The Sumter watchman. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1855-1881, 1870-03-02
3Hiscellaneous.
DIsHONEsT MERCHANTS.

DISHONEST MERCHANTS.
"Macaulay," the New York cores.
pondent of the Rochester Democrat
makes very serious charges against some
of the New York merchants. "Nlacau-
lay" for thirty years and more was
Engaged In the merchants business in
that city:
THIEVING AMONG MERCHANTS.
The business men of New York are
very dishonest. This I know from close
experience. They have certain "tricks
of trade" as they are called, which arc
nothing less than absolute Stealing
Boxes of CASTLE soap and similar goods
are sold to country customers, WIN little
think tnat they pay for box and all at
full price. The cheating on taro is
outrageous. Tea in chests is estimated
at twenty pounds tare, which is always
allowed by the importer, but a country
dealer seldom gets more than eighteen
pounds. On half chests twelve pounds
is allowed, while at the same time the
dealer marks the chests up pound or
two. This marking up of weight CORES
ponds to the marking down of tares.-
Casks Of sngar, which few country mer-
oharks can weigh, are often marked up
twenty pounds, aud sometimes ff,y
pounds. They tell good story of old
H-H-, u we'll kHown grocer on
the north side, who was notorious for
his boldness in this line. The old man
became at one time somewhat pious, and
when in such frame was asked by u
clerk who had sold cask of sugar il he
"should 20 it twenty pounds" "No,
johnny" was the reply, "don't go over
ten, for Pm under concern of mind
Molasses, spirits, turpentine, aud other
liquids are gaugcd up, which is very
easily done. An original gauge. mark
OF say 81 gallons, can be easily altered
into 81, by using gaugers "scube" in
"a neat manner. If that is not enough,
turn of the scube can change The 81
into 35 AS general rule, with many
dealers, from QUO to three gallons are
made III each cask. Provision dealers
steal in different manner. Barrels OF
mackerel are opened in the bottom head,
and from twenty to thirty pounds arc
removed, and the space filled up with
salt. When the retailer opens the bar
rel he always takes the top head, and
and here all looks right, but when he
gets to the bottom he finds half bushcl
more of salt than he expected. Pork
and beef are also thus stolen, and hence
our Government supplies are often
short, and men suffer severely iu conse
qucnce.
have referred to but few of the
different branches ofrobbcry pcrpctratsd
among what are called honorable mcu,
for complete statement would gill a
volume. One further instance may be
cited, aud this is the fraud in essential
oils. 1t is next to impossible for any
country druggist to buy pure article
Of oil lemon, oil bergamot, oil organum
or any similar oils. The reason of this
is that spirits Of turpentinc mixes so
naturally with these articles that detec-
tion is almost impossible. In these oils
our wholesale druggists make enormous
profit. Carrying out this idea, buld
druggist contrivcd not only to cheat
country customers, bit also to fleece the
trade at large. TO do this he employed
mechinist to initiate the metallic seals
which the manufacturers put upon the
cans These cans he would unsoldcr,
and then steal about oDe.tenth Of tho
oil, and gil it up with spirits OF turpcn-
tine, and then apply the counterfeit
seal. These cans would then 60 into
the hands Of drug broker, and would
be sold to the trade as pure from the
distiller's hands. This operator know
we'll. lie is nothing but thief, aud
yet in society he is "gcntlcman." lie
has fine house aud lives in style, but
retribution may yet reach him, and
though slow it will bc sure.
An old lady, who pretcnds to "know
all about it," says the only way to pre-,
vent steamboat explosions is to make
the engineers "b;le their water on
shore" In her opinion, call the bus.
tin is done by cookin' the steam on
board the boat"
Beautiful Extract.-Dcal tendcrly
with the aged and pray often for them
Reach out your arm and let them lean
upon it, as they step gently down tc
JOrdan's bank. Help to take the rough