Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1889-03-24
FILLED WATCH CASES.
A Contest Between Them OF Decided In
tsrest to the Wheeling Public.

tsrest to the Wheeling Public.
The following extract from the Wheeling
correspondence of the New York Je,0elers
Weekly of March 7th, will be read with
general interest by the local public, and
especially by the members of the Keystone
Watch Club Company's watch club here
abOute:
THE watch club companies and the local
jewellers have had an interesting encounter
in this city, tbs details of which may in
terest the trade.
about August, 1885, the Keystone
Watch Club Company, having headquar-
ters in Philadelphia and numerous branches
scattered over western Pennsylvania, east
ern Ohio and West Virginia, sent an agent
to this city in the person of j. P. Rush.
Mr.. Rush o ened an Office at No. 1913
Market street, and soon had watch club
on foot in competition with clubs managed
by the local jewellers.
'Mr. Rush offered his watch at $3.50.
1t was eleven jeweled movement in a filled
case A number of members of his club
we're secured in the suburban town of Ben
wood, and some Of those obtaining watches
became dissatisfied Several weeks ago
Mr.. Carobe, of BenwoOd, determined 10
put the matter to a test and, accompanied
by several friends, including Mr.. Rush,
visited the retail establishment of /. G.
Dillon & Co., No. 1923 Market street, and
asked Mr.. Dillon for his opinion Of the
watch Mr.. D. informed him it WAS a
fair, ordinary watch IN filled case, which
the trade could furnish for about $25 10
$50 Mr.. Rush challenged Mr.. DillOn's
estimate of the watch, whereupOn Mr. Dill
Ion stated that he could furnish the watch
for $22.
'Mr. Rush, it was alleged, had told his
customers that mis- watches were full jew
eled and adj usted and Mr.. DlllOn's denial
Of this aroused in them fear that there
was something wrong. Mr.. Rush with
drew and informed his principals that there
was little use in working the Wheeling ter
ritory further. This brought to Wheeling
Mr.. Justice, the general manager Of the
territory named, who called upon Mr. Dill
Ion and resented his statements. Mr.. Dill
Ion rep aated his former declarations, and
after spirited conversation, Mr.. Justice
proposed to wager Mr. Dillon $25 that the
case on his club watch had more gold
in it than was contained in any
filed case Mr. Dillon had in
the house. Mr.. Dillon promptly COW
cred the money, so that the cash and terms
of the wager, with Crescent case and one
of Mr.. Justices club cases were placed in
the hands of S B. Harrison, clerk Of the
Mcclure House, with instructions 10 for
ward the cases to the Mint at Philadelphia |
In few days Mr.. Eckfeldt, superinten
dent Of the assay department of the Mint,
wrote to Mr.. Harrison, informing him that
it would be impossible to get at the result
withOu! melting up both casts. Mr.. Har-
rison told him to melt them and the cases
were assaysd accordingly. The official re-
port has been received, setting forth that
the Crescent case contained 13S 6-l0 |
grains of pure gold and the club case
40 $40 grains of pure gold, difference
IN fAyor of the Crescent case of over 254
per cent. The Keystone Watch Club agent
has left the city"