Weekly Trinity journal., 1870-04-23
NUMBER IS.
How Merchants Cheat.

The New York correspondent of the Rochester
Democrat is an experienced merchant OF the me
tropolis, and thus exposes some of the wicked
smalluess which wholesale traders practice;
The business men of this city are very dis
honest. They have certain tricks of trade,
as they arc called, which are nothing less than
absolute stealing. Boxes of CASTLE soap and
similar goods sold to country customers,
who little think that they pay for box aud all at
full price. The cheating on tar is outrageous.
Tea in chests is estimated at 30 pound tarc, which
is always allowed by the importer, but a country
dealer seldom gets more than Is pounds. On
half chests - pounds is allowed while at the
same time the dealer marks the chest up II pound
or two. This marking up of weight corresponds
| to the marking down of tares. Casks OF sugar,
which few country merchants can weigh are
often marked up 20 pounds, and sometimes 30
pounds They tell good story Of Old IL IL,
II well-known grocer on the north side, who WAS
notorious for his boldness in this line. The old
man became at one time somewhat pious, aud
when in such n frame, was asked by clerk who
mad sold Il cask of sugar if he "should 60 it 20
pounds" "No, Johnny was the reply,
"don't go over 10, for m under concern Of
mind" Molosses, spirits, turpeuune, aud other
liquids are gaNged up, which is very easily done.
An original gauge mark of say 81 gallons. eau
be altered into "a, by using gaugers 'scube'
in neat manner, If chat is not enough, Il turn
of the scube can change the 81 into 80. As IL
general rule with many dealers from one to
three gallons are made in each cusk. Provision
dealers steal in different manner. Barrels of
mackerel are opened in the bottom head, and
from twenty to thirty pounds are removed, and
the space filed up with salt. When the retailer
opens the barrel he always takes the top head,
and here all looks right, but when he gets to
the bottom he finds half bushe more Of salt
| than he expected. Pork and beef are thus
stolen, and hence our government supplies arc
often short, and men suffer severely in couse-
quence. have referred to but few of the djl-
terent branches of robbery perpetratcd among
what are culled honorable men, for complete
statement would fill volume. One further in
stance may be cited, and this is fraud in es-
sential oils. 1t is next to impossible for any
country druggist to buy pure article of oil
lemon, oil bergamot oil organum, or any sim
liar oils The reason of this is that spirits Of
turpentine mixes so naturally with these articles
/ that detection Ia almost impossible In these
oils our wholesale druggists make enormous
profits Carrying out this idea, bold druggist
coutrived not only to cheat country customers,
! but also to fleece the trade at large. 70 do this,
! he employed machnist TO initiate the metallic
seals which the manufacturers put upon the
cans. These cans he would unsolder aud then
stees about one tenth OF the oil, and fiji it up
with spirits of turpeutinc, and then apply the
counterfeit seal. These ems would then go into
the hands Of drug broker, and wout be sold
to the trade rs pure from the distiller's hands.
This operator knew well. lie is nothing but 10
thief, and yet in society he is u gentleman"
lie has Gue house and lives in style, but retri-
button may yet reach him, and though slow it
may be sure.