Sacramento daily record-union., 1881-11-05
HOW THEY WERE CAUGHT.

already served term for the same offense
He was detected carrying on in a sinlilal
manner at Oakland and San Jose, sometim.
since, where he also had Chinaman as .
partner and accomplice in the work. He hai
been out of prison from that but three or fou,
weeks. Another piece of Meyers crooked
ness developed even prior to this, when ht
obtained warrant from the United State,
District Court at San Francisco for the arrest
OF man named w. T. Sterr. whom he
charges with having opened his letters. Hay.
ing got himself deputized to serve the war.
rant, he went to Sterr with it and offered to
compromise the matter with him for $40.
oterr had Meyers arrested for attempting to
exeort money, and he secured for himself six
months Imprisonment in the Couatv Jail.
About two weeks since Meyers went into a
business house In the lover part of town,
and offered to sell quantity Of matches at
wholesale for about half the usual price.
Upon being questioned by his would-bs Gus
toner. ne acknowledge that they were un-
stamped, but said the man he desired TO sell
to could transfer them into papers coming
of from stamped matches. The merchant
refused to deal in the Illicit goods. and i'm
nediately reported the natter to A. l. Frost.
Collector of Internal Revenue, and also gave
a description of the man. The operations Of
| the man were soon found in other parts of
the city, but it was not until this week
that he could be caught in the act
OF selling the unstamped goods. Upon the
day OF the arrest a merchant up town, work.
ing IN connection with Collector Frost, met
Meyers and made an appointment for him to
| come to the merchants plsce that evening
when he would purchase. He came, and the
merchant examined his matches, talked with
him about their not being stamped, as Mr.
Frost arranged they should, and bought
great gross of them, which were in the usual
tin can package, the price asked being only
about one half the regular rates for stamped
ones. just as he was receiving his pay for
! the package sold he was closed in upon by
officers Lee and Arlington and Collector
Frost and Assistant Collector Gilbert,
who had been viewing and hearing
| the whole transaction from behind parti.
| tiou, through which places had been cut SO
! that they might see rs well as near, and thus
have complete evidence of the whole oper-
alton of sale and delivery. Meyers was then
taken to the city Jail, and from what coald be
learned from him, quiet raid was made upon
the Chinese Joss-houSe, on l street, between
Second and Third, where, in back room,
Meyers confederate was found busily at work
manufacturing the stock for sale. He had
quite large quantity of blocks already split
into matches and ready to dip, and over
stove he had pan in which he was heating
and stirring the phosphorus material into
which to dip and complete the matches. Ah
Now was taken in hand and placed in iail,
and his stock of materials placed in wagon
and taken to the Internal Revenue Office.
Meyers and Now were examined before
United States Commissioner O'Beirne, at San
Francisco, on Thursday, and held to answer
with bail fixed at $500 each. The profit in
the manufacture and sale of matches, when
sold without being stamped, is very great,
and hence it is frequently engaged in. The
revenue stamps upon package of matches,
such as sold in the tin cases of usual size,
containing great gross. is 81 20, while the
wholesale price Of the package is about SIS.
The blocks for matches are cut up by facto.
ries az San Francisco and elsewhere, of the
length of match, and these blocks are
shipped in sacks to whoever orders them.
There is no law to prohibit any one dealing
in this material, as there is no violation
of the revenue law until the
are disposed Of Thus these parties, or any
Others, without any expense to speak of, could
commence illicit business, as all they had to
do was to order q small supply Of blocks, cut
to right length at the factory, and, with the
knife used to cut them into small blocks, and
small outlay for material for making the
dip, an establishment of the kind just broken
up can be started, and by not using the
stamps can sell at a rate which will
make strong inducement to buyers, and still
give large profits to the unlawful operators.
The penalty for the manufacture and sale
of unstsmped matches is $50 upon each pack
age of 100 matches sold. Delivery outside of
the place of making them is regarded con-
structive selling in the meaning of the stat
ute. In addition to the above fine, the Of
fender will also be imprisoned not more than
one year nor lees than thirty days. There are
also severe penalties prescribed for every
purchase of such unstamped goods The in
ternal revenue receipts by the Government
from the manufacture and sale of matches is
very large One establishment in San Fran
cisco has paid as high as S60,0 900 for stamps
per year to be affixed to matches, and over |
S120. 900 is thus paid per annum in that city.
AUCTION SALEs.-Bell & Co. will sell this
morning, at IL o'clock, in front of salesroom,
No. 90S J street, between Ninth and Tenth,
three fine work horses weight, 1,050 pounds
each); three work horses weight $50 pounds
each); one spring cart, one buggy, one single
harness, one double harness, ladies' and gents
saddles one new farm wagon, parlor stoves,
etc -. d. J. Simmons & Co. will sell next
Thursday morning, at 1890, the entire stock
and fixtures at the residence of Louisa
Hatcher, on Second street, between K and
L, being the furniture of twenty rooms, and
consisting of fine parlor sets, walnut sets,
bedroom sets, mattresses, bedding complete,
dining and kitchen furniture, also bar fix
lures, liquors, cigars, etc.
CHURCH SoCIAL.-The ladies of the First
Baptist Church gave a very pleasing enter
tainment at the church last evening. Miss
Grace Minor gave reading; Miss Hubbard
piano solo Mss Hamburger sang, and re-
piled to an encore /; DR.. Frost gave read
| ing Mrs. Lanphere sang, and responded to
an encore Mr. McKeever played harmon
lea solo to piano accompaniment; DR.. Frost
sang bass solo, and responded to an encore.
Mrs. Berkey, Mr.. Hamburger and Miss
Rowe were accompanies for the evening.
The ladies served all present with collation.
in the supper-room.
WILL CHANGE HIS NAME.-Dsvid Job, of
Eureka, New, reports to the police head
quarters that he was drugged two or three
nights since in saloon in this city. and then
robbed of about $500. He is thinking of the
propriety of having his name changed-after
| this unpleasant and not altogether compli-
mentary experimentation job to some more
| modern name which will sound better in con-
nection with the situation of having his
pockets rifed in fye-cent saloon while
| drunk.
GRAND CONCERT "A concert will be given
by Miss DIinnie Fleissner, late of Cincinnati,
Ohio, and assisted by Miss Addie Carter.
alto /; Miss Amelia BOIL. piano; Henry Hey
man (of San Francisco), violin |; Joseph Fritz,
bssso; Otto Fleissner, pianist and musical
director, at the Congregational Church, on
Tuesday evening, November 18th. Seats
can be secured without extra charge at L. K.
Hammers after next Saturday.
ARM BRoKEN.-A. Campbell, son of F. NJ.
Campbell, State Superintendent of Educa-
tion. while on his way TO his residence Mon
day night last, stepped into space left open
by plank removed from the sidewalk, on
Fifteenth and streets, and, falling, broke
his arm.