Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1874-10-29
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From the New York Commercial Bulletin
COTTON STEALING.

From inquiries made among the large re-
ceivers of cotton in this city, it was ascertain.
ed that bale of cotton is very frequently the
victim of rapacity from the time it leaves the
locality where it is grown until it reaches its
destination. Those who handle the bale dur.
ing its transportation claim share of its con-
tents, but the opportunity for securing this
share is, to certain extent, limited until it
reaches the city and put upon the dock, or
stored in the ordinary warehouses set apart for
that purpose. Here, it is said, the thieves 60
deliberately to work to take small quantity
of cotton from each bale, and if there should
be several thousand bales in transitu or on
storage, it will be readily seen that the weight
of several bales might be appropriated, and
detection would be an impossibility until the
cotton came to be reweighed for delivery.
The theft alone would only then be discover
ed for by that time the perpetrators of the
outrage will have secured their booty and de-
parted. 1t is not alone the warehouse thief,
however, by whom the cotton suffers, but, on
the contrary, it is made to pay tribute to all
who come near it. 1t will, of course, be un'
derstood that there are honorable exceptions
to all rules, but in very many cases it may be
taken for granted that parties interested in
the handling, sampling or storing of cotton
seek to secure for themselves an increased re-
muneration by making forced acquisitions
upon the cotton bales in their keeping. The
samplers and weighers' men are all said to be
implicated in the nefarious transaction ; but
so expert have the parties become that detec.
tion is at tho best very difficult. Every op-
portunity is seized upon to lessen the weight
of the bale, and it is said that at times as
much as three per cent. of an invoice will be
missing The loss involved is of course great,
but every effort made as yet to put an end to
the traffic has been without avail, and now
most of the receivers look forward to the ad-
vent of new warehouses as the best means OF
saving their property from the depredations
of irresponsible parties.
To ascertain the magnitude the evil has
reached, reporter called upon number of
prominent cotton merchants, and learned from
most of them that the cotton thieves had
caused great losses to every one, and that the
most practical way of stopping the practice
was to establish official warehouses under the
direct control of the trade. This evil reached
its greatest extent when cotton sold at so high
price as to render the temptation to steal it
too strong to be resisted; but Of late years the
evil has decreased, owing to the fact mat it
has been found almost impossible to identify
cotton distracted and convict the thief. Many
plans have been tried to put an end to those
practices, but so far without avail.
To show exactly how the cotton is stolen, 1t
will be necessary to follow the bale from the
time it leaves the district where it is grown,
until it enters into consumption. In the days
of sailing vessels the stealing began during
the transportation of the cotton from the
Southern ports, but now, on board the steam.
ers, more care is taken of it, and thefts are Of
rare occurrence. Upon arriving here the cot
ton is put upon the dock or on the street to be
weighed and sampled, and it is during these
operations that the greatest loss is sustained.
The sampler cuts the bagging and removes
the surface cotton, which may be somewhat
soiled, and consequently not perfect sample.
He will then dig in to the hole he has made and
probably take out few pounds. From this
he selects what he wants for samples, and
throws the rest upon the ground. Under the
plea that the bale is not packed properly, or
that it contained different kinds of cotton, the
sampler will frequently open it in another
place, and 20 through the same operation,
which, in majority of instances, is unneces-
sary. The cotton which has been thrown
upon the ground is then picked up by the
"helper," who removes it to place of safe
keeping down a cellar way or in paper, and
when a sufficient quantity is obtained it is sold
to the junk shops for the account of whom it
may concern. The cotton is next loaded
upon trucks and taken to warehouse, and
as the rents from whence the samples have
been taken are never properly mended, the
truck men, leaders and handlers help them
selves. Next, the cotton is stored in the ware
house, and every time it changes hands new
set of samples are drawn, and consequently
the same system of petty theft is repeated.
Even while in the warehouse the bales lose
their weight, for in some instances the ware
housemen do not exercise sufficient care.
The samples are allowed more freedom than
is absolutely necessary, and in return they will
have large quantity of loose cotton remain
ing upon the floor, which, upon their depar-
ture, is collected and disposed of. This steal
ing, though small in each particular instance,
amounts, in the aggregate, to severe tax
upon the trade, as can be readily understood
when it is related that the loss on shipment
of l 200 bales, recently, in this city, amounted
to nearly five entire bales. 1t will be seen
that the matter is of serious import, and that
some means of protection better than those af-
forded by the present organization of the
trade should be had. An effort was made to
put an end to the traffic by bill which it
was endeavored to have passed by the Legis-
lature. This bill provided that any person
found stealing cotton should be arrested, and
that conviction should follow without the ne
cessity of the owner of the cotton identifying
it. Under the present laws, all stolen prop
erty must be identified by the owner, and
hence the present trouble. The law, it was
thought, would prove efticacious, but for some
reason it was not passed. When this bill
failed, the Cotton Exchange took up the mat
ter and endeavored to put an end to the dep
relations by appointing a committee to look
after the matter. The committee has so far
worked entirely in secret, but it is known that
they have in their employ number of off,
GERS who wait about the dock and warehouses
to detect the thieves. So far few arrests have
been made, but the knowledge that they are
watched has made the thieves more circum-
spect, and in consequence much less cotton
has been stolen. 1t is now accepted that the
only legitimate means of putting an end to
this system is the placing of all cotton in
central warehouses, where it can be handled
under responsible control and supervision.
GcoD NATURE.-Be good natured if you
can, for there is no attraction so great, no
charm SO admirable. A face that is full of
the expression of amiablity is always beauti-
full. 1t needs no paint and no powder. Co.'S
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