Be careful what you sign

Apparently, scammers were alive and well back in the 1880’s, and though there were no computers to hack into, some were adept at hacking into the funds of farmers.

In the November 17, 1883, Beacon farmers were warned to be careful what they signed. Some farmers had been duped into signing promissory notes under the mistaken idea that it was an order or receipt for goods.

The note was then transferred by the “sharper” to an innocent party. The farmer didn’t realize he had been swindled until his goods didn’t show up and he was required to pay for the note at its maturity.

Many times, the cases went before a jury and some of the jurors, who had a similar experience, would return a verdict in favor of the defendant.

Mackey Peterson was not so fortunate. He appealed to the Supreme Court and the judge told Peterson he had signed the note thinking it was a receipt. The court ruled that Peterson was “guilty of signing the paper and through neglect of precautions within his power” failed to recognize what he was signing. Peterson lost both his money and the plow.