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It was the daffiest-get-rich scheme since the South Sea Bubble,

so wrote Calib Williams in his book From the Crash to the Blitz, the 1930s.

And it was The Send to Dime Chain Letter Fad.

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Denver, 1935, New York Times, Send to Dime Chain Letters are pouring into the post office here in a new scheme which has sprung up almost overnight.

Postal helper Roy E. Nelson said the scheme was a violation of the lottery laws prohibiting the use of the males for fraud,

and threatens to arrest the organizers of the scheme, if they can be found.

The Send to Dime Letters would say something like this.

Hope Faith Charity

This chain was started in the hope of bringing you prosperity within three days make five copies of the letter,

leaving off the top name on this letter and address and adding your own name and address at the bottom and mail it to five of your friends.

To whom you wish prosperity to come.

In omitting the top name, send that person ten cents as a charity donation.

In turn, when your name reaches the top of the list, you will receive 15,625 letters.

Have the Faith, your friends had, and this chain will not be broken.

It's just simply work like this, you got a letter with names on it, addresses two.

You were urged to send a dime to the person at the top, scratch the name, add your own at the bottom and send copies of the letters to five friends.

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