The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1870-02-17
dishonest Merchants.

q Macaulay," the New York correspond
ent of the Rochester Democrat, makes very
serious charges against some Of the New
York merchants. F." Macaulay" for thirty
years and more was engaged in the mer-
camille business in that city:
THIEyING AMONG MERCHANTS.
" The business men of New York are very
dishonest. This know from close expe-
rience. They have certain "tricks OF
trade" as they are called, which are no:
thing less than absolute stealing. Boxes OF
CASTLE soap and similar goods are sold to
country customers, who little think that
they pay for box and oil OF full price. The
cheating on tare is outrageous. Tea in
chests is estimated at twenty pounds tare,
which is always allowed by the importer,
but country dealer seldom gets more than
eighteen pounds. On half chests twelve
pounds is allowed, while at the same time
.{he dealer marks the chests up pound or
two. This marking up of weight CORE
spends to the marking down of tares.
Casks of sugar, which few country mer-
chants can weigh, are often marked up
twenty pounds, and sometimes fifty pounds.
They tell good story of old H Il,
q wel1-known 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 clerk who had sold q cask
Of sugar if he {" should 60 it 20 pounds"
"No, Johnny" was the reply, "don't 60
over 10, for Pm under concern OF mind:
AIolasses, spirits, turpentine, and other IL
guilds are gagged up, which is very easily
done. An original gauge-mark OF say 81
gallons, can be easily altered into "a, by
using n gauger's "scube" in q neat man
ner. If that is not enough, turn Of the
scube can change the 81 into IS. AS a
general rule, with many dealers, from one
to three gallons are made In each cask.
Provision dealers steal in different man
ner. Barrels of. mackerel arc opened IN
the bottom headAa from twenty to thirty
pounds ore removed. and the space filled
,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 bushel more OF
salt than he expected. Pork and beef are
also thus stolen, and hence our Government
supplies are often short, and men suffer &C.
verely in consequence.
! have referred to but few of the differ
cut branches Of robbery perpetrated among
: what are called honorable men, for com
plcte statement would fill volume. One
further instance may be cited, and 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 turpentine
mixes 50 naturally with these articles that
detection is almost impossible. In these
oils our wholesale druggists make enormous
-,rotau. Carrying out this idea, a bold
:drucgist contriyed not only to cheat country
customers, but also to fleece the trade at
large. TO do this he employed machinist
. to imitaae.the metallic seals which the man
rsacturers put upon the cans. These cans
he would unsolder, and then steal about
oae-tenth of the oil, and FL, it up with
spirits of tnrpentine, and then apply the
counterfeit seal. These cans would then
80 into the hands of drug broker, and
would be sold to the trade as pure from the
distiller's hands. This operator I know
we'll. He is nothing but thief, and yet
in society he is gentleman" He has
fine house and lives in style, but retribution
may yet reach him, and though slow it
may be sure. = .