"
and sent to many (if not all) of their friends. A number
of these letters were sent abroad, especially in Europe.
And therein lies the story. It seems that our foreign neighbors
have more faith in this American idea, then our own brethren,
for they (in most cases) promptly continued the chain and
the recipients promptly forwarded additional letters. Now reports
come from all over the United States that the original instigators
are receiving stamps for their trouble - and in most cases
very good stamps. One South American collector boosted the
value up to about $5, and then forwarded that amount in mint
airs to an Eastern collector."]
HYATT, HARRY MIDDLETON. 1935.
Folk-Lore From Adams
County Illinois. New York: Memoirs
of the Alma Egan Hyatt Foundation, p. 420-421.
[Population: "During the
latter part of 1933 a 'chain letter' fad
appeared." Complete text of
LCL, q5n6d1w9. Hyatt deleted two names and two towns.
Chicago (Cook County) appears twice in senders list.]
THE INDEPENDENT.
1916. "Chain Charity."
V. 86, May 8, p. 199
[Complete text of charity
chain letter (for Billy).]
THE INDEX-JOURNAL (Greenwood,
South Carolina), 1940. "Nazi 'Victory' Handbills Put
in N. Y. Subways." May 28, p. 1
[New York. May 25 (AP) - "German 'victory'
handbills were scattered mysteriously in several subway trains
yesterday, reading: On to Paris! On to London! Sieg Heil! (hail
victory) Heil Hitler! The Daily News says hundreds of German-Americans
have received, from the 'league for the cultivation of personal friendship
with foreigners' in Berlin, first letters for a pro-German chain letter
campaign."]
THE INDIANAPOLIS NEWS.
1930. "Chain Letters." January
31. P. 6
["going the rounds at the present times.
Full text,
title uncertain, list mentioned. Statements about
authors - no reference: "The few known
instigators of a chain letter have been lonely persons
more or less isolated from life. They incline toward
mysticism and believe that the letters stir some
beneficial current of thought. Thousands of people thinking
about happiness are bound to produce it, they feel. The bait
about the happy event on the eighth day is held out to make
the readers concentrate their attention on the thought."]
INDIA OBSERVER. 1872. "Some strange papers
. . . " Feb. 17, p.
101, col. 2
[Cited in JOURNAL OF SOCIAL
HISTORY. 1987. "Some strange
papers have been going around the north of
Tirhoot." ". . . the cows have complained to Jagannath
that all the wastelands are being cultivated,
and that Jagannath has promised to curse any one who
cultivates waste lands . . . " and "cause
the house of anyone who fails to pass on these papers
to be burnt." Reporter suggests local police detectives
track down the origin, possibly across the border
in Nepal.]
INTELLIGENCER JOURNAL (Lancaster, Pa.). 1988.
David Sturm, "Illegal
Chain Letter Surfaces Here." Jan.
20, pp. 1,2.
[Dave Rhodes MCL. Norfolk,
Va. had one Dave Rhodes but number was
unlisted. Postal Inspector speculates that
Dave Rhodes is a fictional person, and that
the letter was a way for a mailing list company
to drum up business (S. E. Ring Mailing Lists Co.
of Fort Lauderdale). Says "chain letters have crossed
his desk every day for the 23 years he has been a postal
inspector."]
JAMES, MONTAGUE R. 1953. The Apocryphal
New Testament.
London: Oxford Univ. Press. Correction
of the 1924 edition.
[Mentions "the Letter of
Christ concerning Sunday, extant in almost
every European language and in many Oriental
versions. It was fabled to have fallen
on the altar at Jerusalem, Rome, Constantinople..."
English text
of the letter from Abgarus (of Edessa) to Jesus and
his reply. "Later texts add a promise that
where this letter is, no enemy shall prevail; and so we
find the letter copied and used as an amulet." English
text of the "Letter of Lentulus," a description of Christ's
physical appearance from about the 13th century.
The oldest text does not present the document as
a letter, but begins: "It is read in the annual-books of
the Romans that our Lord Jesus Christ, who was called by the
Gentiles the prophet of truth, was of stature..."]
JOURNAL
NEWS (Hamilton, Ohio). 1931. "That Chain Letter Again!"
Sept. 25, p. 9.
[Complains of receiving LCL. Starts:
"Good luck and good health." Started by a general
in the American Artillery. "Pola Negri owes her fortune to having
carried out these instructions." Advises one turn over chain
letters to the postmaster. This is the "Fortune Chain" - full
text of another
is in the archive.]
JOURNAL OF AMERICAN FOLK-LORE. 1895.
"Notes on the Folk-Lore
of Newfoundland." V. 8, p. 286.
[Brief mention of "the letter
of Jesus Christ" which promises safe
delivery in child-bed and freedom from bodily
hurt.]
JOURNAL OF MODERN HISTORY. 1990.
Lynne Viola,
"The Peasant Nightmare: Visions of Apocalypse
in the Soviet Countryside." V. 62, p. 747-770.
[Peasant rumors and apocalyptic
prophecy in protest of Soviet collectivization
in the 1920's. Rumors of miracles: renewed
icons, appearance of crosses, secret flames,
holy springs. Rumor that disbelief was punished:
"a peasant who laughed at the story fell off his horse
and became ill." Three apocalyptic themes:
"the reign of Antichrist, impending war and invasion,
and the destruction of traditional ways of peasant life."
". . . leaflets or proclamations were distributed
or appeared mysteriously. Elsewhere, heavenly
letters written by the hand of God, the Virgin Mary, or
Christ appeared." In one God wrote: "If this non-belief
continues, then in two years the world will come to an
end. I can no longer be patient." Heavenly letters
played a similar role during the late Middle Ages
(Cohn 1957). Footnote 59: "In addition
to leaflets, rumors were circulated in chain letters,
promising great joy or sorrow depending on whether
the letter was delivered or not." ]
THE JOURNAL OF POPULAR CULTURE. 1976.
Gerard O'Connor, "The
hoax as popular culture." V. 9,
n. 4, p. 767-774.
[Brief mention of depression
era MCLs as a "popular money hoax."]
JOURNAL OF SOCIAL HISTORY. 1987.
Ananda A. Yang,
"A Conversation of Rumors: The Language
of Popular Mentalitès in Late Nineteenth-Century
Colonial India."
V. 20, p. 485-505.
[Rumors of peasants in the
Bihar region of northeast India in the late
nineteenth century. Illiteracy widespread, regular
channels of communication closed to them.
Census rumors: prelude to: household and other
taxes, inscription, forced emigration, forced
conversion. "Religious rumors were generally encoded
with the sanction of a sacred authority, either a place
or person, and with a message promising dire consequences
if they were not disseminated further - often in chain-letter
fashion - by their recipients." Some text of three CLs. Tree
daubing: splash of mud with black hairs imbedded
- replicated - spread described - rumors followed.
Rumors often invoked Hindu gods to attain authority
- "fittest" survived.]
JOURNAL OF SOCIAL HISTORY. 1991.
Robert Orsi. "The Center
Out There, In Here, and Everywhere Else:
The Nature of Pilgrimage to the Shrine of Saint
Jude, 1929-1965." V5, Winter, N2: pp. 213-239.
[National shrine of Saint
Jude Thaddeus founded by Spanish Claretian
Fathers in Chicago in 1929. Jude's devout told
"they need never come to Chicago to participate
fully in the cult." Jude called "the Patron Saint
of 'Anglos'" by Mexican American women (1958).
Jude's early titles included "the Forgotten Saint,"
the "Obscure and Unknown Saint." Social history of Catholic
ethnic communities in 20th century contribute to decentralization
of Jude devotion. Note 44: "This desire and
commitment to making Jude known around the country
is also the motive for the ubiquitous notices thanking
the saint that appear in the classified sections of newspapers."
"Synchronicity, the unexpected coincidence of events,
was thought to disclose Jude's actions or intentions,
and so the devout carefully marked the moment when they first
encountered the saint and noted the timing of his response"
(p. 221). "They also referred self-consciously to the
timing of their own expressions of gratitude: what was important
to them was not that they went someplace in return for
the saint's intervention but that they did something within
a certain amount of time." "Jude's was a postal devotion
and writing replaced going as the primary devotional act."]
JOURNALISM MONOGRAPHS. 1994. Nathaniel
Hong, "Down with the
Murderer Hitler!" No. 146,
Aug.
[Dissident expression in
Denmark, 1940-42, incl. leaflets, chain
letters, stickers, posters, graffiti, songs, symbols,
flags and theater demonstrations. Based
on police reports. Leaflets encouraged hand copying;
two early forms became combined (p. 6).
Police tracing and other investigative methods.
Lord's Prayer political parody: "Our Führer
/ Who is in Germany / . . ." (p. 9). "This is
about Denmark's Freedom" had heading "KÆDEBREV" (CHAIN
LETTER), explicitly asked copies be made and admonished
"Don't break the chain" (p. 12). Government posters
"improved" with anti-German messages (p. 15).
BBC Danish-language broadcast initiated use of "V" graffiti
(p. 15). Methods of distribution (p. 21-2).]
THE KANSAS CITY STAR (Kansas
City, Missouri), 1911. "The Chain Letter", Sept. 18, p.
7.
[Interviews Dr. Edwin M. Fogel (Univ. of Pennsylvania),
who "has made a study of folklore and strange superstitions. "I
have made a collection of 2,500 superstitions, and at lest 90%
of them are of Germanic origin." ... "Every now and then there
crops up in the newspapers a story about an 'endless chain of prayer,'
a letter which is sent to three persons, each of whom must copy it and
send it to three others on penalty of a curse. It is a Germanic superstition
of the same kind as the belief in the 'Magdeburg' letter of Christ."
Note: I have yet to find such a quota three letter, or a story about
one. - DWV]
THE KANSAS CITY STAR (Kansas City,
Missouri), 1935. "Kidders' Busy On Chain" May 1,
p. 2 (continued from p. 1).
["The Kansas City, Kansas, police department
must dream its dreams of sudden wealth off duty in the future.
Chief W. H. Stone today prohibited the further use of the
mimeograph machine for the printing of form letters for the
dime chain. The daily bulletin of yesterday was late because of
the use of the machine."]
KEYSTONE FOLKLORE QUARTERLY. 1972.
Mac E. Barrick,
"The Typescript Broadside." V.
17:1, Spring, p. 27-38.
[Several examples of erotic
print folklore. Circulated since the 1920's.
Once typed with reversed carbon so only
read with mirror. Complete text of "Fertilizer
Club" parody & variant from 1971. Printed
material has advantage over oral in the workplace
since it can be read surreptitiously.]
KINGSPORT (TENNESSEE) TIMES. 1935.
"'Prosperity Club' Letter Forms Will Be Given
at Shows" May 6, p. 3.
["'Prosperity
Club' chain letter forms will be given away free
after 12 o'clock tomorrow at the three theatres here.
The announcement was made late today by the management
of the theatres. The blanks are artistically designed
with all reading material available and with ample space
for the desired addresses." "The 'Prosperity Club' letter
forms will be available at all three theatres after tomorrow
at noon. The management extends a cordial invitation for
the public to visit the theatres and take advantage of the
extra service."]
KIPLINGER'S PERSONAL FINANCE MAGAZINE. 1993.
Ronaleen R. Roha,
"Inside the Head of a Mail-Order Crook."
Jan., p. 73-75.
[Strategies of mail-order
cons including stuff envelopes.]
KITCHING,
I. J. & FOREY,
P. L & HUMPHRIES, C. J. &
WILLIAMS, D. M. Cladistics - The theory
and practice of parsimony analysis. Second
edition. Oxford University Press. 1998.
[From the back cover: "The
book begins with an explanation of the fundamental
concepts in cladistics, such as the meaning
of relationships, systematic groups, and their
recognition through processes of homology. The types
of characters that can be used in cladistic analysis are
examined, followed by the methods used for coding these
observations for computer analysis. The construction of
cladograms and consensus trees is explained, and the contentious
area of three-item statements, a different method of
representing relationships among taxa, is explored."]
LAMAR TRI-STATE DAILY NEWS. 1979. Michael
J. Preston,
"Colorado Lore and Language . . . What
Evil Will Plague You If Chain Letter Is Broken?"
July 30, p?
[Receives DL type LCL; partial
text (have original
letter -DWV). Female
recipient of LCL worried about bad luck for three
days, then sent 20 copies. General Walsh
name and amount variants. Partial text of recipe
XCL.]
LA PORTE HERALD-ARGUS.
1976. (Laporte County,
Indiana). D. Reed Eckhardt. "Chain letters
blooming." April 10, 1976.
[Debunks pyramid schemes.
Bicentennial Savings Bond scheme (send $2
- $1 for each hundred years). Exchange
of recipes and post cards are not illegal "because
they are not considered a 'thing of value'."
Claims post cards with threat of bad luck are prohibited
"because it is against the law to place threatening
matter on the outside of mail." (Ruled unconstitutional
in 1973 - DWV)]
LARDNER, RING. 1946.
"On Chain Letters."
The Portable Ring Lardner, New York:
Viking, p. 567-570. Originally from "Ring Lardner's
Weekly Letter," distributed by Bell Syndicate,
August 6, 1922.
[Complete text (no
names) of Good Luck LCL. Name list: fifty. <numbers>
Received twelve of these "endless chain" letters since the
summer. Original source supplied by Scott
Topping.]
LAWRENCE, WILLIAM. 1926.
Memories of a Happy
Life. Boston and New York:
Houghton Mifflin Co., p. 282-283.
["For two or three years,
beginning in 1906, I was harassed by an
outcropping of superstition in the form of a prayer
chain, the source of which I have never discovered.
Complete text,
includes "This prayer was sent out by
Bishop Lawrence . . ." Lawrence continues: "Letters
of inquiry, protest, and condemnation came
to me from over the country, Europe, and beyond.
The Associated Press and leading newspapers
cooperated in an effort to stop the nuisance."]
LEBANON DAILY NEWS
(LEBANON, PA). 1930. "Mason
Chain Letter Pest Annoys Lebanon. Feb.
25, p. 4
["Members of the Masonic fraternity
in and about Lebanon are being pestered by
chain letter writers." Full text.
"Each copy is supposed to carry the list of
surnames of those who hve complied with the magical
request. The names on some of the Lebanon letters look like
a list of prominent families here."]
LETTERS TO AMBROSE MERTON.
2001. Jean-Bruno
Renard. "Chain Letter from France." Spring,
2001, p. 24-25.
[Original French text and
English translation
of 1999 luck chain letter, plus image of envelope. Copy quota
nine (including received
copy). Miracle working sick child attributed as
author. ". . . see what will happen to you within
4 days." Write "RF" on envelope instead
of stamp. Renard suspects circulation among children.
French post office response to chain letters, envelope
stamped "Chaine Inadmis".]
LIBERTY.
1935 (Day 92).
Donald Furthman Wickets, "Chain
Letter Madness." V. 12, n. 29, July 20,
p. 30-33.
[Questionable text of send-a-dime
with fictitious names. Only source for LCL protesting
Sabbath violations (c.
1902); specs q7d7w7, titled "The Prayer Chain." Near
complete text. Text of harsh
threat says was added, then "tens of thousands of
prayer letters flooded the mails." Circulation in China,
Africa and South America (source?). <immunization>
"Folks who sent out some of the early letters began
to receive their echoes." Plausible origin story
of send-a-dime: "A Denver attorney . . . told the writer
a tale that seems likely. One day early in April a woman
client came to his office. She was deeply distressed over
the plight of several families she had known for years. These
people had been forced to go on relief through no fault of their
own and at a considerable cost of pride. She had worried and
pondered. The result was a plan to help these families and possibly
many more in similar circumstances. She proposed sending out
dime chain letters to her friends, listing the families' names.
Did the lawyer consider the plan illegal? He told her he
could see no harm in thus soliciting charity donations -
and so perhaps the snowball was started." Methods of
cheating. "Cheater-proof" notarized letter. The "guaranteed"
letter in which two copies are "sold," letters pass
hand-to-hand. Stories of winnings. "Donald Furthman Wickets"
was a pen name for George Sylvester Viereck. Note that both names
have 6-7-7 letters.]
THE LIMA NEWS (LIMA, OHIO).
1889. "A Very Costly Building" Feb. 28, p. 2
[Estimates cost of
a charity chain letter to build a town hall building
in Canton, Maine. Cited here because it uses the term "progressive
chain letter scheme."]
LITERATURA LUDOWA. 1988. Bednarek
Boguslaw, "Lancuszek
sw. Antoniego." no. 1, pp. 23-30.
[<Polish> My
copy is missing text. Contains text of nine
luck chain letters. Have English translation
by Yana Tishchenko of four dated ones (1, 2, 4, 5).]
LITERARY DIGEST. 1933. "Chain Selling Competes
with Jig-Saws." June
24, V. 115, p. 31.
[Brief account of chain selling
scheme from the Burlington (Vt.) Free Press:
"You buy two packs of cards for a dollar.
Their worth is questionable. You then
become a registered salesman with the playing-card
sales promoter. You then sell three people
the same article and start them selling . . .You
get a commission on the first three sales they make.
You get a commission on all that you sell after the
first three."]
LITERARY DIGEST. 1935 (Day 29). "Chain-Letter
'Prosperity-by-Mail'."
V. 119, May 18, p. 38.
[Send-a-dime. <variations>
XCLs: liquor, hay, kiss, find lost
husband. Benefits business: stationers, type-writer
agencies, stenographers. Recruitment: hiring boys
to drop CLs on porches. Calculations. Postal receipts.]
LITERARY DIGEST.
1937. "Quick Riches."
V.123, April 24, p. 5-6.
[Questionable Prosperity
type LCL text fragment. Prior letters
typed on tissue paper (Good Luck) - "this letter
was started in the fields of Flanders for the
good of humanity." Celebrity testimonials.
Send-a-dime. Subsequent get-rich-quick schemes: radio
club (Toledo), recreational-park membership
(Dayton), vacation-fund (Atlantic City), Ruby Hospital
building fund (Ponca City Florida, 1935).]
LOS ANGELES HERALD EXAMINER. 1980a.
"Get-rich-quick 'chains'
multiplying too fast to stop."
May 21, p. A3.
[California pyramid schemes.
Participants a "cross-section". Los
Angeles: hundreds of calls a day asking about
legality; at least 100 clubs (c. 30 persons each).
Parties busted. Herschel Elkins, Asst. State
Attorney General: pyramid clubs were known in
Los Angeles in the 1940's. 4 or 5 weeks to
clean out an area before plan collapses. Alameda County
High school pyramid: ounce of marijuana to buy in,
pay-off a pound.]
LOS ANGELES
HERALD EXAMINER. 1980b. News Focus: "Pyramids: 'Brother
can you spare a dime,' 1980-style." May 22, p. A1+.
[<recruit, methods>
Local pyramid schemes. Harold Gerard,
UCLA social psychologist, blames economy. About
40,000 attend "pyramid parties" in Los Angeles
last night (est. 150 to 400 parties). Accounts of
arrests. Most common ante $1000, win $16,000.
Studio employee: "Studio people are talking
about nothing else." "... experts said the concept has been
around for a long time, as far back as ancient Greece or Egypt."
Dr. Richard P. Barthol, UCLA Psychologist: "This (buying
into a pyramid) seems like a way to get ahead of inflation,
at least for a while." Dr. Jerald Jellison, USC
Psychologist: "... if you can get people to think
bad times are coming, you can lessen rational thinking on
the advisability of the investment." Cash withdrawals
from banks. Robberies of winners. Some brought
to meetings blindfolded. "I never saw anything
like it in all my experience as a bunco detective,
completely beyond the scope of my imagination."
P. A15: "A pyramid winner tells how she won her money."
Elizabeth Kyger, free-lance writer, 24, tells of splitting
$16,000. "I've made great business contacts because
of this." Says Ventura freeway westbound jammed in evenings
because of pyramid parties.]
LOS ANGELES HERALD EXAMINER. 1980c.
"Mood of pyramid participants
turning ugly." May 24, p. A5.
[Two accounts of anger at
Burbank pyramid party site. Out-of-towners
now predominate. State Attorney General's office
investigating possible links to organized
crime. P. A1+ "Ante goes up to $5,000"
Celebrity attendants to day-time pyramid party attempt
to deceive or intimidate reporter upon leaving.
Photo (p. 1): Policeman holds up "Pyramid
Power" T-shirt confiscated in a raid. Letter
"A" of "PYRAMID" forms pyramid.]
LOS ANGELES HERALD EXAMINER. 1980d.
"A Parable of Pyramids
and Pipe Dreams." -Marvin Chester, Ph.
D. May 28, p. A11.
[Analysis of s$500, q2x$500,
n5 pyramid scheme. Hypothetical recruiting
calls. <origin> "Pyramid money schemes
are quite ancient." (?) Mentions tripling
pyramid scheme in Grenoble, France in 1971, 21 francs
to get on a list of 10 persons.]
LOS ANGELES HERALD EXAMINER. 1980e.
"500 rally at Girth
Park to promote money scheme." May
27, p. 1+.
[Sign at rally: "Business
Concept Power Happening." Attendants
defend scheme, claim winnings, exchange
pyramid gossip (meeting with 237 buys, a $100,000 ante
game). <law> Ventura county brings felony
conspiracy charges. Lawyers address crowd
- urge no guilty pleas. Petition circulated
to DA. Citizen's Individual Rights and Collective
Legal Expression (CIRCLE) distributes fliers
criticizing police and media. Photo: Bearded man
in pyramid power T-shirt, $ sign between the two words.]
LOS ANGELES HERALD EXAMINER. 1980f.
"I really feel like
a sucker." June 1, p. 1.
[Young printer's account
of collapse of pyramid. Printed 300
pyramid charts. Went in with 3 others at $250
each. Meeting at 8 PM sharp, door locked,
a letter was read asking law enforcement and tax
collection personnel to admit role. Another
person explains pyramid and asks for buy-ins. Last
meeting: only people who had lost were present, talk
of violence.]
LOS ANGELES TIMES. 1935 (Day 2). "
'Send-a-dime' Letters Cause Postal Puzzle." April 21, p. 2:6.
[Housewives called newspapers
wanting to know why the postal officials
did not mind their own business. "President
Roosevelt wants to redistribute the wealth,
doesn't he." <origin> Nelson suggested
person who started may have placed fictitious
names on list.]
LOS ANGELES TIMES. 1935 (Day 8).
"Senders of Send-a-dime
Letters to Face Charges." April 27, p.
1:2.
["Asst. U. S. Attorney Palmer
said the senders will be arrested and
charged with using the mails to defraud if any complaints
are brought to his attention." "Postmaster Briggs
said . . . the mailing was a violation of
Sec. 215 of the Postal laws which govern endless
chain enterprises." No local mail increase
noted.]
LOS ANGELES TIMES. 1971. "Pyramid Distributor
Plans Put Under SEC."
Dec. 1, Part III, p. 9: 2.
[<law> Means (1) companies
must register multi-level distributorships
as securities, (2) disclose information about
itself and plan to sell products, (3) puts them
under anti fraud provisions of Securities Act.
Exemptions include selling in just one state.]
LOS ANGELES TIMES. 1975. "Suit to Halt
'Endless Chain' Plot
Filed." Feb. 12, Part I, p. 3:1.
[Three law enforcement agencies
file suit to block massive 'endless chain'
schemes in So. California involving savings
bonds. Names of 26 persons indicted (misdemeanors).
"An 'endless chain' is a scheme in which operators
make money from the sale of memberships rather
than from commissions on sales or legal investments."
Scheme: recruit pays $37.50 to sponsor, receives
list of 10 names and $25 savings bond (cost $18.75) which
goes to top name. Recruit makes two lists with his
name at bottom, sends two bonds to his top name. Then
recruits two, regaining $75. $3 dues and cost of
materials also asked. Specs: s$37.50, q2x$37.50,
n10. Pyramid company names: the Six Pack (6 names); the Century
Club ($100 bonds); the Exclusive One Million, Inc. (closes
at one million membership); Uncle Sam Investment, Inc.; Your
March of Bonds; the Inflation Defense Foundation.
Fraudulent claims: system legal, infinite membership not required
because of recycling, approval of state authorities.]
LOS ANGELES TIMES. 1980a. "Pyramid
Scheme Sweeping California," May 21, p. 1: 4.
[The "Business List Concept"
MCL, specs. s$500, q2x$500, n5, max
$16,000. Complaints to police. Legal: Section
327 of state Penal code reads "Every person
who contrives, prepares, sets up, proposes or
operates any endless chain is guilty of a
misdemeanor." Parties
of 123 (Burbank) and 235 (Costa Mesa) raided,
charts and names taken. Shortage
of $100 bills, rush of withdrawals, run on safe
deposit boxes (to hold hoped for unreported winnings).
<methods> Participants locked in
meeting room for up to five hours while "cells"
are sold. <origin> Investigator says pyramid
schemes are as old as this century (?). May 21, p. 24:
"Visit to a Pyramid Party" by Nancy Graham. "Players
Buoyed by Faith - and Greed." "It is a revival
meeting, complete with exhortation and testimony and a
final coming-forward of converts." Meeting arranged
at a beauty parlor - venue shifted for security.
Prior investors divided from others; they call out names
of guests they invited, who cross the room to them. Speaker
declares legal because of an expiration date. Demand
for any law enforcement officers to depart.
Claim untaxable (false). Testimonies: "This is friends
- helping friends.!" ]
LOS ANGELES TIMES. 1980b. J. Michael
Kennedy, "Pyramid
Schemes are a Sure Thing - at Least for the
Losers" May 22, p. 3.
[Participants often professionals.
All money exchanged at meetings,
held by invitation only. Position indicated
by a chart. To "buy a cell" (one of 32) new
investor pays $500 to top name and $500 to person recruiting
them (at bottom of list). When all 32
cells sold pyramid splits in two, new meetings arranged.
"The rule of thumb is that for every dollar
someone makes, some one else will lose a dollar."
Police usually stop pyramids by busting one
and publicizing illegality - didn't work this time. Economic
inflation may be a factor. Meeting described: 30 people,
chart, door locked, fear of robbery. Male participant
was on two other $1000 lists that "will probably die"
because he had seen people buy in who were not willing to
recruit. Kennedy says good luck letters started in
WWI. Business List may be biggest MCL since depression
fad. Origin unknown, describes spread. State:
more than 200 arrests for Business List under Section 327.
Complaints of supervisors pressuring employees to invest.
Over 3000 protest crackdown at State Capitol: spokesman Tony
Stathor, lawyer. Speculation that con artists start
lists without paying.]
LOS ANGELES TIMES. 1980c. "Unable to
Stop Pyramid Games,
Police Officials Say." May 23, p. 3: 5.
[Growing number of complaints
from people who lost money and offered
to take undercover officers to the meetings.
Location of raids. Shills now active in the
pyramids, manipulation of the pyramid lists
detected.]
LOS ANGELES TIMES. 1980d. "Pyramid
Party, Raiding Party Go to Queen Mary." May 29, Part II, p.
1+.
[Long Beach undercover police
raid party of 100 people participating
in a "Paradigm Foundation Seminar." Seize $15,000
and arrest five people. Group used circle
divided into four quadrants, with seven positions
in each quadrant. Entrance fee was $2,000,
jackpot was $28,000. Half the funds go
to "the foundation." The foundation "welcomes
losers of pyramid parties ... for a "charismatic
energy exchange" where participants "give, take and
share while being together and having fun."
Five pyramid parties raided in a Hollywood recording studio,
8 of 200 participants cited.]
LOS ANGELES TIMES. 1987. "Despite Claims
'Chains' Ignore
Letter of Law" S. J. Diamond.
Oct. 2, Part IV, p. 1: 1.
[Describes MCL received in
Los Angeles, originated by "Edward L. Green"
- untraceable and probably fictional. Sells
token "reports." Specs: q200+, s4x$5, n5, max $55,550+.
Phony affidavits. Quotes Don Davis, manager
of U.S. Postal Inspection Services fraud branch on
illegality and prosecutors strategies. Return:
$40 one month after mailing 400 copies (Alton Fulton, Ky.).]
LOS ANGELES TIMES. 1990a. "Direct Sales:
A Party Line to Profit"
- Susan J. Diamond. June
7, p. 1+.
[Direct sales. About 150,000
Tupperware parties in U S. on any night.
Other products sold at parties: Sarah
Coventry costume jewelry, Stanley Home Products,
Princess House crystal stemware, Deco Plants,
Miracle Maid "Water Seal" cookware, oil paintings,
wine. "Direct selling" includes parties and door-to-door
sales, representing about 1% of retail sales.
Amway: 60% growth last year to $800 million.
Stanley Home Products (est. 1931) credited with
origin of home party sales - salesmen began doing demonstrations
at club meetings. More the
80% of peddlers are women - DSA ( Direct Selling
Association). About 33% sales done in offices.
"The goods themselves are a necessary but
minor part of the whole phenomenon of direct selling"
- Harry Davis, Univ. of Chicago Prof. of Marketing.
"Friends, neighbors and relatives are the best prospects
for any new recruit" - Amway training literature.
Home parties: hostess gathers friends and neighbors
for the
salesperson. Includes
group games, entertainment. Reciprocal
obligations promote sales. Amway has 4600
employees and 500,000 independent distributors.
Companies charge distributor for catalogues,
order blanks, samples, hostess gifts and shipping.
"You can do it" pep rallies. Praise and
flashy gifts for sales achievements. Motivations
of participants: (1) getting out, (2) meeting people,
(3) belonging to an organization, (4) money.
"Truly God has a plan, a purpose for our Company and He
is working it out through ... our President." - Home Interiors
and Gifts. "...it is sponsorship that moves
people to higher
levels of command and income,
usually depending on the total volume
of their recruits' sales and the sales of their
recruits' recruits." "They have . . .
been judged false and deceptive only when recruiting
itself brings reward, untied to product sales, or when
new members have to buy their way into the organization."
In 1975 the FTC found Amway to be misrepresenting
distributor earnings and fixing prices.]
LOS ANGELES TIMES.
1990b. Jack
Smith, "The Chain Stops Here - Then
Again, Maybe Not." July 31, View section,
p. E1+.
[Receives q5 LCL, the "Media"
chain, from friend Jonathan Kirsch, "the
distinguished attorney and literary person."
Complete text (same as others). ".
. . 28 previous letters enclosed, each signed by one person
and addressed to five other persons."
Most names are "well-known persons in the media,
publishing and related fields. Also, there is
a charming self-conscious flippancy in their notes of transmittal."
First: "I can't believe I'm sending this." Second:
"Sorry about this. . .but the game must go on."
Others include: "What the hell. . .better safe than sorry!";
"A man will do anything out of fear."; "It's a comfort to
know that not all strange behavior commences in California";
"Oh vey - this is the third one of these I've received
- I should be really lucky by now. At least we're
in tremendous company!"]
LUBBOCK EVENING
JOURNAL. 1939. p. 4.
["That original chain letter [letter from
heaven - DWV] had its inception years and years
ago in Georgia, if we correctly remember, and it had
an angle different from that of its later counterpart.
It used to be sent to newspaper editors, demanding that
the passage be published in the paper and setting
out all sorts of dire consequences if the editors failed
to acquiesce. Some of them even included descriptions of
the horrors encountered by editors who received the letter
and didn't publish it. The whole business was quite worrisome,
we suppose to superstitious editors who didn't want to publish
the matter, yet were afraid of the "swift, sure punishment"
which would be theirs if they did not."]
LUCAS, E. V. 1923. "The
Snowball." Luck of the Year, Methuen, p. 34-35.
[A friend receives Good Luck
LCL. Full text. Long list
of names not given: "...joined by the word
'to'. The last two names were written
by hand, the last of all being his own."
Hence a "sent-to" list. Motivations to
comply.]
LUKACH, HARRY C. 1913.
The Fringe of the
East. London: Macmillan
& Co. p. 243-245.
[About Turkey. Abgar
was a dynasty name in a Frankish state in
the Edessa area - first home of Christianity
east of the Euphrates. Legend: Abgar V.,
suffering from an incurable disease, wrote Jesus
asking him to come to Edessa to live and to heal him.
Jesus replied: "Blessed art thou who hast believed
in me without having seen me." Says will send a
disciple. Complete text.]
LURE, V. F. 1993. "Holy Chain Letters as a
Phenomenon of Traditional
Folklore." Russkaia Literatura,
N1, p. 144-149.
[Have copy (Russian),
no translation - DWV]
LYND, ROBERT. 1923.
Solomon in All His
Glory. Putnam, p. 71+
[Same as THE NEW STATESMAN.
1922.]
MAD MAGAZINE. 1988. "A Mad Good Luck
Chain Letter."
V. 280, July, p. 48.
[Non-circulating parody
of LCL with list of 10 prior recipients -
all celebrities who had bad luck in 1987.]
THE MAIL EXCHANGE. 1996. "Chain Letter Collector."
Sept. / Oct., p. 2.
(Collectibles newsletter distr. by Dianne
Olsen, P. O. Box 1277, Lompoc, CA 93438).
[Based on an E-mail interview
with Daniel VanArsdale. VanArsdale
comments on the ethics and illegality of chain
letters, also early examples. "They (chain letters)
represent an evolution independent of human
needs and beyond our present understanding . . ."]
MAKE A MILLION. 1936. Monogram
Pictures.
Advertisement in The Bradford Evening Star and The
Bradford Daily Record (Bradford, Pennsylvania), Feb. 18, 1936.
p. 5.
[Ad reads: "A Laughing Expose of the Chain Letter Racket".
This film is available as a DVD from Netflix. There is no mention
of a chain letter, at least not in the version rented by Netflix
in 2014.]
MARION (OHIO) STAR. 1934.
"Writers of Chain Letters are Fined" Nov.
10, p. 4.
["Berlin
- Sending, spreading and distributing chain letters
now is punished with a fine up to 150 marks or six week's
detention by German courts. Authorities are seeking
to wipe out the chain letter plague and in recent weeks a number
of sentences were passed in various cities of the reich.
... All activity in connection with chain letters is branded
and prosecuted as 'gross misdemeanor'."]
THE MARION STAR 1940.
"Columbus Chain Letter Drive Opposes War. June
1, p. 1.
[Columbus, June 1 - "The 'chain letter' system
is being used here to oppose war. ¶ The Council of Women
Opposed to Participation in Foreign Wars asked its members to
write a card opposing war to President Roosevelt and mail four
other cards to friends requesting them to write the President and
four friends.]
MIZUNO, KOGEN. 1982.
Buddhist Sutras:
Origin, Development, Transmission.
Tokyo: Kosei Publishing Co.
[ p. 172: "The world's oldest
extant examples of printing are dharani,
or magical incantations, printed in Japan
between 764 and 770, during the reign of Empress
Shotoku. A total of over one million copies of four different
dharani from the Great Dharani Sutra of the Spotless
and Pure Light . . . were printed to be placed in
the Hyakuman-to (One Million Pagodas) built at the command
of Shotoku. In this sutra it is stated
that if a person were to build several million small
pagodas and place copies of dharani in them, that
person's life would be lengthened, evil karma would be
expunged, and rebels and enemies would be vanquished."
A million 23 centimeter high wooden "pagodas" were
constructed, a printed dharani was placed
in each, and they were distributed to major temples.]
MOBERLY MONITOR-INDEX. 1935.
Chain Letter Fans Stump Officials.
April 20, p. 1.
[Subtitle: Denver Officials Deluged
by 'Send-a-Dime', 'Redistribute Wealth'
followers. Stevic: "It's against the law.
It's illegal to solicit money through the mails.
But what can I do about it?" "Nelson said actual
fraud in the scheme is not readily apparent but it is
possible that whoever started the chain may have
placed a number of fictitious names in the list, so
one person could receive the major portion of the first
money brought in by the letters."]
THE MODESTO BEE AND NEWS-HERALD
1935. "Riot is Laid to Chain Letter Idea." May
23, p. 6.
[Los Angeles, May 22. "Approximately sixty
men and women, led by a gray-haired woman who screamed that
she had "lost $5," yesterday burst into a Hollywood "dollar
chain" establishment, overturned furniture and ransacked files,
and caused a riot call for the police. ¶ The three proprietors
of the office escaped through a back door, leaving behind Miss Gloria
Hughes, a stenographer. ¶ The angry crowd, apparently made up
of disappointed investors in the "super-development" of the dime
chain letter idea, ransacked the mail but found only $4.35 in stamp
money kept in a cigar box. This was scattered about by one of the
leaders and led to a wild scramble on hands and knees for the small
change."]
MUNRO, ALICE. 1971. Lives
of Girls and Women.
[Fiction]. New American Library.
New York. pp. 137-138.
[Not examined.]
NASH, JAY ROBERT. 1976. Hustlers and Con
Men. New
York: M. Evans & Co., Inc. p. 26-32.
[Detailed operation of the
"Spanish prisoner game" (con) - said to
date from 1588 (ransom for Spanish Armada
sailors imprisoned in England). By
1900 scheme involved wealthy prisoner in Mexico
with beautiful young daughter. Very little
text of traditional letter.]
THE NATION. 1935 (Day 54). Jay
du Von, "Chain-Letter
Madness." V. 140, n. 3649, June 12,
p. 682-683.
[First "widely spread chain
letter in the years since the war was
the 'Good Luck' letter, based on the 'magic
seven,' which was supposedly started by an army
officer in Flanders." (Quota was nine for the US
Good Luck letter -DWV). Send-a-dime. Chisel-proof
variants: specs s$1,q2x$1,n10, max $1024 and q3x$1,
n3, max $27 (?). Springfield Mo. phenomenon: salesmen hired
to sell letters, "chain-letter factories" sell your letters,
lines for blocks, 12 factories in Springfield (pop.
100,000). Letters mailed wholesale using city directories
(Texas, Iowa). Relates to "Redistribute the
wealth."]
NATIONAL LAMPOON. 1979. "Milo Kush." "Unchained
Melodrama." March,
p. 41.
[Humorous fiction. "I was
opening my mail one morning and got one
of those chain letters. You know the kind --
very long, single-spaced, with a lot of instructions
on how to keep the chain going. Something about
continuing the Great Circle of Zoki." Cartoon. Describes
various misfortunes until finally Milo Kush
escapes from a government institution and tells
his story.]
NATURE. 1994a. Oliver
R. Goodenough
& Richard Dawkins, Letter: "The
'St Jude' mind virus". V. 371, Sept.
1, p. 23-24.
[Receipt of DL type LCL.
Full text.
Authors' name for letter:
"St Jude 1." Paul M. Griffo, national spokesman
for the US Postal Inspection Service: ".
. . it goes back farther than the institutional memory
of the US Postal Service, and has periodic outbreaks."
Newspaper references to other receipts.
Analogies to a virus. Anxiety from receipt.
Immunization effect. XCLs: underwear, postcards
of naked Asian girls. CL protest of a
disappearance. Craig Shergold appeal.
Culture systems as "more complicated mental parasites
and symbionts."]
NATURE. 1994b. Ian Dunn, Letter:
"The 'St. Jude' gambit"
V. 372, Nov. 3, p. 49.
[Response to above.
Booster effect: anxiety from not complying
discloses "a prior infection, a 'meme',
that was successfully implanted in them.
It required a challenge from the St. Jude virus
to uncover the meme."]
THE NEW MEXICAN
(Santa Fe, New Mexico). 1988. "Chain letter about
film is a hoax" - Ann Landers. Jan. 20, p. D-7.
[Illinois Attorney General Neil F. Hartigan
writes Ann Landers for help notifying people that a chain letter
"that is distressing hundreds and thousands of Christians" is
not true. There is no film being planned "in which Jesus Christ
would be depicted as a swinging homosexual." "We have concluded
that the 'Jesus movie' rumor originated in 1977 when a suburban
Chicago publication, Modern People News, reported that certain
interests in Europe were planning such a film and requested that
their readers express their opinion of the purported project."]
THE NEW REPUBLIC. 1989. Joe Queenan,
"Chain of Fools."
V. 201, July 17&24, p. 8.
[Author's parody of DL type
letter]
THE NEW REPUBLIC. 1990. Joseph
Nocera, "Northampton
Diarist - Chain Gang." V. 203, Nov. 12,
p. 46.
[Nocera: "Got the media chain
letter in the mail the other day."
Circulated among Washington media personnel last
summer, New York earlier. Celebrity
names and their comments. John Sterling:
"I'm counting on you to break this ridiculous chain."
]
NEW SCIENTIST. 1992. Robin Dunbar,
"So what's in a probability?"
V. 134, n. 1820, May
9, p. 49-50.
[Dunbar receives a "Media"
CL in a large brown envelope "some weeks
ago." Usual q5 with "accumulated
correspondence that had passed successively
down the line from at least one starting point
in the US." All statements were from "professional
scientists," says all "ended with a plea
for understanding" for why they yielded to the threat
of bad luck (e.g. "grant application pending,"
"a job interview next week"). Dunbar doesn't comply,
has bad luck (family gets flu, more). However,
"the chances of something going wrong on any given day
are actually quite high, though we tend not to notice most
of them unless something draws them more forcibly to our
attention."]
THE NEW STATESMAN.
1922. Robert
Lynd (Y. Y.), "Good Luck."
V. 19, April 15, p. 37-38.
[Prior postcard prayer chain:
nine copies, to go around the world, magic
of repetition. Full text of
current secular Good Luck postcard chain:
anonymous, disguised handwriting, received
by half the population (England). Recipients
annoyed. Agonizing over who to send it to.
Same as Lynd 1923.]
NEWSWEEK. 1935 (Day 8). "Chain Letters:
Cast a Dime on the
Waters and Get Rich." V.5, April 27,
p. 8-9.
[Basic facts of send-a-dime:
a combination of "CL luck scheme"
and "share-the-wealth plan." Sheldon
Hosiery "chain selling-plan" of 1933.]
NEWSWEEK. 1935 (Day 29). "Chain: Al Smith
Gets Thousand Share-Wealth Letters, One Dime." V. 5, May 18, p. 9-10.
[Send-a-dime spreads.
Cheating. Springfield: guaranteed letter, "Pot
of Gold," "Chance of a Lifetime," "Cream
of the Crop." Photos. Humorous variations.
Celebrity receipts.]
NEWSWEEK.
1979. "Fool's Gold."
V. 93, Jan. 1, p. 56-57.
[Pyramid Schemes. Circle
of Gold. Selling parties: pitches,
Est and New Age overtones. Circle of
Platinum ($1000). LA Actor Paul Kent charged
with misdemeanor. Charges brought after organizers
placed newspaper ad in Tulare County.
Drying up in California.]
NEWSWEEK. 1995. Periscope: "Femail."
Vol. 126, n. 7, Aug.
14, p. 6:1.
[Brief mention of the "Pretty
Panty Exchange" XCL. ". . . mailboxes
are flooded." "The girls-only nature of
the letter is a big draw."]
NEW
WEST. 1978.
Marlene Adler Marks, "Chain
of Fools." Nov. 20, p. 15-18.
[Circle of Gold MCL: specs
s$50, q2x$50, n12. Letter claims legality.
Some text.
Circle of Abundance MCL cost $1,000.
Many comments of participants: "High energy,"
"It's the community," "Life is the number ones
helping the number twelves." Recruitment parties:
Vern Black (700 in SF); Beverly Hills (25); Est-like;
pyramid power tie-in. "Gabriel" came from "the unknown
Marin county headquarters of the Circle of Gold to address
the faithful." <gender> Women participate
five to one according to one authority. Origin: No.
California, Marin County since July, "no one seems to be
able to pinpoint the letter's original source." Woman
in no. 1 position attends party, announces she has entered
Circle of Abundance.]
THE NEW YORKER. 1995. The Talk of the
Town: "Trust Funding."
V. 71, n. 20, July 17, p. 23.
[Describes charity CL sponsored
by the Orphanage Trust, legitimate British
charity. Generated $200,000 in last 2 years
for support of Romanian families willing to offer homes
to Romanian orphans. Some text: "Please
retype this letter on your letterhead and send
it to ten individuals." Asks for three dollars - "no
more." Media chain letter (or Brill?): "As
with the self-conscious chain letter that seeped out
of Hollywood several years ago promising good luck
to those who passed it on and bad luck to those who
didn't, photocopied lists of recipients are enclosed in each
new appeal." Gives celebrity participants and
in the case of Demi Moore the ten people she sent it to.
Lists are scrutinized. "The lists are prime examples of
the nineties phenomenon of celebrity friendship - the
ethos of 'I'm not a celebrity myself, but some of my best
friends are . . ."]
THE NEW YORKER. 1995. Jay McInerney,
"Philomena."
V. 71, n. 42, Dec. 25 - Jan. 1, p. 76.
[Short story. A writer
is losing his girlfriend. He discovers
a LCL that he had received and speculates that breaking
the chain is responsible for his difficulties.
Actual text of DL type LCL but not complete.
Parody of the "office employee" lose-win
testimonial: "Collin McNab left the letter
sitting on his desk. A week after he received
it his girlfriend packed up her diaphragm and disappeared.
Two weeks later Collin discovered the letter.
He sent out 20 copies and his girlfriend returned
and said she loved him . . ."]
NEW YORK TIMES. 1906.
"Mason's McKinley
Fund." Sept. 27, p. 7: 2.
[Statement that McKinley
National Memorial Association is not involved
with an effort by Masons to collect money for
a McKinley memorial. They received
"a number of endless-chain letters" soliciting money
for a monument at late president's cemetery lot in Canton,
Ohio. Two such letters have been collected [1901, 1905].]
NEW YORK TIMES. 1914. "The 'Chain Prayer'
Nuisance." Letter
- Maud Nathan, April 28, p. 12: 5.
[Complains of receiving a
"chain prayer," LCL (q9) with an "imputed
curse". No text.]
NEW YORK TIMES. 1915. "A 'Prayer' for the
Sick." Letter - M.
R. C., April 4, Sect. III, p. 2: 7.
[Hospitalized person complains
of receiving an "Ancient Prayer" chain
postcard with specs q9d9w10. Much indirect text
.]
NEW YORK TIMES. 1916.
"Denounces Chain Prayer."
Jan. 9, p. 6: 4.
[<abate, law> Roman
Catholic Archbishop of Cincinnati denounces
a "chain prayer letter." Ancient prayer
type, specs q9d9w10, complete text . "Any
one who recites the prayer and believes in
the promise, sins against the First Commandment
of the Decalogue." Estimated thousands circulating
in NY City. "No legal way yet devised to
punish its senders" - U.S. District Attorney.]
NEW YORK TIMES. 1917a.
"Endless Chain Binds
Her." Feb. 9, p. 20: 4.
[Subtitle: "Nurse again urges
that no more quarters be sent to her."
Charity CL started more than a year ago by
Miss Elizabeth Whitman, Superintendent of Nurses
at the NY Eye and Ear Infirmary. Solicits quarter
to buy anaesthesia for Allied hospitals. Collected
more than $16,000.]
NEW YORK TIMES. 1917b. "The British Red Cross."
April 1, part II,
p. 3: 3.
[American Committee of the
British Red Cross has taken over the "Miss
Whitman Chain Letter."]
NEW YORK TIMES. 1917c.
"War Endless Chain
Overwhelms Nurse." June 3, p. 12: 1.
[Miss Whitman charity CL.
Started more than 2 years ago.
Transfer to American Committee of the British
Red Cross - agreement for disbursement.
"She proposed to stop the chain when it reached 100
letters, through the medium of numbering each
letter sent out, but the chain went on beyond 100,
and is now on its way to the 500 mark." Brought
in $28,000+. Complete text (no generation
number). Committee answers inquiries.]
NEW YORK TIMES. 1917d.
"Germans Here Plot
to Clog U.S. Mails." Nov. 5, p. 22: 1.
[Subtitle: "Many endless
chain letters started with view to overloading
postal facilities." "The scheme, which calls
for flooding the mails with millions of letters,
each letter a link in one of a dozen or more chains, is said
to have originated in Boston." Some propaganda,
"others for peace or the protection of American soldiers
and sailors in Europe." Copy quotas: 1,6,7,9.
Letter targets: Masons, other fraternal organizations,
Catholics (this nation-wide). Believed a plot
because "most of them are worded alike." Partial
text (Masonic - several lodges instructed members
to ignore it): "Masons of old are said to have used
this prayer." "Those that say or write it to another
person will be blessed with good fortune." There follows
a supplication for peace. Complete text of alleged German
propaganda letter from Boston. Concludes:
"Endless chain. Please write at
least one copy and send this and that to friends of
immediate peace."]
NEW YORK TIMES. 1917e.
"Denounces 'Peace Prayer'." Nov. 10, p. 13: 4.
[Baltimore, Nov. 9.
"The 'peace prayer' chain which has been
sent to many persons of this city in the last few
weeks was denounced by priests of the city as insincere
and an insidious attempt to further the enemy
cause." Ref. The Baltimore Catholic Review.
Cardinal Gibbons urges destruction of the letter.]
NEW YORK TIMES. 1917f. Editorial - "A Familiar
Form of Stupidity." Nov. 10, p. 12: 5.
[ "Great numbers of people
in this vicinity as well as in other parts
of the country are receiving just now, among
the many other appeals that come to them, anonymous
communications asking them to copy and mail
to nine other persons a brief prayer for the success
of the Allies." CLs often used to
raise money. Disputes possibility of
clogging the mail, but gives credence to plot.
For compliance: a "great joy" otherwise
"misfortune." Federal receipts for
stamps slightly increased.]
NEW YORK TIMES. 1917g. "No Red Cross 'Chains.'"
Nov. 21, p. 8: 3.
[Red Cross announces "it
does not approve the chain letter system
of raising money, and that it has never authorized
any chain letter promoter to use the name of
the Red Cross." They receive such letters. See New York Times. 1917h]
NEW YORK TIMES. 1917h.
"A Foolish Chain Letter." Letter - Mrs. Joseph Benhall, Nov. 26, p. 12:
6.
[Receipt of LCL (Ancient Prayer type)
titled "Red Cross Chain." Complete text. Cites as waste
of money for stamps, better
to donate.]
NEW YORK TIMES. 1923. "Criticize Charity
Plan." Aug. 6, p. 19: 1.
[The Merchants Association
Bulletin criticizes as naive a current
charity appeal that requests an envelope be
passed for ten steps, each recipient adding a
dollar, the last recipient sending it to the original
solicitor.]
NEW YORK TIMES. 1927.
"Reed Chain Letter
Boom." April 19, p. 12: 6.
[ "Chain letter system"
started urging support for U.S. Senator
James A. Reed (Missouri) for the Democratic
nomination for President. Similar
prior effort for Champ Clark in 1912.]
NEW YORK TIMES. 1927. "1,200 'Chain Letters'
Out." Nov. 23,
p. 24: 1.
[ Chain petitions to
draft Calvin Coolidge for President mailed
out from Boston. Complete text. Coolidge
had announced he would not run on Aug.
2. The petition plan was dropped after
Hoover disapproved. See New York Times
Nov. 23 (p. 1: 2), (p. 6: 4,5) (p. 24: 1) and
Nov. 24 (p. 9: 1).]
NEW YORK TIMES. 1931.
"Appeals to Boy Scouts."
Dec. 28, p. 11: 1.
[London, Dec. 27. "Lord
Baden-Powell, founder of the Boy Scouts,
appealed today to Scouts throughout the world
to destroy any "chain letter" that comes into their
hands instead of passing it on." Says he
has received and destroyed "scores" in his life with no
ill consequences. (Baden-Powell: 1857-1941)]
NEW YORK TIMES. 1933. "Seized for Fraud in Endless
Chain." May 19,
p. 11: 1.
[<pyramid sales> Sheldon
chain hosiery sales scheme. Method:
"Sheldon and his aides . . . had mailed 12,500
sales letters promising to deliver six pairs
of stockings to every woman who sent in $1. Persons
who parted with their dollars were informed that they
would receive the stockings upon inducing three friends
to send in dollars." April 7, 1934, p. 5:3:
" . . . the plan involved selling a coupon for $1 and giving
the buyer three other coupons for distribution.
When all three were returned with a dollar each, the original buyer
was to receive hosiery worth $10." About
half received nothing for their $1. About 10,000 complaints.
Bringing in $2,000 a day through mails, "$100,000 in
recent weeks." Apparent method: (1) initial issue of coupons
for $1 each; coupons have slots for two addresses, (2)
X sends in a coupon and $1 to company, receives 3 blank
coupons, (3) X puts her address in slot #1 of the three and
sells them to friends who agree to send it in with $1 to
company, their address going in slot #2, (4) the company agreed
to send stockings upon receipt of the three coupons and remittance
with address of X in first slot. Note this is $10 merchandise for
$4 received. But any who failed to sell all three
coupons would lose the dollar they paid for them. For
other articles on case see New York Times Index, "chain
sales," 1933-1935.]
NEW YORK TIMES. 1935 (Day 2). "Dimes Flood
Mail in Chain Letters."
April 21, p. 22: 3.
[Send-a-dime basic facts.
Letter headed: "Prosperity Club - In
God We Trust." <origin> Letters
said to have started in New York, among relief
workers, but unconfirmed. Stories of winnings (one
woman got $400 - Post Office). ". . . in the last
five days almost every family in the city has received
one or more."]
NEW YORK TIMES. 1935 (Day 9a). " 'Send-a-Dime'
Plan Is Ruled Illegal
As Officials Doubt It Can Be Halted."
April 28, p. 31: 2.
[<law> Solicitor
Crowley rules "scheme is in conflict both
with postal lottery and fraud statutes." Ruling
also sent to Des Moines and Mason City, Iowa (where
scheme is also in operation). Decision based
on ruling on a chain sales scheme.]
NEW YORK TIMES. 1935 (Day 9b). "Denver Warns
Other Cities."
April 28, p. 31: 2.
[<number> Denver,
April 27, AP: Stevic: "This fad is
spreading like hysteria to all parts of the country
and to foreign countries." A. A. Mc
Vittie, Denver restaurant owner: "I have received
2,300 of these send-a-dime and send-ten-bucks
letters" - places ad asking people not to send
them to him. Mail volume doubles over year prior (4/26:
168,695 to 325,000). Also part IV p. 11: 7.
"Chain-Letter Fad a Postoffice Pest." ". . .
this perpetual-motion plan was devised it seems, only
to gain quick unearned wealth for its participants . .
." <motive> CLs generally designed to: sell
goods (fountain pens, hose), arouse interest in
a movement or issue, or stir up religious or patriotic feeling.
"Prosperity Club" method and calculations. <law>
Legal weapon against commercial CLs is postal regulation:
"Endless chain enterprises designed for the sale or
disposition of merchandise or other things of value through
the circulation or distribution of 'coupons,' 'tickets,'
'certificates,' 'introductions' and the like
are held to embrace the elements of a lottery and also
to be fraudulent. Matter of every kind relating
to such enterprises should be withdrawn from the mails."]
NEW YORK TIMES. 1935 (Day 13). "Send-a-Dime Letters
Received in New York."
May 2, p. 23: 8.
[Five letters turned over
to postal inspectors, one a $1 ante.]
NEW YORK TIMES. 1935 (Day 16). "Chain Letter Urges
'Send Pint of Whisky';
Four More Seized in 'Send-a-Dime' Case."
May 5, p. 39: 4.
["Sweet Adeline Club"
whisky XCL in Lincoln, Neb. High volume
MCLs in Los Angeles, Spokane. Kiss
XCL in Muskogee, give a kiss to person whose
name was at top, "surely he may find a true
love among the 15,000-odd trading kisses."]
NEW YORK TIMES. 1935 (Day 19). "Dime Chain
Letters are Ruled Illegal."
May 8, p. 4: 4.
[Subtitle: "Postal Solicitor
Declares Scheme Is a Lottery and Violates
Fraud Laws." St. Louis, May 7: 330,000
CLs swamp mail facilities.]
NEW YORK TIMES. 1935
(Day 20). "Chain Fad Ties Up Business of a City." May 9, p. 23:
5.
[<pyramid scheme> Springfield,
May 8, AP: Subtitle: "Crowds jam
Springfield, Mo. streets in mad rush for $2,
$3 and $5 Letters. "Society women,
waitresses, college students, taxi drivers and hundreds
of others jammed downtown streets. Women
shoved each other roughly. . ." "It started
last night as a joke." Experienced salesmen "pushed"
the letters. "Persons unable to sell letters
to friends turned the copies over to the salesmen, who
disposed of them on a 50% commission." <method
for May 8 - "Springfield" type lottery> Seller
accompanies buyer to notary where he encloses payment
p dollars. Letter sealed by notary for 25c , mailed
in presence of seller. Buyer then escalates names
on list and becomes a seller himself, offering two copies
with revised list at p dollars each. Specs ($2): s$2,
q2x$2, n10, max $2024. Claimed to be "cheater-proof."
"Factories" sprung up in drug stores, corridors, any available
space. Washington, May 8, AP: White House
gets 200 send-a-dimes, turned over to Farley.
Legal aspects, could ban delivery. Govt. workers participate.]
NEW YORK TIMES. 1935
(Day 21). "Market Crashes on Chain Letters." May 10, p. 23: 4.
[Springfield, Mo., May 9,
AP: "Sad-faced men and women walked around
in a daze tonight, seeking vainly for some one
to buy chain letters." "Ten chain letter 'factories'
yesterday were swamped with customers.
Today there were less than five and they
waited on stragglers." Springfield variation:
authenticate the list before notary public and
work from person-to-person instead of through
mails. "The Pot of Gold club" ($5), "The Cream
of the Crop" ($3). Scores of notaries involved.
Grocery store manager got $400, spent almost four
days & nights working chain. <method>
"When you get into a chain you have to keep track of the letters
your name is on. When some one gets one with your name
on it and can't pass it, you have to get out and help them
sell it." Washington: "Government Seeks Evidence."
Winnings. Legal aspects. Rush in Denver, Los
Angeles, Pueblo, Kansas City Mo., Kansas City Kan., Tulsa,
Joplin, Sioux City. Chicago, May 9. (p. 23: 4):
"Telegraph Variation Started." $5 chain telegram
started to avoid mails or to cash in quickly.
<numbers> Alfred E. Smith has received about 1,000
send-a-dimes, coming in at 50/day.]
NEW YORK TIMES. 1935 (Day 22). "Gambler's
Fleece Chain Letter
'Fans'." May 11, p. 6:5.
[After Springfield, fad swept
over St. Louis, Oklahoma City, Fayetteville.
$1 chain started in Pittsburgh, Kan. netted
$1,500 overnight. Hundreds of complaints.
"Promoters had left with batches of letters
after promising contributors to deliver them elsewhere
in Missouri to save postage and avoid prosecution."
Burglars rob post office at Springfield. ]
NEW YORK TIMES. 1935
(Day 23). "Sue 7 for $35,840 over Letter Chain." May 12,
p. 26: 1.
[<law> Oklahoma City:
Suit charges breach of contract - the seven
sold letters at $5 each, promised to sell other
letters until the names of plaintiffs reached top
of the list. Promised profit of $5,121.
Defendants failed to sell sufficient letters.
Names of plaintiffs and defendants. Church
leaders demand closure of CL establishments. Three
closed at Chickasha, Okla - three fined $13 each.
Denver: "Guaranteed" chain letter sales. Says list
of three names (error). <number> One factory
sold 10,000 letters in two days. Pittsburgh:
Mayor gets $5 chain telegram which asks him to answer
the sender collect if the chain were broken. St. Louis:
Chain letter requesting $1 to mayor of Concordia, Mo.
(pop. 1,140) to fight against utility monopolies.
Callandar, Ontario: Dionne quintuplets get CLs from U.S. and
Canada. Pt IV, p. 9:2 Letter by W. Fowler, "Voluntary
Foolishness." "At least a voluntary choice of participation
is offered in a foolish craze while the political shell game
is forced upon us by judicial decree."]
NEW YORK TIMES. 1935 (Day 25). Letter by
R. J. Warshaw: "Postoffice to the Rescue." May 14, p. 20: 7.
[Satirical letter stating
the benefits from the postage on ten quadrillion
MCLs.]
NEW YORK TIMES. 1935 (Day 27). "Indictment
is Refused in Chain
Letter Test; Denver Jury Blocks Attempt
to Halt Scheme." May 16, p. 17: 3.
[Three men had mailed 1000
"send-a-buck" letters with their names
and relatives. Post office inspector closed
Denver CL "factories." Since then
most use messenger, express or telegraph service.
<variation> "Gold Seal Club" (N.
C. Mueller in Wichita) forced to halt, certified letter
appeared like bond or stock.]
NEW YORK TIMES. 1935 (Day 30). "Chain Letter
Finds Kin."
May 19, p. 29: 4.
[Arkansas woman spots name
on CL of brother-in-law in Bakersfield
after 15 years no contact.]
NEW YORK TIMES. 1935 (Day 36). Editorial:
"Dimes and Morals."
May 25, p. 14: 4.
[Disputes send-a-dime claims
with calculations. "As to the ethics
. . . they rest on the same sure foundation as
the '520 per cent Miller' enterprises which every body
recalls."]
NEW YORK TIMES. 1935 (Day 37). "Chain Note
Sender Seized."
May 26, p. 7: 2.
[St Paul: High School
teacher indicted - sent out 100 mimeographed
dime letters with his own name leading and
closing the list.]
NEW YORK TIMES. 1935
(Day 39). "Chain-Letter Fad Reported on Wane." May 28, p. 22:
3.
[Subtitle: "Postoffice officials
deny it is 'cluttering up' mails - carrier
held as thief." A survey in NYC: "few of those
questioned were receiving letters by mail.
<numbers> But almost every one had been
approached by sponsors of a wide range of 'hand-to-hand'
chains."]
NEW YORK TIMES. 1935 (Day 42). Letter by
C.E.B: "Chain Letters for Relief." May 31, p. 14: 6.
[Satirical letter on the
bonanza of helping people on relief participate
in send-a-dime.]
NEW YORK TIMES. 1935 (Day 44). "Odd Chain Letters
Now Clutter Mail."
June 2, IV, p. 10:5.
[Subtitle: "Passing of the
craze marked by fantastic requests and humorous
appeals." XCLs: whiskey, hay, postage stamps,
dates with college girls, elephants. Origin
of send-a-dime unknown. Activities by telephone
and telegraph. Telegraph chains $5, $10,
and $100.]
NEW YORK TIMES. 1935 (Day 59). "Chain Letters
Boomed Mail Pay at
Denver; 1,400 Extra Hours Daily Gave Men
$20,000." June 17, p. 19:4.
["The chain letter has gone
the way of miniature golf, but it left a
deep imprint behind it." Denver mail volume, overtime
hours and pay. Mail box robberies.]
NEW YORK TIMES. 1935
(Day 62). "Chain Telegrams in $3,600,000 suit." June 20, p. 15: 2.
[Trenton, NJ: William
F. Zwirner of Merchantville NJ in role
of "common informer" names Western Union.
Acted under Gambling Laws of 1877. Charges
company had violated gambling laws by accepting and
transmitting chain telegrams. "Half of penalty fixed
by court goes to the 'common informer' and half to
county where violation occurs." Says Western Union accepted
1,800 chain telegrams between June 7 and 15 in Camden. Text of form.
Company claimed chain telegrams not a violation
of laws.]
NEW YORK TIMES. 1935 (Day 63). "Suit Asks
$20,910,000 for Chain
Telegrams." June 21, p. 15: 2.
[Andrew W. Mulligan of Camden
sues as "common informer." Seeks
$2,000 for each chain telegram. NJ counties
listed with number of telegrams in each.]
NEW YORK TIMES. 1935 (Day 70). "Chain Letters
in Britain." June
28, page 3: 2.
[London: MCLs now widespread
throughout Great Britain. Sir John
Simon, Home Secretary: " . . . certain types of snowball
schemes, to which chain letters bear some
resemblance, have been held by courts to be illegal
lotteries." Discourages participation.]
NEW YORK TIMES. 1935 (Day 86) "Women Protest
Tax Plan." July
14, P. 13: 3.
[<politics> Boston:
"Chain letters are sent by 60,000 in Bay
State to Roosevelt." Opposed "share-the-wealth-
wealth" taxation. Goal 100,000 letters.
Organized by Republican women. Some text.]
NEW YORK TIMES. 1935 (Day 89). "Chain Letter
Aids Flood Fund." July
17, p. 14: 7.
[Rochester, NY: Someone
sends Red Cross a dime to aid flood victims
with a chain letter he composed. Text includes:
"You have no chance for any personal gain."
Writer says mailed 200 copies.]
NEW YORK TIMES. 1935
(Day 158). "Chain
Letters Ask for Quilt Pieces."
Sept. 24, p. 7: 6.
[Concord, NH: Local
letter requests six-inch square of new
print cloth, suitable for quilt patches, be sent
to top name as in send-a-dime. To be made
into "world friendship" quilts.]
NEW YORK TIMES. 1936a. "Groups will Push
Buy-At-Home Drive." April 5, p. 9: 6.
[Industry organized "Made
in America Club, Inc.": pledge
cards "used to gather member ship are based on a 'chain'
system with each member endeavoring to obtain five
other signers to similar pledges."]
NEW YORK TIMES. 1936b. "Chain Phone in Relief
Work." April
5, III, p. 6: 1.
[N.C. welfare officer starts
a "chain-letter revival" to collect $1
donations: a q5 telephone chain.]
NEW YORK TIMES. 1936c. "Chain letter for Harvey."
Sept. 8, p. 5: 2.
[<politics> "The chain
letter is being revived, this time for
political purposes." Supports George U. Harvey
in primaries. Text: "If in favor
of the sentiments expressed below, please copy
the letter and sign your name. Then send
a copy to not less than ten Republicans you know in the
greater city."]
NEW YORK TIMES. 1948. "Disclaims Chain Letters."
July 14, p. 46: 3.
[Subtitle: "TWA says it has
no connection with 'Luck' messages."
A "luck" chain-letter is making rounds under
facsimiles of the company's letterheads.
Several thousand received at airline's Washington
office. Letters are anonymous.]
NEW YORK TIMES. 1949. "Chain Letters Ask
Elections." April 28, p. 10: 6.
[<politics> CL circulating
in Czechoslovakia asking protest
of Communist dictatorship be sent to U.S. embassy
in Prague. Communist leaders ordered
a counter-campaign but no examples of this
known. Complete text.]
NEW YORK TIMES. 1951. "Asks U. S. Tax Boycott."
March 24, p. 26: 5.
[Cincinnati businessman
starts chain letter to five friends which
said "I solemnly swear that I shall refuse to pay
a single cent towards income tax on March,
1952, unless the Government has taken action on the
house-cleaning." More text. March
27, p. 31: 5: "Regrets Tax Strike Idea." Says should
have taken complaint to congressman.]
NEW YORK TIMES. 1955a. "U.S. Eyes Chain Letters."
Feb. 10, p. 35: 5.
[Postmaster General Arthur
E. Summerfield says department investigating
new MCL titled "This is a Give-Away-Your-Wealth
Campaign." Advertises a "possible
return of $38,400 or $51,200 if you wait ten years."
See NYT 1958a]
NEW YORK TIMES. 1955b. "U.S.
Workers Warned."
Oct. 30, p.44: 2.
[<politics> Civil
Service Commissioner warns Federal employees
against participation in Nixon chain
postcard / chain telephone campaign scheme.
Oct. 31, p. 25: 5: "Nixon is Accused on Postcard
Plan." Sent to Federal employees "by the hundreds
of thousands." Violates Hatch Act. Nov.
3, p. 10: 1: "Nixon is asked by Senate Unit for
Comment..." Nov. 10, p. 31: 5: G.O.P. denies it targeted
Federal Employees. Postcard &
instructions have been collected.]
NEW YORK TIMES. 1956a. "Car Buyers Warned
Against a New Hoax."
Sept. 10, p. 22: 7.
[Better Business Bureau warns
of swindle. Buyer promised new car
free by referring six customers. Each
referred worth $100. These six must in turn supply six
more prospects, each worth $50 to original buyer.
Promoter sets base of 300 participants.
See NYT 1959c.]
NEW YORK TIMES. 1956b. " '150 Club' Based
on Chain-Letter Idea
Raises $45,000 for Eisenhower in Trial."
Sept. 11, p. 28: 4.
[<politics> X puts
up $150, gets 150 friends for $15 apiece,
and 150 more for $1.50 apiece. Others ($15
members) become organizers. Celebrity
contributions.]
NEW YORK TIMES. 1957. "Chain Letters Revived."
Aug. 30, p. 12: 2.
[Brief warning on MCLs by
Postmaster General.]
NEW YORK TIMES. 1958a.
"Chain Letter Warning."
Feb. 15, p. 13: 2.
[P.O. Dept. warns of bond
MCL. Says copy quota is 10 ( but
q=2, see NYT 1958b).]
NEW YORK TIMES. 1958b.
"Chain-Letter Plan
Gets a New Twist." April 1, p. 33:
1.
[Bond MCL. Prospect
purchases list of ten names for $37.50
- buys two $18.75 savings bonds in name of first
person on list and sends. Makes two copies
of list after updating - tries to sell to new prospects
for $37.50 each. . Specs. s$37.50, q2x$37.50,
n10, max $38,400 ($51,200 when mature).
See NYT 1955, 1958a, 1958c, 1960, 1961, 1963. ]
NEW YORK TIMES. 1958c. "Chain Letters Fight
Slump." May
11, p. 85: 4.
[Chicago president of Insurance
Company sends 1,000 letters to his company's
salesmen instructing them to work an extra
half hour per day and send five copies to any other
salesmen.]
NEW YORK TIMES. 1958d. "Bologna Prelate Sues
Red Journal."
Sept. 14, p. 15: 1.
[Ponzi? Subtitle:
"Objects to report that he urged Vatican
honor for 'do-it-yourself' banker." Vatican had
decorated former bank clerk Gianbattista Giuffre.
After WWII Giuffre offered 20-40% interest.
Later offered to double in a year - has done
so for ten years. Often borrowed from parish priests
who borrowed from their parishioners. Gave big to charities.
No charges or complaints yet. Also Aug. 31, 1958,
p. 28: 4. and Jan. 23, 1959, p. 2: 4.]
NEW YORK TIMES. 1959a.
"L. I. Woman Receives
Note from Pasternak." -Milton Esterow,
April 11, p. 14: 2.
[Subtitle: "She sent him
'Good Luck' chain letter and he replies."
Mrs. Roth received LCL (with name list)
on Friday 13th, 3/59. Some text. She
sent five copies to: 11 year old niece, Jack
Paar, Alexander King, Vladimir Nabokov and
Pasternak. Pasternak replied: "It is not the
habit in USSR to make circulate such sendings,
but I won't break the chain and so I return immediately
the text of the Prayer to you to forward it in other
directions." Pasternak crossed out top name, added
his.]
NEW YORK TIMES. 1959b.
Letter: "Chain Letters
Condemned." Apr. 20, p. 30:5.
[Letter to editor.
"Such letters prey on the weakness of
the recipient's character, create fears, undermine
his self-confidence and are therefore not at
all harmless." "Ministers and educators
should speak up against the spreading of these unreasonable
and pagan epistles."]
NEW YORK TIMES. 1959c.
Carl Spielvogel,
"Advertising: Drive Held 'Phony'."
Nov. 19, p. 58:2.
[Same scheme as in NYT 1956.
Promoted by telephone calls by an "advertising
agency" claiming word of mouth campaign cuts
advertising costs. Said to be limited
to 300 participants. Also June 19, 1960, p.
72:3: "Chain-Sale Plan for Cars Scored."]
NEW YORK TIMES. 1960. "A Savings-Bond Chain
Bilks Harvard Students."
June 16, p. 15:2.
[Bond MCL. Banks near
Harvard restricting sales of U. S. savings
bonds. Said to have started in Yale,
spread to Princeton and Brown.]
NEW YORK TIMES. 1961. "Chain-Letter
Unlinked." April
10, p. 21:3.
[Postal Inspectors claim
50% of professionals in parts of Puerto Rico
involved in bond chain.]
NEW YORK TIMES. 1963. "Chain Letter Nuisance."
Jan. 25, p. 14: 1.
[Treasury Department denounces
bond MCL. Even when many bonds received,
likely to be cashed quickly, burdening
Treasury. Specs s$75, q2x$37.50, n10, max
$38,400]
NEW YORK TIMES. 1964. "Barnett
Flooded with Evers
Checks." Feb. 27, p. 20: 2.
[Jackson, Miss: Former Governor
Ross Barnett has received 5,000 envelopes
in response to a chain letter
asking checks for $1 be sent to him to aid
family of slain civil rights leader Medgar
W. Evers.]
NEW
YORK TIMES.
1968. Marylin Bender,
"The Chain Letter, Back Again, Breaks Into
Fashion and Society." July 2, p. 30: 1.
[<propagation, immunization>
Useful interviews. Current
LCL "epidemic": depends on photocopying, circulates
among fashion industry and socialites.
MCL: "Executive vacation quickie." Promises
$2190 for $15 in 10 days. Says check accompanies
first receipt - should return if you don't participate.
XCL: recipes. LCL: some text, q20,
most copies made on office copying machines.
Recipients (some names): socialites (4), fashion designers
(2), editors, writers, art dealer. Multiple
receipts of LCL: 5,7,6. Spoiler effect:
most recipients feel compliance with first letter is adequate,
but fashion publicist got 7 and complied with all. Wife
of industrialist, bothered by threats, made her own copies
(2): "I don't think it works with Xerox." Xerox costs
25c per copy. <origin> WWI dough boys wrote 'good
luck' variety. 1949 pyramid clubs: members recruited at
parties. <politics> Political CLs: Free
France from Nazis, Czechoslovakia from Communists, Eisenhower-Nixon
campaign. Stockholm Peace Appeal, 1950: end
Korean War, ban atomic bombs, seat Red China in UN.]
NEW YORK TIMES. 1973. "Pyramid Sales
Are Now Chief Consumer
Fraud Here." April 3, p. 45: 1.
[Complaints against: Action
Industries (fuel additive), Alexander
Taylor (clothes), Ameriprise (home cleaning
products), Bestline (soap), Bob Cummings
Inc. (vitamins), Cash-chek (buying club), Computerex
(buying club), Dare to Be Great (motivation
course), Futuristic Foods, Galaxy Foods, Golden Products
(household items), Guardiante (fire and burglar alarms),
Holiday Magic (cosmetics), Koscot (cosmetics), P.R.I.C.E
Club (buying club), Princess Club of America (hosiery
and cosmetics), Sta-Power (fuel additive), Steed (fuel additive).
P.R.I.C.E Club in New York specialized in minorities,
held "opportunity" meetings as respectable hotels, helped
investors get Citibank loans, used planned bankruptcy
to bilk prior investors.]
NEW YORK TIMES. 1978. "A 'Gold' Chain
Letter Has Come Full
Circle, with Trail of Victims." Dec.
17, Sunday, p. 69: 4.
[Circle of Gold MCL aftermath.
Workings. Origin and tracking
(8 locations). No one prosecuted yet in
San Francisco.]
NEW YORK TIMES. 1979. "Abrams Gets
Writs on a 'Pyramid' Plot." Aug. 31, p. B3: 6.
[Attorney General obtains
permanent injunctions from State Supreme
Court to shut down Circle of Gold ($100
ante). Against 15 organizers in NYC, Syracuse
and Rochester.]
NEW YORK TIMES. 1980. "Fraud Investigators
Report Epidemic of
'Pyramid' Investment Schemes." May
18, p. 24.
[Pyramid schemes spreading
around country (states named), possibly
related to inflation and harder times. Hundreds
arrested in California - mostly middle class.
Most popular now: the Business List Concept
(described). Tony J. Stathos, Sacramento defense
attorney: hundreds of thousands of participants
in California. Parties: euphoric atmosphere,
testimonials, those "cashing out" cheered. 3,000
protest crackdown in Sacramento.]
NEW YORK TIMES. 1981. "Four Agree to
Repay Pyramid Losers."
July 13, p. B3: 1.
[New York State Attorney
General's office obtains 3 convictions
on misdemeanor violation of the state's
General Business Law for pyramid games in summer
of 1980. Restitution made to investors, payment
of investigation costs. Involvement not illegal,
recruitment is.]
NEW YORK TIMES. 1987. " 'Airplane':
High-Stakes Chain
Letter." Elizabeth Neuffer. April 7, Sec.
B, p. 7: 4.
[". . . an illegal pyramid
scheme called the airplane game."
Widespread in state, on Broadway.
Roles: pilot (1), co-pilots (2), flight attendants
(4), passengers (8). Pilots collect
$1500 from passengers and bail out. Co-pilots
become pilots, attendants become co-pilots, etc.,
two "airplanes" formed. "Each passenger is required
to recruit at least one new investor." Specs s$1,500,
q1+, n4, max $12,000. State law against promoting
a pyramid scheme: $500 fine, year in jail.]
NEW YORK TIMES. 1987a. "Finding Links
in a Chain Letter."
Sept. 20, p. 72: 1.
[The Airplane game.
See NYT 1987 for specs. "As far
as we know, the 'airplane' has crashed." - spokesman
for Attorney General. 3 guilty pleas,
ll agreed to make restitution and inform.
New game: "Corporate Ladder" promises $12,000,
enter as "vice president."]
NEW YORK TIMES. 1990. Alan W. Petrucelli
in Ron Alexander's column: Metropolitan Diary, Sept. 5, p. C2.
[Receives media LCL.
Says threats include "suicide, insanity
and bankruptcy" (?). Some standard text.
Comments by celebrity participants.
"Effusive epistles" from Oliver Stone, Tom Smothers,
Dick Martin, chief executives of Lord &
Taylor and Macy's.]
NEW YORK TIMES. 1990a.
"The Chain Letter
Of the Rich and Famous." Deirdre Fanning
column: The Executive Life. Oct. 7,
Sec. 3, p. F25. *check page designation
[Media LCL. Circulating
"in the last year." Recipients
and their comments. "Respondents
are asked to send their signed reply to the letter
to five friends, along with copies of all previous responses
to the letter that they received in the packet."
<origin> Fanning's packet suggests origin in
Hollywood, then television executives, New York
book-publishing, newsrooms, Washington political
circles. Side trips to Wall Street and Detroit auto
industry. "The originator of the chain must have
recognized that its recipients would be loathe to pass
up a chance for social cachet - to be among the inner circle."
Richard Holbrooke (Lehman Brothers): "As soon
as I broke the chain, I ruptured my Achilles' tendon."]
NEW YORK TIMES. 1993a.
"Book Notes" by Esther B. Fein. Jan. 6, p. C19: 1.
[Used paperback ("of recent
vintage", "not too badly worn") XCL circulating
nationwide. Specs. q6n2s1max36. Four accounts
of participants. Receipts: 15-20, 2,
0, 0. Negative feelings about chain letters in general.]
NEW YORK TIMES. 1993b.
David Gonzalez, "A
Haven for Hopeless Causes." Nov.
10, p. B1:2.
[ Devotional practices of
St. Jude, the "patron saint of impossible
causes." Raymond Orsi (Indiana Univ.):
"... St. Jude is not firmly identified with
the religious experiences of any particular
ethnic group. . . Jude is really an Americanized saint."
St. Jude classified ads: "some priests worry
that the ads are part of an improvised religious tradition
that in some extreme cases are more akin to superstition..."
and that "the money spent on the ads could be better
used on donations to soup kitchens or homeless shelters."
A LCL "promises solutions to any problem in return
for saying a prayer to St. Jude and other prayers over a nine-day
period. It also asks the worshiper to leave nine copies
of the letter inside a church each day."]
NEW REPUBLIC. 1935 (Day 34).
Ted Olson, "Brother, Can You Share A Dime?" V. 83, May 22, p.
43-44.
[Send-a-dime: early text, no "wrap dime"
instruction. Denver mail volume, legends of winnings.
"For the last two weeks most of Western America has talked
and thought of nothing but the dime chains." Originator
unknown. Comparison to Huey Long (Share the
Wealth), Father Coughlin (National Union for Social Justice).]
NORTHWEST FOLKLORE. 1966.
Alan Dundes,
"Chain Letter: A Folk Geometric Progression."
V. 1, n. 2, Winter, p. 15-19.
[CL structural pattern: (1)
proclamation that the letter is a CL, (2)
injunction to send a specific number of copies, sometimes
within a definite period of time, (3) description
of desirable consequences of compliance to injunction,
(4) warning of undesirable consequences if
injunction is ignored or disobeyed. Full text and psychological
analysis of wife exchange parody. Full text
of scholarly reprint (R)
XCL, specs s1q4n4d3 max 272. An XCL
"...like other forms of folklore, provides a
socially sanctioned outlet or excuse for the overt
expression of an actual wish." Full text
of Medgar Evers social action & charity CL,
specs C=9, W=10$100,000, one dollar to be donated
to family in care of Ross Barnett, governor of Mississippi.]
OGDEN STANDARD-EXAMINER (Ogden,
Utah). 1940. "Disregard Chain Letter Demands, Urges Official;
Threats Causing Worry." April 12, p. 13
["These chain letters demand the recipient
send a handkerchief to the person from whom he received the
letter, and to send similar letters to four others. They threaten
if this is not done that a calamity will befall, 'similar to that
of so-and-so in Flanders Field and others." "I have received
reports of at least two women in Ogden being violently upset by such
letters."]
OGDEN
STANDARD-EXAMINER (Ogden, Utah). 1955. "Writer 20
Years Ago Started P. O. Problem - Chain Letter" March
9, p. 4.
[(AP) "Twenty years ago this spring
a Denver resident - name, age and sex unknown - dropped
a letter in a mail box and started a minor social revolution."
Recalls well known incidents about the Send-a-Dime craze
of 1935. Error: SD did not read "Do not break the chain." "At its
peak, the post office estimated it handled 10 million extra letters
each day." Used to show that by 1955 the author of SD was still
unknown.]
OMNI. 1992. Antimatter: "Chain-Letter
Black Hole." V. 15,
n. 3, Dec., p. 100.
[Mostly same content as
Skeptical Inquirer 1991.
Since forming Chain Letters
Anonymous (CLA) Emery has received 163 letters.]
OUTLOOK. 1907.
"Superstitious and
Profane." May 11, V. 86, p. 48-9.
[Two LCLs "recently received."
Ancient Prayer type, prayer text given and remaining
letter described. Letter claims
it was "sent out" by Bishop Lawrence. "It
was an outrage to associate his name with so gross
a profanation of the Christian view of prayer, and to
make him stand sponsor to this attempt to turn the
union between the human child and the Heavenly Father
into a species of cheap jugglery, a kind of vulgar magic."
The chain contained a negative testimonial and accompanying
letter.]
THE OXFORD ENGLISH DICTIONARY.
Second edition, 1989.
Oxford: Clarendon Press.
[Definition of "chain letter":
"A letter written with an invitation
to the recipient to pass it on to another (or copies
of it to others), the process being repeated
in a continuous chain until a certain total is
reached." Example: "1906 Daily Chron.
27 July 6/2 In 1896 Miss Audrey Griffin,
of Hurstville, New South Wales initiated a 'chain letter'
with the object of obtaining 1,000,000 used postage
stamps." (This letter has been
collected -DWV). Definition of "snowball":
"A scheme or project that relies for
its growth on a snowball effect (see quotes)."
Example: "1892 Whitehall Rev. 17 Sept. 7/1.
The system of 'snowball' is multiplication
at a very rapid rate, each giver being obliged to bind
himself to find a certain number of others who will
not only give, but bind themselves each to find an equal
number of contributors on the same terms." Other
quotes.]
THE PATRIOT-NEWS (Harrisburg, Pa.). 1990.
Robert M. Andrews,
"Chain (letter) of command.," Aug.
29, p. B5.
[Associated Press report.
Media LCL - no complete text.
Celebrity recipients and some of their comments.
Resulting luck for NewsWeek reporter (Iraqi
invasion of Kuwait). Jack Nelson (Washington
bureau chief of LA Times) breaks chain, no
bad luck.]
THE PATRIOT-NEWS (Harrisburg, Pa.).
1991. Kathleen
Hendrix (Los Angeles Times), "Celebrities
make up new kind of 'chain gang,' " Jan. 18,
p. C1.
[<motives> Informative
survey of Media LCL. It is "the
chain letter of the stars, real or wannabe, or
the chain letter from hell." Multiple
receipts. Los Angeles writer Nikki Finke
(10 receipts) breaks it: "Maybe that's the bad luck:
You keep getting the letter." Full text.
Variant text has story of Dutch farmer who started
the letter, had best harvest, concluded "God touched
his land." "These accompanying documents, most recipients
admit, are what prompt recipients to play the game and
write their own 'I can't believe I'm doing this' notes,
as they pass the letter on." Started latter half of
1989, toured major publishing houses, television networks,
newspapers and magazines, studios, law firms and public-relations
agencies. Earlier 1989 letters now illegible.
Participants comments. Tom Goldstein (Dean of
School of Journalism at UCB) breaks chain (10 receipts)
but retrieves phone numbers: "the chain letter could
be a plot of the photocopying companies." Time spent
thinking of who to send it to, and tracing how it got to
you. Mention of "Just play golf" item. Jim Murray
wrote about this item in May 1978 LA Times.]
THE PENNSYLVANIA DUTCHMAN.
1949. Dr. Wilbur
H. Oda, "The Himmelsbrief." V.
1, n. 21, Dec., p. 3.
[Summary of the types of
Himmelsbrief (Letters from Heaven) Oda was
able to find in the U.S. Used during
both World Wars. Often rendered in gold or blue
letters, framed and displayed in homes.
Many variations. Most enjoin Sabbath observance,
alms giving and protect the bearer from various
harms and facilitate child bearing.
Letter types: (1) Cologne stresses Trinities, no Sabbath
admonition, (2) St. Germain had added poems, (3) Count
Philip [text] protects
against a long list of weapons, no Sabbath advocacy,
(4) Lady Cubass may have attached the letter from Jesus to
King Abgar, (5) King Charles [text] protects from death
in war, say five Vater Unsers and seven Ave Marias daily,
(6) Frauen letter ( Cologne, 1750) is introduced
by a dream of Mary, (7) Madgeburger [another text] is the most common,
only one published in illuminated form. References
to early American sources.]
THE PENNSYLVANIA DUTCHMAN. 1953. "A
True Prayer for Everybody."
V. 5, n. 6, Oct., p.12.
[Contains English text of a King Charles
Himmelsbrief. Original is located
in the Berks County (PA) Historical Society.]
PENTHOUSE. 1975. "The Sex Chain Letter."
Thom Racina. Nov.,
p. 112.
[Fiction. In beginning author
mentions common chain letters: money, recipe
exchange, pen pal (?). Gives prayer from
luck chain letter: "Trust in the Lord with
all your heart and all your knowledge and He will light
the way of consciousness." The purported "sex
chain letter" is fictional.]
PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS. 1991. Stu Bykofsky column:
"Pulling the chain:
Examining links in the letter." March
?, p. 37.
[Media LCL. "Do you
strangle the person who sent it to you? Or
are you happy that a friend passed along good
luck (and made if necessary for you to send out
five copies to others)?" Links among Pennsylvania
politicians.]
THE PHILADELPHIA
INQUIRER. 1989. Clark DeLeon,
("The Scene") "Chains: What did Aretha
Franklin call it?" March 28,
P. B2.
[Humor. Receives KISS
LCL, some text. Concludes with "Dale
Fairchild" warning. <numbers> Received
about a dozen over the years.]
THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER. 1991.
Darrell Sifford, "Chain
letter's welcome message." Jan.
1, p. 4-C.
[Receives Media LCL "in
a big envelope, all 25 pages of it..."
Complete text. Senders' comments, mostly
often quoted celebrities. Sends to five
friends, gives motivation: "There's something about
the idea of wishing your friends good luck that
appeals enormously to me. If nobody gets anything
tangible from it, we at least know that people who matter
are thinking about us, cherishing the friendship. " "I
liked the letter because it made me feel good."
Interprets fourth day hence for good luck.]
THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER. 1991a. Katharine Seelye,
"Alas, Goode's chain
letter doesn't deliver." March 22,
p. 1-B, 6-B.
[Media LCL -
no text. Mayor of Philadelphia, W.
Wilson Goode, receives the chain during a city
fiscal crisis and sends it to "five key players
in the city's money mess." No luck results.
Other well known recipients. GOP leader William
A. Meehan did not send it on and is presented as having
bad luck after four days. Meehan said: "I try not
to put too many things in writing, let alone a chain letter."]
PITTSBURGH
PRESS. 1937. "Chain Letter Gangs Start Up
Once More" Feb. 26, p. ?
[Clipping without a year dating
but 1937 likely: "The fugitives from
a chain letter gang are at it again, this time not
with dimes but with dishcloths. Brooklyn, it
developed tonight, is the seat of the new chain letter
iniquity, and it is strictly for the ladies. No men
are wanted unless they happen to have a yen for tea towels."
Describes a q=3, n=3 exchange chain letter promising
27 tea towels. "Unlike the dime chain letters which often
gave nasty warnings of disaster to anyone who might contemplate
breaking the chain, the tea towel chain is conducted in
a spirit of neighborly camaraderie.]
PITTSBURGH PRESS.
1938. "New Chain
Letters Take Religious Turn." Feb. 2.
[Clipping, complete text:
"A new wrinkle in 'chain' letters - a mysterious
message to St. Anthony that will bring good or
bad luck - was making the rounds in Pittsburgh
today and frightening many superstitious persons who
have received a copy of it. Written in a poorly
penciled scrawl on an ordinary penny postcard, the
message requests only that it be kept alive 'to go around
the world' and that it be sent to 13 friends. Ill luck
is forecast for persons not following instructions. Postal
authorities, however, who discovered the latest in 'chain'
letters last night, believe them to be the creation
of a religious fanatic." See Blind13
type.]
POLSKA SZLUKA LUDOWA. 1981.
Czeslaw Robotycki,
"Lancuch Szczescia W Pól Wieku Pózniej",
no. 1.
[Polish, no translation.
Contains seven photocopies of old chain
letters (or Letters from Heaven) including 1826
and 1852.]
THE
PORTSMOUTH HERALD (Portsmouth, New Hampshire), 1943. "Chain
Letters 'Sinful,' Cardinal Cushing Says" Nov. 29, p. 12.
[Writes chain letters are 'superstitious
and sinful'. Mentions a chain letter supposed to have originated
from the "Sisters of St. Francis" in Boston; denies this order
exists. "The letters demand that the recipient carry on the chain
by sending copies to five friends within two days, or nine
friends within four day." "Chain letters are wrong because they
claim magical effects will come unfailingly to the person who recites
some prayers a certain number of times. Christians know prayer is not
like that."]
POSTAGE AND THE MAILBAG.
1935. James Calhoun,
"Within Three Days Make Five Copies."
V. 23, June, p. 264-269.
[Send-a-dime MCL as a sales
letter: (1) brevity, (2) simplicity, (3)
clearness, (4) direct, emotional appeal, (5)
action-compelling ending. Complete
text with address
list. Population: early estimates. Modes
of person-to-person recruitment. Purchases
by winners. Families on relief benefit. Purchasing
power theory.]
THE POST-CRESCENT.
(Appleton, Wisconsin) 1928.
"Priests Condemn 'Chain Letter' Stunt"
May 5, p;. 3.
["Chain letters, long feared and welcomed by
the superstitious, have made their appearance
in a new form in Appleton, according to reports to
pastors of Catholic churches who are warning their parishioners
to shun them. Recently a number of Appleton people
have received letters purporting to have started by
a group of cloisters with instructions to make 13 copies and
send them to 13 friends with the assurance that a 'miracle'
would be worked when the letters 'have gone around the
world.']
THE POST-CRESCENT. (Appleton,
Wisconsin). 1931. "Chain Letter Craze Keeps Hollywood Postmen
Busy." Nov. 19, p. 22.
["... another chain letter epidemic is sweeping
Hollywood ..." "Fans feel it their duty to let their favorite stars
have a share in the impending benefits. Maurice Chevalier received
nearly 400 of the beneficial letters one day this week, and Marlene
Dietrich found 300 in a single mail."]
THE POST-STANDARD
(Syracuse, New York), 1949. "Hubby a Bore? Just Ditch Him in
Chain Letter." Jan 1, p. 1.
[Describes earliest known husband exchange
(husbx) parody chain letter. No text. Claims idea started "somewhere
in Colorado."]
PRIMO TIMES (Bloomington, Indiana).
1976. Letters:
"Don't break chain." July 26, p.
2.
[Complete text of
DL type LCL.]
THE RECORD UNION
(Sacramento, California). 1884. "Superstition in
Cornwall". Dec. 9
["In the extreme north and west of England
superstition perhaps wields the strongest
sway over the inhabitants, and a very notable instance
of the manner in which the credulity of the temperate,
virtuous and hospitable Cornish peasants was
some years ago played upon by some artful rascals has
recently come under my notice, writes a London correspondent
to the San Francisco Chronicle. Hanging
in the place of honor in the best room of many hundred
cottages in Cornwall is a most remarkable document, which professes
to be a copy of a letter written by Jesus Christ. The
broad sheet is so curious that I have taken the trouble to
have it copied. It is illustrated and begins thus:" (Standard
text of Jesus' Sabbath letter follows). "At the foot is a
hand and this warning: 'You shall not have any tidings of me
but by the Holy Scriptures until the day of judgment. All
goodness, happiness and prosperity shall be in the house
where a copy of this letter is found'." The sting of this
precious document lies in its tail, and it is very evident that
the glib-tongued rascals who sold this rubbish to the poor, ignorant
Cornish folk found the fact that the presumed Divine author of the
letter promised his special blessing to any on who should
buy a copy of it, which savoreth much more of the wily methods
of the peripatetic vender of religious lore than of the son of
Mary and Joseph."]
READING TIMES
(Reading, Pennsylvania). 1884.
"Unmailable Matter." Dec. 11, p. 4.
["Postal
cards or letters addressed to go around the world,
are now also excluded from the foreign mails, the sending
of such matter having become a nuisance."]
RÉSEAUX. 1995. Le Quellec, Jean-Loïc,
"Des lettres célesetes
au 'copy-lore' et au 'screen-lore'
: des textes bonjs à copier." no. 74,
Nov.-Dec., pp. 145-190. Molineaux, France.
[<French> No translation
except for three chain letter texts.
Important source. Covers luck and money chain
letters, Craig Shergold, banknote chains,
parodies. Discusses the Car testimonial
and initials on the outside of envelopes. Some English and German texts also in appendix. L-36 is from Dear Mr.
Thoms, Jan. 1990 (not 1980).
Several chain letter texts within article. Thirty-eight texts
in appendix (L-1 to L-38). English translations by Sarah E. Winter
are available for L-7, L-8 and L-12.]
REVUE DES SCIENCES
SOCIALES DE LA FRANCE
DE L'EST. 1984, Serge Bonnet
& Antoine Delestre, "Les Chaînes
Magiques", no. 13, pp. 383-402. Strasbourg,
Université des Sciences Humaines.
[<French> No translation.
Many texts. Saint Antoine. Chain of Lourdes.]
REVUE D'ETHNOGRAPHIC ET DES
TRADITIONS POPULAIRES.
1928. W. Deonna, "Superstitions
actuelles." V. 9, p. 213-216.
[<French> Have English
translation by Sarah Winter. French texts
(a, b with English translations) of two
LCL's that circulated in Geneva in 1928. Text (less a list
of senders at end) in Italian of similar letter. References to
earlier examples (including Christian World, referenced
in Revue D'ethnographic, 1927, p. 127). Supposed authors are
an "American colonel" and "the ladies of the American army" - who
are repeating "the immemorial formulas with a mentality that makes
them and their disciples akin to
primitives of all ages, and with the
puerile naiveté typical of Anglo-Saxons."]
RUSSKAIA LITERATURA. 1993. Luri,
V.F. "Holy Chain Letters
as a Phenomenon of Traditional Folklore."
N1: pp. 144-149.
[Russian. Have translation
by Yana Tishchenko. Stresses traditional
aspects of "Holy Letters." Structure: (1) title,
(2) a prayer - exorcism, (3) legend about origin
or finding of the Holy Letter, (4) thesis - statement
of supernatural strength of the letter, (5) request
that the letter be re-written and distributed during a
period of time, (6) promise of good fortune for compliance,
punishment for refusal. Possibly re-writers introduce
what they have heard or read in a similar letter.
Origins of Letters from Heaven (M. Beliayev). Much on Sabbath
Letter (Verlovsky). Sabbath Letter said to have been used
to counter pagan derived celebration of Friday by Slavs,
up to 19th century. Sabbath Letter popular in Russia, spread
by singing and story telling as well as written form. Partial
text. Appendix has three (1, 2, 3) full texts of recent LCL's.
THE
SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY SUN . 1914. "Hunt Religious Firebug,
Wanted for Nine Fires." April 14, p. 1.
[By Associated Press to THE SUN. Los
Angeles, April 18 - "County authorities are searching for
a religious pyromaniac who is believed to have set fire to
nine homes after he had threatened residents with "misfortune"
if they did not send on endless chain letters left at the houses
to friends. ¶ Two houses were burned Wednesday night after
the occupants had received the mysterious letters. In each case the
letter was slipped under the front door after dark. Investigation
showed that other fires in the neighborhood during the last few months
were preceded by the receipt of these letters.]
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH. 1935 (Day 21).
"Prosperity Club Idea
Is Replacing Send-Dime Letter."
May 10, p. 3A.
[Subtitle: "Enterprises spring
up to collect 25-cent notarial fee on pleas
for $1, $3 and $5." Local MCL events.
Profiting envelope manufacturers, printers
of blank letters, manufacturers of "play money"
and printers of "fantastic parodies." First
"Prosperity Club" in St. Louis opened last night -
by midnight six others. One started in law
office, $3 chain promising $3072. One had 100+
waiting in line for opening. Five and ten cent
stores selling thousands of printed forms and envelopes,
5 for 5c. Mail volume 798,200 letters; 19,000
more than previous day, double over last year. <numbers>
Downtown restaurants and cigar keepers have received
and discarded hundreds. When handed one they pay
for it with play money.]
SANN, PAUL. 1967. Fads, Follies and Delusions of the
American People.
New York: Crown Publishers. Chapter
15, p. 97-104.
[Send-a-dime incidents: requiem
(Denver Post, 8/15/35);
Denver dead letters 100,000; photos.
Springfield craze (thorough): extensive
quotes from Springfield Leader and Press. "The
Cream of the Crop" ($3) and "The Pot of Gold"
($5) hand delivered. Springfield crash (AP
"Sad-faced" quote). <variations> Biblical
citations; GOP square deal; American Legion support
for Patman bonus; GOP tax protest; draft Calvin Coolidge;
Hollywood $100. Humorous variations: Send-a-Pint;
Sweet Adeline Club (Lincoln, Neb.); Good Riddance Club
("When you receive this letter buy yourself a gun and
shoot the guy at the top of the list"); Kiss-chain (Birmingham,
Alabama); "Send-a-dame" (UC Berkeley). National dead
letter count: 3 million. Subsequent variations:
Defense savings stamps (1943); Robert A. Taft fund;
Pantie Club (Dallas, gets 30 panties, barred by Texas
postal authorities); Stop-the-Bomb (alleged Communist
plot); $18.75 bonds (1953, suppressed). Threats
on MCLs (?): Japan, England, Germany, China, Abyssinia.
Wife exchange full text.]
SANTA AN REGISTER
(Santa Ana, California), 1929. "Person receiving 'lucky'
chain letters requested not to continue missives. April 5, p. 3.
["The present epidemic appears under the title
of the 'Flanders Field Good Luck Chain' and the text of the individual
letters claims that it was started Jan. 26, 1926, by an army officer."
Earliest in archive is 1927-04-08.]
SATURDAY EVENING POST. 1947. Robert
M. Yoder,
"Sucker's Delight." , V. 220, Nov. 22,
p. 12.
[Interviews C. W. Hassell,
Post Office lawyer working on CLs for 30
years. New money CL: $2 in mail but copies
handed out. Complex hosiery scheme (Sheldon?).
League of Equity. Send-a-dime.
Bohemian Oats.]
SATURDAY EVENING
POST. 1959.
"We Have Finally Reached the Ultimate
in Chain Letters." V. 231, May 23, p.
10.
[Received wife exchange anonymously.
Full text.]
SATURDAY REVIEW. 1967. Goodman
Ace, "Luck Be
A Prayer Tonight." , V. 50, September 30,
p. 10.
[Humorous treatment of compliance
to a 20 copy Death20 type LCL. Presumes
one copies by typing. Complete text.]
SATURDAY REVIEW 1970. John Boni,
"The Weakest Link."
V. 53, July 25, p. 4.
[Humorous treatment of receipt
of a quota 20 LCL. Name list: 60. Some
text. Copying:
typewriter makes at most 5 or 6 legible
carbons. Complains of 20 copies even in "age
of Xerox." Variations on Death and Money protagonist
(Cal Napke, Cal Nips, Col. Napak, General Wasp).
Mother once received quota 3 letter. History:
Hollywood celebrity letter received 4 years prior (name
list had Agnes Moorehead, Elizabeth Montgomery, Larry
Hagman, George Halas). Col. Napak variants.]
SCARNE, JOHN 1961. Scarne's Complete Guide to
Gambling.
[Has section on chain letters
and pyramid schemes.]
SCIENCE & MECHANICS.
1935. "The Mechanics
of Chain Letters." October.
[Not examined.]
SCIENCE NEWS LETTER. 1953. "Chain Letter
Lottery." V. 64, Dec. 12, p. 372.
[<numbers> Wave of
CLs "every few years." War bond chain in
1942. Current money CL with specs. s$2q5n5.
Calculations. <immunization>
"Repeats begin early" - spread from where started.]
SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN. 2003.
Charles H. Bennett,
Ming Li, Bin Ma. "Chain Letters and
Evolutionary Histories." June, Vol. 288, No.
6. p. 76.
[Subtitle: "A study of chain
letters show how to infer the family tree
of anything that evolves over time, from biological
genomes to languages to plagiarized schoolwork."
"We believe that if (algorithms used to infer phylogenetic
trees from the genomes of existing organisms) are
to be trusted, they should produce good results when
applied to chain letters." Describes method of measuring
the distance between two letters using a file compression
program (GenCompress by Xin Chen). Constructs
a cladogram of 33 DL type letters collected by Bennett from
1980 to 1995. Advent of nine changes marked on cladogram
(two pairs supposed concurrent). Changes used to diagnose
phylogeny include variations in names and dollar amounts.
Differing mutation rates related to replicative functionality.
Applications to biological and linguistic evolution.
Link to chain letters used (updated): www.cs.uwaterloo.ca/~mli/chain.html.
SCOTTISH ANTHROPOLOGICAL
AND FOLKLORE SOCIETY
PROCEEDINGS. 1937. Anderson,
Walter. "Chain Letters." October, 1937.
15.
[Not examined]
SEAL, GRAHAM. 1989. The Hidden Culture.
Melbourne: Oxford
Univ. Press, p. 66-68.
[Complete text of DL type LCL
with LOVE title which "has been circulating
the world's postal systems for decades
in one version or another." Husband XCL parody
complete text (the "man chain") collected in Perth
in 1986, "popular in recent years throughout Australia,
and possibly elsewhere."]
SKEPTICAL INQUIRER. 1991.
Eugene Emery,
"Chain Letter Weighs Heavily on Top Journalists."
V. 16, Fall, p. 24-25.
[Derides participation in
the "media" chain. Possible origin:
"The decision to copy other people's cover letters
as part of the package apparently started with
Judy Kurianski of cable TV's Consumer News & Business
Channel." Gives celebrity participants
and their comments, including Jody Powell and Pierre
Salinger. Gene Foreman of the Philadelphia
Inquirer: "Understand that I am not doing this
because I'm superstitious. I just want to avoid
bad luck." Offers to receive LCLs to allay anxiety at:
Chain Letters Anonymous, P.O. Box 6866, Providence,
R.I. 02940. Also in Omni 1992.]
SKOLNIK, PETER L. 1978. Fads: America's
Crazes, Fevers and
Fancies from the 1890's to the 1970's.
New York: Thomas Crowell and Co., p. 69-70.
[Basic facts of send-a-dime
craze, Springfield craze, aftermath.]
SLATE. 2010.
"You Must Forward This Story to Five Friends. The curious
history of chain letters." Oct. 1 Link
[Attributes the origin of (charity)
chain letters to an appeal by the Methodist
"Chicago Training School" in the summer of 1888.
Some text, including the "peripatetic contribution
box". Mentions a charity CL to fund "The Home
for Destitute Women in Whitechapel", site of the
Jack the Ripper murders. Other charity appeals,
little text. The "Self Help Mutual Advance Society"
of London allegedly told recipients to "mail dimes to
previous senders while adding their name to a list that,
enough links later, would bring the coins of subsequent
generations showering down on them". This is an error: this
"Society" was involved in what could be described as a "pyramid
sales" lending scheme - there was no use of letters or lists
of names, and certainly not "dimes". See Truth, vol. 46, Google ebook,
1899, p. 214. Other examples from WWI and the Send-a-Dime
era.]
Link URL: http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/culturebox/2010/10/you_must_forward_this_story_to_five_friends.html
SOCIAL NETWORKS. 1994. "Defining and
locating cores and
boundaries of social networks." P. Doreian
& K. Woodard. V. 16, pp. 267-293.
[Authors' abstract: We propose
a general procedure for locating the
boundary of a network and a second, related,
procedure for discerning the boundaries within
a network. The first is an expanding (snowball)
selection procedure. The second requires the specification
of two critical parameters: the value of k for
a k-core and the threshold, w, for the quantitative magnitude
of network ties. The use of these parameters generates
a sequence of nested cores. Single sector and multi-sector
social service inter-agency networks are used to
illustrate the procedures.]
THE SPECTATOR. 1922. "The Evil Eye in Modern England."
Letter - A. Hugh Fisher,
V. 129, July 29, p. 141.
[Complains of Good Luck type
letter ("snowball-commands") with fifty
names. Text
fragments.]
SPORTS ILLUSTRATED. 1988. "Scorecard:
For Your Wardrobe."
V. 69, n. 1, July 4, p. 13.
[Briefly reports XCL for
basketball T-shirts. Text: "we
can all use 216 shirts."]
SPORTS ILLUSTRATED. 1989. E. M. Swift, "Post-nuclear
mutant mayflies and
other chain-angler items." , V. 71, July
10, p. 8.
[Detailed results of participation
in the "Trout Fly Club". Partial text,
letter specs s1q6n3w21 max 216.]
SPORTS ILLUSTRATED. 1991. "Chain Gang."
Jan. 21, V. 74, p.
47.
[Media LCL "made the rounds
of the NBA recently." Recipients
named, incl. Pierre Salinger and Art Buchwald.
Transmission to NBA traced: novelist Judith
Krantz sent it to Laker general manager Jerry West.]
SPRINGFIELD (MISSOURI) NEWS LEADER. 1935. (Day
13). "Chain Letter Gang Riches Fade Under Investigation." May 2, p. 1:3&4.
[<motive> "Scores
of exaggerated reports of Springfield people
cashing in on send-a-dime chain letters were
current today." Interviews dispel reports.
Woman received $1.50 instead of $18. Only a few dimes
have been detected in letters handled at the Post Office.
"Yesterday there was a a widespread report that a waiter
in a St. Louis street cafe received 40 letters containing
dimes. I found that no mail was delivered to the
cafe yesterday." ""Everywhere people were speculating upon
the possibilities of the scheme for getting rich, and
upon its legality. Stories of people who got $300, $800
or $100. Some thought the Post Office was going to start opening
letters that contained dimes. Others claim legal because the
letter said the dime was a charity donation, hence not gambling.]
SPRINGFIELD (MISSOURI) NEWS LEADER. 1935. (Day
17). "The Day's Best Story." May 6, p. 1:4.
["Chain letters began to
flood the postoffice here today.
Between 8000 and 10,000 extra letters were handled."
Mostly dime letters, some quarter, a few dollar.
Variety of envelopes, usually no return address.
Dollar chain letters being circulated. "They instruct
the sender not to give away his letter until he has made
sure that a dollar has been paid to the proper person.
This is supposed to eliminate cheaters."]
SPRINGFIELD (MISSOURI)
NEWS LEADER. 1935. (Day 18). "Dollar
Chains Hamper Business Here As 'Fortunes' Are
Made Over Night." May 7, p. 1:5,6.
[Photos: (1) crowd lined
up at print shop. (2) overburdened mail
man, (3) secretaries at work. Subtitle: "Postoffice
Burden Vastly increased, Printers Reap Quick
Profits and Few Folks Are Talking About Anything
Else." Lead sentence: "Springfield has
gone wild over chain letters." 15,000 extra pieces
of mail this morning, thousands of letters circulated
by hand. "Printing shops all over town are turning
out letters as fast as they can be run off." Many
businesses virtually paralyzed. A barber (who had realized
$72 on his letters) could not remain in his shop - "the telephone
kept ringing: calls from people who said they had a chain
with his name on top and could he help them find a couple of
buyers to carry it on." "Wild stories of fabulous sums received
. . ." Dime chains forgotten. Dollar chains: mail not used except
to send $1 to winner. $5 chain, $5 and $10 chains circulated
by telegraph. <method> Garbled account, reorganizing:
(1) You agree to take a letter with ten names on it, and
to send a dollar to the top name (addressed envelope provided).
(2) You go to a print shop and get two printed copies of the
letter and pay a typist to type in the names, escalated, with your
name at the bottom, plus two envelopes with the address from
the top of the list. (3) You try to find two people who will
take the letters off your hands by sending $1 to the top name.]
SPRINGFIELD
(MISSOURI) NEWS LEADER.
1935. (Day 19). "Money Making Magic
Starts Fevered Boom." May 8, p. 1:4,5,6,7,8.
& other articles.
[Photo: Men, a few women,
crowd around a bank of typists. Caption:
"Letter Go, Gallagher! We'll Make a Fortune.!"
Col. 8: Subtitle: "Like a Nation-Wide Lottery
Chain Letter Craze is Causing Amazing Frenzy."
By Docia Karell. Lead sentence: "Everybody's
crazy!" "Dooley and me haven't been abed all night!
We're just staying in and pushing 'em - carryin' 'em
around - pushing our names up and everybody else with us."
Compares to the "good old days before the depression."
Col. 6-7: Subtitle: "Springfield Spins Madly on Financial
Whirligig." "Chain letter exchanges popped up like mushrooms
all over the business district and soon filled with milling
throngs eager to turn dollars into thousands." "Hatless
men hurried along the sidewalks waving chain letters. They
stopped every one they saw, desperate to dispose of their
wares before the urge to buy should die down." Crowd presented
a fair cross-section of Springfield's population - cab
drivers, debutantes, elderly matrons, business men, clerks,
students, soda jerks. "Freak chains began to spring up. One
is said to be circulating for children under 14 years old,
and another confined exclusively to persons with the surname
"Mason." (surname?, or lodge!). Col. 3: Alabama kiss chain.
Col. 4: "Chain Fortunes not Guaranteed." <method>
"When you get a copy of the letter ($2) - you must . . . accompany
the salesman who sold you the letter to a notary, where you
enclose $2 in an envelope addressed to the top name on the list
on your letter. The letter is sealed by the notary, and you
pay him 25 cents and buy a stamp and mail it in the presence of
the salesman." School superintendent complains: (1)
people are willing "to surrender their mind to the collective
mind," and to refuse to see that the whole fantastic structure
must soon "collapse of its own weight." And (2) "It isn't
polite betting on your own friends - you put them on the spot,
and they either have to break your chain and feel they are not
good sports, or else send money to somebody they never heard of
against their better judgment . . ." Banker notes that "conservative,
cultured women that you would never dream would do such
a thing - out on the streets trying to sell their letters!"
SPRINGFIELD
(MISSOURI) NEWS LEADER.
1935. (Day 20). "Day's Career as Chain
Letter Gangster Takes Reporter to the Verge of Madness."
May 9. p. 1: 5,6.
[Photo: Passers-by look at
store front window with "Pot O' Gold" chain
letter sign. Reporter Allen Oliver recounts
his experiences pushing chain letters. Details
on methods in the "factories." (p. 2, dialogue):
<origin> "Someone was yelling in our ear. 'They're
starting a $5 one right now. If you want
in on the bottom, now's your chance. Got all I can handle.
This one's a honey. You sell two copies, mail one $5 out,
and pocket the other one. That way you get your money right
back." Col. 8: "'Chain Gangs' Nearly Broke as Gold
Ebbs." Subtitles: "Glittering Fortunes Turn to Brass
as Everybody in Town Becomes a Seller." "Craze Swiftly
Waning." "Tales of easy money and quickly-made fortunes
continued to spread through the city, but to the thousands
who came in late they were tales and nothing more."
Well known Doctor denies story he made $2,700 on a $20 chain.
"Every one had a letter to sell, and no one wanted to
buy." "It was conceded the craze would die down tonight
and there was a grimness in the air that contrasted with the
hysterical speculation of yesterday." <origin, see also
nyt 1935-20> "One chain that was
doing a big business last night and early today was supposed
to be unbeatable. You bought a letter for five dollars and
sold two copies for the same price each, keeping one five.
It died before noon." <method> Postoffice officials
investigating a printing plant . . ."Six men were
operating it and the name of one of them was in the pay-off
position on every letter. They got a mailing list from
the city directory of Springfield and are supposed to have
collected considerable money."]
SPRINGFIELD (MISSOURI) NEWS LEADER. 1935. (Day
21). "Fever Passes, 'Magic Money' Places Close." May 10, p. 1:1.
[Subtitles: "Most of City's
'Exchanges' Find Operations Aren't Any
Longer Profitable." "Shouts of 'Gyp" Heard."
Many complaints from . . ."people who 'just knew'
they had gone over the top. - Their names were
ahead of someone's name who did go over the top, consequently
they were bound to have gone over." Others thought that
because they went over the top on one list that they would
on all others. Others were told they went over the top falsely,
to get their help. Stories of success were deliberately
fabricated. "A dollar chain was charging 25 cents to keep
an register of all persons to whom money was mailed and
agreed to check by phone to see if it had been received."
p. 8: 4 "State Promoters Get Kansas Haul." Accounts of chain
letter exchanges in Joplin, Poplar Bluff and St. Louis. Police
describe "professional chain letter promoters." "Copying the
model originated in Springfield six exchanges were doing a rushing
business in St. Louis today."]
SPRINGFIELD (MISSOURI) NEWS LEADER. 1935. (Day
22). "Stolen Letters Are Abandoned in Alley But Officers Unable to Trace
Thieves." May 11, p. 1:2,3,4.
[Photo: Postmaster examining
letters. 680 letters stolen from a postal
substation. 444 opened, of these 236 taken
out of their envelopes. Of these, "scores were
love notes which started with such greetings as
'Sweetie' and 'Darling'." "Only 25 letters were
of the chain variety and all but one of them were for
less than $1."]
SPRINGFIELD (MISSOURI) NEWS LEADER. 1935. (Day
23). "Guaranteed Chain Spreads to Denver As Suckers Hunted." May 12, p.
1:6.
[Denver. May 11. "Factories"
open in Denver to crowds. Traffic increased
at Oklahoma chain-making facilities.]
SPRINGFIELD (MISSOURI) NEWS LEADER. 1935. (Day
24). "Probe of Chain Gangs Promised." May 13, p. 1:2.
[Says will not go after dime
chains, or letters passed friend to friend.
Will target "the people who started big chains
with promise of a quick turnover."]
SPRINGFIELD
(MISSOURI) NEWS LEADER.
1935. (Day 28). "Negro Sleepily Gives
New Slant on Chain Letters. May 17, p. 10:2.
[Police inquire about mobs
that beset home of J. H. Edwards. He was
running the "negro personal chain letter exchange."
Edwards says he doesn't put his name on any.
For a week his home has been used by those trying
to sell their dollar letters. Hires two typists, three
runners and some relatives. Had not slept for six days.
Avoids use of mails entirely.]
SPY. 1990. Aimée
Bell & Josh Gillette, "Chain of Foolishness."
Dec., p. 74+.
[Media CL. Described as co-opting
of "numb, credulous lower-middle-class
escapism" by the "haute bourgeoisie."
"During the last year, a chain letter was sent from one opinion-maker
and media nabob to another. The letter was a goofy exhortation
to play golf, combined with vague references
to luck." Full text (reduced so barely readable),
includes leading office humor golf item. "
Over 5 pages of linked transmissions, 169 senders,
short bios provided. "... a sweeping diagram
of the American media elite."]
THE STAR.. 1991. Janet Charlton feature
Star People: "Why
Jane Fonda & Goldie Hawn are in Kennedy
rape case file." Sept. 17, p. 12.
[Media CL. Celebrity recipients,
including Sally Field, "Pee-Wee" Herman,
Charles Keating, Melanie , Girth Whoopi Goldberg
and Kennedy relatives. A copy is filed
in court records in West Palm Beach, Fla.]
THE SUN (Rouses Point, NY). 1987.
"Broken chain letter
plagues woman with 100 accidents." Feb.
24, V. 5, no. 8,
p. 27.
[Subtitle: "...all in just
a year's time." Tabloid article.
"A BROKEN chain letter tossed into the garbage
by a 46-year old housewife has turned her life upside-down
with some 100 near fatal accidents."
Brenda Huggard (Toronto) discarded a LCL "telling
her to send it to 10 other people," the next
day her car "spun off the road." "I don't
know how many times things have fallen off buildings missing
me by near inches." Hopes her bad luck will
stop this year, duration not specified by letter.
Probably total fiction.]
THE SUNDAY
HERALD (Provo, Utah). 1967. "The Return or the Notorious
Chain Letter." Travis Ann Keller. Nov. 5, p. 55.
[Well informed general history of chain letters.
Characterizes chain letters with five "I's": Illegal, Illogical,
Immoral, Impious, Intriguing. "Let's face it, despite their
absurdities, chain letters always have had a fascination. In 1935
someone hit on the idea of money as a chain-letter incentive, and
send-a-dime took the Depression-racked public by storm. For six
weeks, an estimated 10 million letters were mailed daily. The Post
Office was forced to add thousands of workers to handle the load. ¶
The entire country was possessed. Then, as suddenly as it began, the
mania stopped, leaving puzzled experts to ponder one of the greatest examples
of mass neurosis in history."]
TENNESSEE FOLKLORE SOCIETY
BULLETIN.
1976. Michael J. Preston, "Chain
letters." V. 42, p. 1-14.
[Essential documentation
and analysis of mid 1970's CLs. Recipe
chain text, specs
s2n2q6 max 30 (deduces that prior quota was 5).
MCL attributed to William Neham of Nashville: full text, specs s$1q4n20.
MCL full text, "As you give...",
specs s$5n5q25. Observes
that most circulating luck chain letters
are a concatenation, in both orders, of two previously
independent letters (Death20
and Lottery24). Gives full unedited
text of eight luck chain letters, the following
transcriptions taken from original letters by DWV:
a, a1, a2, b1, b2, b3, b4.]
THOMAS, JOHN L. 1900.
Lotteries, Frauds
and Obscenity in the Mails.
E. W. Stephens, Columbia, Mo. p. 121.
["CHAIN LETTER SCHEMES, AS
LOTTERIES. Sec. 105. In the
last few years a scheme known as the 'Chain Letter
Scheme' has become quite popular and has been
resorted to by the gamblers and by those who did not scruple
to perpetrate a fraud upon a confiding and unsuspecting
public. The scheme is this: The promoter writes
a letter to some one and states that he desires to raise money
for a certain purpose and requests the addressee to send
him ten cents or some small amount and to write a similar
letter to a certain number of his friends, the number varying
in the different schemes, being three in some, ten in
others, etc. all the addressees being requested to
forward the required sum to the promoter. Each correspondent,
it states, would become the starter or originator of
a series and a prize is offered to each of these upon condition
that the series, he originates or starts, would continue,
without a break, till 10,000 or some other number named, is
reached. For instance, A starts a series by writing letter
to ten of his friends and thus starts a series and if all
of his ten friend, all of the hundred, that his friends
write to and all of the ten thousand this thousand write letters
to write similar letters to their friends and send the required
sum each to the promoter the starter or originator is to
receive a prize but if anyone of the ten, hundred, thousand or
ten thousand fails to do this the prize is lost. It is
very readily seen that the chances of winning such a prize is
remote indeed. / In such schemes we have a forcible illustration
of the proposition that a prize, dependent on what others may do
or not do, is dependent on chance. / The chance feature in such
schemes is too apparent to require further comment or elucidation."
Also gives history of postal regulations regarding lotteries.]
TIME. 1955. "Any Bonds
Today." V.65, Jan. 31, p. 80.
["A new person-to-person
chain letter" exchanging US saving bonds.
MCL specs s$18.75, q2x18.75, n11, with
seller guaranteeing bond is mailed to top name.
Started in South last fall. Some text.
Used-car dealer Cliff Pettitt of Knoxville got
252 bonds.]
THE SUNDAY TIMES (LONDON).
1974. "Alan
Brien's Diary," July 29, p. 28: 8.
[Receipt of two LCLs: Lottery24
type ( or LD?), name variation, q24
appears. <numbers> "sudden resurgence."
Concludes, to a sender: "Drop dead."]
THE SUNDAY TIMES (LONDON). 1975. "The
chain gang's icy finger"
- Patrick Campbell. Jan. 5, p.
12: 1.
[Campbell receives LD type
LCL mailed 16 Oct. 1974 from Spain.
Some text. Had
name list, recognized sender. Humorous (?)
association with bad luck.]
THE SUNDAY TIMES (LONDON). 1977. Richard
Milner, Inside Business,
"Free gift?" July 24, p. 64g.
["Financial Gift Service
Club" MCL debunked. Testimonial
by "Ryan Mann of San Francisco." Specs. q50+,
n3. "Chain letters are lotteries (q.v. Atkinson
v. Murrell, 1972)."]
THE TIMES (LONDON). 1978a.
Richard Milner, Inside
Business, "Chain letters for charity."
Jan. 8, p. 60g.
[MCL headed "THE INAUGURATION
OF FINANCIAL INDEPENDENCE - WOULD YOU
TRADE £3 FOR £125,000?" Signed by "Nelson
Robbards of Boston." Some text. Says
legal because participants asked to pledge
20% of profits (after £1,000) to charity.
Possible s£1, n3. Milner recommends
discarding, or contacting A-4 Dept. of Scotland
Yard.]
THE TIMES (LONDON). 1978b. "The
case of the frightened
lady." The Times Diary - PHS.
Jan. 24, p. 14d.
[Brief mention of receipt
by a secretary of "one of those nasty letters."
LCL: q20w9, one "lost his wife," another died
"for no reason." Fears of recipient, and PHS.]
THE SUNDAY TIMES (LONDON). 1978b.
Lorana Sullivan, Inside
Business, "Still in chains." Aug.
27, p. 51g.
[MCL allegedly started by
"Nelson Robbards of Boston." <numbers>
One reader received 12 this year; received
by nearly every advertiser in Business to Business
classifieds. Promises £125,000 for £1
investment. See The Times 1978a.]
THE TIMES (LONDON). 1982. "Circle
of Gold turns to ring
of shame," Margaret Drummond. Nov.
27, p. 15a.
["Every second person in
the Covent Garden wine bar . . . was offering
me the Circle of Gold . . ." MCL specs
s£20, q2x£20, n12, max £164,000.
Some text: "Please do not decide to invest
in this paper until you are totally and completely
sure and understand the concept." Cheating
by selling more than two copies: ". . . tales of underwriters
deserting their desks and stockbrokers forsaking
the floor in order to copy as many as possible."]
THE TOPEKA DAILY CAPITAL.
1887. "A Grand Undertaking", June 19, p. 4.
["The Remarkable Scheme for
Providing Christ's Hospital with an Endowment." Gives
a detailed description of the "Progressive Subscription" scheme
for raising money for a charitable cause. Participants are designated
by the letters A through F and each is assigned an amount to
contribute and recruiting duties dependent on this letter. A
forerunner to charity chain letters which developed beginning
in 1888. Here is the text describing the scheme. ¶ "It consists
of a popular subscription, by which the subscribers also become
solicitors. Beginning with the first letter of the alphabet, a number
of persons form themselves into a class, taking the name of "A". Each
"A" selects four "B's" and so on compounding the alphabet and the fund
at every jump, until in the grand round up the "object all sublime" is
duly attained. ¶ The scheme in detail is as follows: six A's have
subscribed $1.00, and they will collect from four others, who will be called
B's, 25 cents each, and will ask each of these B's to find four C's who
will each give 25 cents and in return pass on the request to four D's.
The four D's ask four E's and the four E's ask four F's. Then each F asks
ten persons for 25 cents each, and the scheme ends, F asking more persons
than the others because she does not have to find those who will continue
the scheme. F must get $2.50, but may do so either by asking the persons
for 25 cents each, or by getting the whole amount from one or more persons.
Four cards like this (allowing for change of letters) must be written out
by each subscriber and given to each one of the next letter. Money may be
received from those who are not willing to press on the work, but each letter
must in addition get her four subscribers." Gives totals: 6,144 persons,
$17,412.00 cash. Scheme was working well in Topeka. Reference found by Patrick Davison using newspapers.com.]
TRUE MEN. 1965. "Good Luck 'Chain' Letters
- Your Secret Invitation
to a Mail-Order Sex Orgy!" Robert LaGuardia.
September, 1965, p. 16 &. [Subtitle: "Read
them fast, and they're innocent. But read
between the lines, answer them, and chances are good
you'll be invited to the wildest - or the most
frightening - party of your natural life!"
Dubious exposé of swing clubs. Names fictional.
Claims a couple new to San Francisco received "what
seemed a conventional 'good luck' letter through the
mails. The letter promised that if they added their
names to the list of its signers and sent copies of the
letter to three of their own friends, plus a postcard to
the sender, 'good luck would happen to them within
30 days.'" Claims the couple complied with this
and a second such letter, with a different name to respond
to. After this they were contacted by a couple "who specialized
in wife-swapping cults."]
TRUTH (LONDON).
1880. A weekly journal. Vol. 46. Google ebook.
pp. 231-2214. Link inactive (7-2-2014).
[Describes the "Self-Help Mutual Advance
Society": "The modus operandi is stated
on their circular with engaging . candor would-be borrower
of 5 pounds forwards to the "Society" an 'office fee'
of 1 shilling for a 'membership voucher', and a further
payment of 10 shillings, for which he receives a
'certificate sheet' with ten other membership vouchers
attached. He disposes of these vouchers to would-be borrowers
of 5 pounds at 1 shilling each, and when the other ten borrowers
have each forwarded 10 shillings to the office for a 'certificate
sheet,' the "Society will advance the first man 5 pounds
less 10 per cent for interest deducted in advance. In return
for this the borrower agrees to repay advance within two years
with interest at 10 percent. Before, therefor, the Society advances
the 5 pounds, the borrower has to get 10 friends to pay 5 pounds
to the 'Society'. The borrower, in fact, collects from among his
friends, the sum he wishes to borrow, and then the 'Society' very
kindly lends it to him less 10 percent, and 1 percent, for office expenses,
and with the further result that at the end of two years the
5 pounds will come back into the permanent possession of the 'Society'."]
UKIAH DAILY JOURNAL (Ukiah,
California), 1978. "A chain letter for high rollers.",
Dec. 6, p. 4.
[Discussion of the "Circle of Gold" pyramid scheme.
Started in California distributed hand to hand, but ... "Someone
is now sending it in the mail to people throughout the United
States". Revised copies read: "As I give, so shall I receive. I do
not always receive according to my expectations, but am provided according
to my needs". "The people who really cash in on them are those who
put fictitious names on all the top places on the list before selling
it. In the case of the 'Circle of Gold', ..., if you stand at the door
of a party and sell copies to everybody coming in at $100 each and your
name is first on the list, you are going to make money."]
UNITED STATES CODE SERVICE.
1979. Title 18. Lawyers Edition, Rochester:
The Lawyers Co-Operative
Publishing Co.
[Title 18, Section 1302.
Mailing lottery tickets or related matter
(¶1) Whoever knowingly deposits
in the mail, or sends or delivers by mail:
( ¶2) Any letter, package, postal card,
or circular concerning any lottery, gift enterprise,
or similar scheme offering prizes dependent in whole or in
part upon lot or chance; (¶3) Any Lottery
ticket or part thereof, or paper, certificate, or
instrument purporting to be or to represent a ticket,
chance, share or interest in or dependent upon the event
of a lottery, gift enterprise, or similar scheme offering
prizes dependent in whole or in part upon lot or chance;
(¶4) Any check, draft, bill, money, postal note,
or money order, for the purchase of any ticket or part thereof,
or of any share or chance in any such lottery, gift enterprise,
or scheme; (¶5) Any newspaper, circular, pamphlet,
or publication of any kind containing any advertisement of
any lottery, gift enterprise, or scheme of any kind offering
prizes dependent in whole or in part upon lot or chance,
or containing any list of the prizes drawn or awarded by
means of any such lottery, gift enterprise, or scheme, whether
said list contains any part or all of such prizes;
(¶6) Any article described in section 1953 of this
title [18 USCS § 1953]-- (¶7) Shall be
fined not more than $1,000 or imprisoned not more than two years,
or both; and for any subsequent offense shall be imprisoned
not more than five years.
Title
18, Section 1718. Libelous matter
on wrappers or envelopes "(¶1)
All matter otherwise mailable by law, upon
the envelope or outside cover or wrapper of which,
or any postal card upon which is written or printed
or otherwise impressed or apparent any delineation,
epithet, term, or language of libelous, scurrilous,
defamatory, or threatening character, or calculated
by the terms or manner or style of display and obviously
intended to reflect injuriously upon the character
or conduct of another, is nonmailable matter, and shall
not be conveyed in the mails nor delivered from any post
office nor by any letter carrier, and shall be withdrawn
from the mails under such regulations as the Postal Service
shall prescribe. (¶2) Whoever knowingly
deposits from mailing or delivery, anything declared by
this section to be nonmailable matter, or knowingly takes
the same from the mails for the purpose of circulating or
disposing of or aiding in the circulation or disposition
of the same, shall be fined not more than $1,000 or imprisoned
not more than one year, or both."
Under Interpretive
Notes and Decisions: "18 USCS § 1718
is unconstitutional in that it is
overly broad and violative of the First Amendment
which guarantees freedom of expression. Tollett
v United States (1973, CA8 Ark) 485 F2d 1087.
¶Prohibitions of 18 USCS § 1718
must be construed in light of First Amendment
rather than in light of any regulatory power granted
to Postal Service; if purpose is to deter potential
libelers, who would not be frightened of civil judgment,
while 18 USCS § 1718 might meet "rational basis"
test, it does not rise to level necessary to meet "compelling
interest" test applicable in cases involving restrictions
on First Amendment protected speech; additionally, 18 USCS
§1718 is unconstitutional because language is substantially
overbroad and no indictment based on it can stand.
United States v Handler (1974, DC Md) 383 F Supp 1267."
LCLs on postcards are often still claimed to be illegal
based on Section 1718! - DWV. ]
USA TODAY. 1990. Pat Guy, "Big-Name
Links for Chain Letter."
Aug. 31, p. 7B.
[Media LCL. "Big-league
journalists are supposed to be so skeptical
they need a second source to verify that
their mother loves them. That hasn't kept a
chain letter from making the rounds." Comments
of four senders.]
USA TODAY. 1991. "Team-by-team Notes."
June 19, p. 5C.
[Media LCL. "Phillies
utility IF Rod Booker received a chain
letter from Toronto IF Rene Gonzales."
"Booker said he would do his part keep the chain letter
in circulation."]
U.S. NEWS AND
WORLD REPORT. 1975.
"More States Turn to Gambling to Raise
Money in Hard Times." June 30, p. 22-23.
[State lotteries spreading.
New Hampshire first in 1964. Now in 12
states: Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts,
New Jersey, Illinois, Ohio, Maryland, Connecticut,
Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Maine. Sales total 1 billion,
up 47% in one year. More frequent drawings (many
daily).]
VANITY FAIR. 1935,
Corey Ford, "The Chain-Letter
Priest." July, p. 13-15,
[Purports to be an interview
with "Father Riddell," the "Chain-Letter
Priest." Difficult to distinguish facts
from satire here, but apparently there
was a Father Riddell who cashed in on the chain letter
fad in some manner.]
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL. 1979. Frederick
C. Klein, "The Nice
Lady Who Peddles a Chain Letter."
Nov. 1, p.28:6
[Pyramid party in Chicago,
max $32,000 with $1,000 ante.
Recruiters pitch: "rewards salesmanship
and persistence." Rockford, Ill. hearing
on charges had spectators in green T-shirts promoting
the "money pyramid."]
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL. 1987.
Paul B. Carrol, "Yuletide
Chain Mail by Prankster Slows Networks
at IBM." Dec. 17, p. 34:6.
["The message consisted
of an innocuous Christmas greeting plus
a drawing of a Christmas tree... But the
message also contained a program that searched the
computer files of the recipient's personal
computer to find the automatic distribution list
that would be used to forward notes to co-workers, bosses
or customers. Once the program found those names, it
forwarded the message to them." Circulated through
IBM internal communication network "last Friday" - "slowed
message traffic to a crawl" - spread worldwide. No files
lost. IBM posted warnings on its BBS.]
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL. 1990. Thomas
R. King, "Read This
Story and Pass It On To Five of Your Friends--or
Else." May 9, p. B1:1.
[Media LCL. Says traveled
from Hollywood to New York where it is
"making its way through media circles."
Celebrities and their comments. CEO
of Fox Inc.'s TV production unit: "I would've
chucked it, but the letter came just as we were getting
our pilots ready for the fall." No idea who
started; now 50 pages long. CBS casting
director received three packets, sent the first two
on.]
WARING, PHILIPPA. 1978. The Dictionary of Omens
& Superstitions.
Treasure Press, p. 52.
[Brief entry on CLs.
<origin> "The very earliest
chain letters date from the Middle Ages and
carried details of simple cures and prayers
to be recited with them. They were sold by
travelers or fortune tellers and widely believed
to be most effective. In the last hundred years,
however, they have degenerated into what are little
more than begging letters . . ." ]
THE WASHINGTON POST. 1913.
"Church Built on Dimes." March 23,
p. 4.
[Claims
in 1881 a structure for the English Lutheran Church
of Salina, Kansas "was erected by the means of a system
of endless chain letters started from Salina, and reaching
into nearly every foreign country in the civilized
world." Says the names of the donors were inscribed on the
surface bricks of the structure. This would be the earliest
endless chain letter by far, but the report is probably false.
I contacted (2014/2) the current secretary of the church
and the 1881 date is correct but not the means of financing the
building, nor the inscribing of the names of donors. The Harrisburg
(Pennsylvania) Telegraph, Sept. 20, 1879, p. 1, reports an appearance
of Rev. A. J. Hartsock, pastor of the Salina church, at
a Synod of The Evangelical Lutheran Church of East Pennsylvania
- Home Missions and Church Extension. Rev. Hartsock reported
that "A new mission church is being erected, and cards had been
sent out, each card to represent one brick in the edifice, and
each brick to cost ten cents."]
THE WASHINGTON POST.
1991. Charlie
Clark, "The Great Chain (Letter) of Being."
, V. 114, Sat. Nov. 16, A27: 1.
[Receives Media LCL (calls
it the "VIP" CL) which "came clipped
to notes on letterhead stationery from a pantheon
of big shots in government policy circles, corporate
suites and the news media elite." Complete
text (same).
"Once somebody got the ball rolling, a peer pressure
set in among the elite, and these illustrious
citizens indulged in thinly disguised efforts
to laugh off their obvious fear that an anonymous, fuzzily
photocopied, threatening chain letter could actually
be a tool of the gods of fate." Names of prior senders
and many of their comments.]
THE WASHINGTON POST. 1995. Michael
D. Shear, "A High-Tech Chain Letter Hits Town." March 13, Washington
Business, p. 17&20.
[Subtitle: "Get-Rich-Quick
Scheme Involves Copying Disks."
Spec q5 (disks), s$5, n?, max $19,500. You receive
disk with program named Network!, send $5
to top name for secret code that allows you to copy
disk. Copy and send to five others. Circulating
in Washington area, has a California address.
Leading text: "Do you own, or have access to
an IBM PC compatible computer and printer? Would
you like to earn $19,550 in just 12 weeks?
Can you afford to invest $25 (only $5 to start!!)."
Quotes Paul Griffo on illegality.]
THE WENATCHEE WORLD. 1996. Elizabeth
Weise (AP Cyberspace
Writer), "AIDS outbreak on Internet."
January 28, p. 11.
[Subtitle:" Boy's e-mail
virus is fake but spreads faster than real
thing." Partial text: "Could you all pretend
that I have HIV, and I gave it to you.
Then could you pass it on to your friends?
Let's see if the entire e-mail population could
get infected by me alone." Attributed to "young
Bradley" as part of a health class project.
Has circulated "for the last two months." Sent out Wednesday
as part of the daily Internet AIDS news summary by the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.]
WESTERN FOLKLORE. 1948. D. H. Hall,
"The Spanish Prisoner
Letter." V. 8, p. 265.
[Complete text of 1898 Spanish
Prisoner Letter confidence racket.]
WESTERN FOLKLORE.
1950. "Folklore
in the News" - "Chain Letter."
V. 9, n. 1, p. 273.
[Cites Berkeley Daily
Gazette. (1) Feb. 2, 1950: A variant
of the Mexican prison treasure epistle.
(2) Oct. 27, 1949: A LCL said to have originated
with a French army officer (text of collected
letter likely of same type -DWV).
<number> Non-monetary CL said to
be "novel"!]
WESTERN FOLKLORE. 1956.
Herbert Halpert, "Chain
Letters." V. 15, October, p. 287-289.
[Full text of
LCL specs q4+1, d1w4. Full text
of wife exchange parody.]
WEST'S
ANNOTATED CALIFORNIA
CODE. 1989. Penal code,
St. Paul: West Publ. Co.
[Title 9, Section 327. Endless
chain schemes. "Every person
who contrives, prepares, sets up, proposes, or
operates any endless chain is guilty of a public
offense, and is punishable by imprisonment in the
county jail not exceeding one year or in state prison
for 16 months, two, or three years. As used in this
section, an "endless chain" means any scheme for the
disposal or distribution of property whereby a participant
pays a valuable consideration for the chance to receive
compensation for introducing one or more additional
persons into participation in the scheme or for the chance
to receive compensation when a person introduced by the participant
introduces a new participant. Compensation,
as used in this section, does not mean or include payment
based upon sales made to persons who are not participants
in the scheme and who are not purchasing in order to participate
in the scheme.]
THE WORLD AND I.
1988. Roger L.
Welsch, "The Endless Chain."
Sept., p. 500-511.
[LCL type Death20 testimonial
variations. CLs: "long life, anonymity,
variation of detail within a fairly constant
larger framework." "St. Antoine's"
(same as "Venezuelan" or "Dutch" letter): in India,
Germany, Japan. Send-a-dime basic history.
Pyramid sales described in revealing 1900 letter: Parisian
skirt fad, coupons 20 cents, books of 5, value
of skirt $5. Author's CL classification: exchange,
money, merchandise (commercial), St. Antoine's
(prayer), social action. LCL variant: sequences
of two or three initials to be placed on corner of
letter, or envelope containing it (?). Full text of DL type LCL (no
date) with TRUST leader (Proverbs) and REMEMBER
trailer plus "May you continue to be encircled
in gold." St. Antoine name variations (18), Joe
Dilliot variations (7). Social action CLs: Shell
Boycott (UPI, June 6, 1979); Feminists poems;
protest of movie image of Jesus Christ (1985 - Ann Landers).
Parodies: Return of chain (full text, no date); excuses
for not writing paper; wife exchange (full text, no date,
signed by King Farouk & two others); fertilizer club; Academic
co-author parody (full text).]
WRIGHT, A. R. 1929 (?). English
Folklore. New
York: ? p. 103. (Also
[<gender> Good Luck
LCL: "...the 'chains of luck' which for
a number of years, right up to 1928, have worried
nervous women." Some text.]
THE WRITER. 1993. Roving Editor: "Chain
letter with a twist."
April, p. 5.
[Used paperback XCL: all
as reported in NYT,
Jan. 6, 1993.]