Complaints by such victims have been coming thick and fast into the state's attorney's office in Chicago and other large cities. The conspiracy between the swindler and his accomplice, the pawn broker, is almost self-evident. In some instances indictments have been returned against the perpetrators of the fraud, but the prosecution could not succeed. The reason is obvious. On the face of the transaction everything seemed to be regular, and the defendants could not be made criminally responsible for an erroneous conclusion arrived at by the victims as to the business sagacity of the pawn broker or the probable value of the diamonds. And yet who would doubt, in view of the many identical complaints, that the plans in connection with the fraudulent transaction had been laid carefully in pursuance of a conspiracy to defraud the public? NEW LAW BADLY NEEDED. On the civil side of legal practice there is the writ of injunction to prevent threatened irreparable injury to property by one person to another. But in case of organized fraud upon the public in general our modern legislatures have not yet grown to the proper appreciation of the wise and ancient saying that comes from the orient, "The rat hole, not the rat, is the thief." Our laws punish the thief when caught, but leave the "hole" intact and ready to give shelter to other "rats." The authorities may know well the fraudulent character of a concern organized and existing for the express purpose of fleecing the public, and yet, in the absence of a complaining victim, they are absolutely helpless and unable to prevent victims from being ensnared by that concern. Suppose the legislature would enact a law making it a felony for persons to set in operation any scheme to defraud the public and fix adequate punishment for such offense, would not such a law enable the authorities to anticipate and prevent a great deal of that misery which is caused by organized frauds of all kinds and descriptions, to a class of people that least can afford it? POSTAGE STAMP GRAFTER. The postage stamp grafter is one of the most pestiferous of the "toucher" genus. He bobs up in offices, on the streets, in hotel lobbies, everywhere and at all times. Here is the song he sings: "I'm broke, mister, but I don't want any money. I am looking for work and have just answered an ad. in the paper, but, to tell the truth, I have only got a nickel, and if I break that to buy a postage stamp I can't get a cup of coffee. Just a 2-cent stamp is all I ask."