Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1869-12-28
THE ORoIDE WATCH TRADE.
The Bogus Traders and their Tvicks-Faow In
Business IL Conducted.

/ -NCN CKh. NO man can oe safe
from the snares Of the latter, for the
more extensive any legitimate bust
ness i, the greater indacement il Of
fers 20 knaves aud swindlers to coun-
terfeit it. Ia nothing is this truth so
apparent as the watch trade. We
have IN this city rs genuine import
ers and wholesale traders, besides 4
large army OF retail dealers and 9th
ers, who are every year beaten ia
their business BY the bogus watch
importer, backed by about so dealers
IN the goods. Not less than loo, 600
Of these bogus and oroide watches
were sold ia this country last year,
and Us the demand is constantly in
creasng. the number disposed of this
current year viii probably exceed
this Ineir shops are usually stow
ed away IN little Railways, in lark
easements, or up two or three lights
OF stairs III some large buiiding,
where there is likely to be d great
deal Of traffic on other accounts.
The extent Of their profits is almost
fabulous, for icing in so Legitimate
business, conceived aud carried On III
deception and fraud, thesc dealers
have no scroples about the means Of
disposing Of their wares.
Besides keeping their little shops
as little make-believe of legitimate
business, they usually have spoilers
out on the street corners to inveigle
unwarY strangers into their dens
And when once within the charmed
circle, the fate Of the countryman is
as certain as that of the fly ia the
fable, who walked into the spiders
parlor. They dine upon him fgura-
lively, Another means Of disposing
Of the counterfeit goods is to place
spoilers at the various railroad and
steamboat depots and landings,
where BY trick and device, they Sc
dace the ignorant and unwary into
purchasing their worthless stock or
they resort again to public houses,
drlnk and treat and ingratiate them
selves into the good esteem Of some
| young blood who is possessed of
more money than brains, become
hard up, pledge watch or two with
him Or them for double or treble the
value, and OF course never seek to
redeem the goods.
Indeed, so extensive IS the business
transacted by sone Of the bogus
watch dealers shat one of them on
Broad way boldly procIaims the char
aeter Of his trade, aud yet, we under
stand, sells from $4,000 to SO, 000
worth moath. Poor humanity
loves to be dipped and swindled, and
ike gambling or drinking or any
other passion, when this desire to
gain million by investing thousand
ia : lottery, or which il the same
thing differently applied, the passion
10 get $3.50 gold watch for 81 in pa
per, grows upon man he actually
places himself ia positions to DC
swiHdled. Nov, q strictly honest
and honorable man who vii not
take thing without rendering full
equivalent can never be deceived
byssuch Il imsy shows. And yet some
wel-meaning men are very often de-
ce'ged by these sharp and shrewd
ones
Every matchmaker understands
fall wen that to insure a serviceable
article, every plate, pin, cog, and
wheel L. those time keepers must be
made AMI finished with the utmost
mathematical accuracy. A failure
or flaw IN any parr uiar is fatal to
the whole. And every man who has
carried q watch for any length Of
/ time, il also aware of the trouble and
vexation which q loose screw or J
frightened spring may give him. He
/ may not know the cause, but he Is
familiar with the fact.
( la Switzerland the several pieces
/ that 20 to make the complete watch
are made at separate factories remote
from each other, and the watch
I maker r archases his stock By tae
4 thousand or ten thousand pieces from
the factories. As a consequence Of
such 4 want Of system 10 making the
different pieces, there are always
large quantities improperly finished
and imperfect. These imperfect
/ pieces are again slightly altered and
| put together, and constitute the
movement fos The oroide watch.
/ These movements are placed ia brass
cases manufactured for this very
purpose, costing about seventy-ive
cents each and exported TO England
and America, where, it has been def
initely settled, the greatest number
of fools exist The French Govern
ment will not admit them unless
they are truly and correctly describ-
ed, and the English Government
places them under the ban In so far
as to prohibit the use of genuine
names or trade marks but, like our
/ own Government, it reaps o profit
| from their importation and sale.
/, I These are the famous oroide watches.
/ They are worth, according. TO some
of the largest genuine practical deal
era and watchmakers Ia this city.
from $50 to 81 each. The very
/ best quality cost bCt SIS dozen.
They sell in the bogus stores fer
frora ST to s25 each, and as our Cit3
Marshal lockers complaint-b9oks
can testify, often for doQbIe Fad treble
these sums.
10 mase the fraud more complete
and the better to deceive the too
galhble public, the oroide dealers
adopt the trademarks OF the respect
able manufacturers, and advertise in
the same style and, as far as possible,
ID the same papers throughout the
country as the legitimate manufac-
tarers aud dealers. For instance,
these dealers know that the watches
made at Waltham are known by
J their trademarks, and Numbered IN
proper order, and that the cases are
: evefyw here stamped. indicating
whether 1t Is Ii, 10 or Is carats fine
: and that the silver cas- are marked
coin silver. and american Watch