Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-04-06
ALLEGED FRAUDS
In the Packing OF American Cotton So
Freely Charged in Europe Thor
Oughly Investigated bya
Committee OF the New York Cotton Ex-
General and Sweeping DeniaI.

From an Appeal Correspondent
NEW YORK, April 3-Noticing the inter
est taken by the APPEAL in the charges OF
fraudulent packing of American cotton, re-
Gently made at Manchester and other Eng
fish manufacturing towns, l send you the
following extract from the Times OF to-day,
which very effactually settles the question Of
Intentional fraud, and puts the blame where
it belongs:
Charges have been made freely recently in
the European markets that cotton shipped
thither from this county has fallen far be-
low the standard. Fraud in packing has
been alleged, and the assertion has passed
cnrrent-particularly with the Liverpool
trade-that this years crop has been heavily
sanded. These charges assumed such serious
proportions and were upheld with such We
hemence that the Cotton Exchange in this
city felt called upon not long ago 10 appoint
q special committee OF inquiry. This COM
mittee has carefully done the work allotted
to it, making thorough investigations in
every particular. Its report will be formally
presented to the exchange tomorrow, ard
will take the form OF a sweeping denial of all
the charges that have been made. The COM
mittee will declare that careful examina-
ton establishes the fact that the proportion
of fraud in packing this years crop is iniiui-
tesimally small" Attention will be called to
the laws existing in the Southern States which
makes false packing misdemeauor and
involves severe punishment. These laws
are executed, and every possible effort is
made TO maintain the standard of cotton
shipped. That packing OF bad character
is done in the interests of dealers in this city
is ridiculed. AS to sand in cotton il is de-
clared that the product this year is freer
from this special charge than in many years.
The past season was an unusually fair one.
The preceding year was otherwise, and
against the crop OF that season it would not
have been unreasonable to have made COM
plants. The season was dry; the crop WAS
storm-be beaten, and unquestionably much sand
was lodged in the boils. Picking was not
finished until along in March. This year
the pie king season was over before the LIST OF
December, and the crop was subjected to no
such winter storms as assailed the product Of
1906 81. The Liverpool trade will be in
formed Immediately OF the conclusions
reached by the New York Cotton Exchange
committee, and the charges of fraud made
40 freely will have to be Withdrawn.
Prominent members of the cotton trade
ray that the cotton complained of sanded il,
as rule, found in grades below "middling,"
and its condition ia easily and naturally ex-
planned. The higher grades are picked from
the pod while the plant is standing; the
lower grades very frequently come from pods
which have been thrown down by storms.
The cotton-gin, separating the fiber from the
seed, does not clean it from the soil adhering.
There is no fraud in the matter. The sand
is not added by the packer. Fraudulent
packing is less common than fraudulent
claims for damages from alleged sand.
Mr.. f. l.. Talcott, who for many years
was very prominent in the New York cotton
trade, Endorsed these views Saturday, and
recalled several cases in point. Ohe such
Instance was between a wealthy spinner in
Paterson, n. J., and Henry X. Bogart
(2ogart & Kneeiand), of this city. The
Paterson man presented "A claim for reduc-
ton in his account on the ground that cot
ton supplied by Mr.. Bogart had been false
packed and made heavy with sand. Bogart
demanded that the cotton be at once
reshipped to his warehouse in New York,
and declared his purpose to closely investi-
gate the charg,. The result was that the
customer very willingly withdrew his claim.
There we're many cases almost identical with
this in Mr.. Talcotfs experience. The
charges of false packing were generally
Withdrawn when invesugation was attempted.
Mr.. Talcott tells one story, however, of an
instance where there assuredly was false
packing. The victim was s. L. Pilot (Pillot
K l., Barbier), recently deceased, the old
French soldier who fought under Napoleon
aud was SO long one OF the best known men
in this city. A Georgia planter in one bale
of cotton imposed big grindstone upon
him. but NJ. Pilot discovered the fraud, and
the time came when the planter ordered a
barrel of sugar and got that same grind
stone packed neatly in the middle OF his
barrel. As cotton the grindstone brought
six cents pound; as sugar ii Melted more
than double that amount. But the planter
made no complaint OF 'false-packeP sugar"