Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-03-07
: THIEVES. WHO TRADE.
The Unconscionable Women and Men Who
sample Everything "A Rich Mans
Ticket Hole Filler on Trains.

The Unconscionable Women and Men Who
sample Everything "A Rich Mans
Ticket Hole Filler on Trains.
How little does the general public know
of the petty ills and misfortunes that beset
grocers, butchers, market hucksters and
even railroad conductors. It is the small
things of life that make great things when
combined and united. The lady who
gouges a fine piece of meat with her thumb
and then does not take it; the man who
wanders into grocery store to buy pound
of sugar for his wife, and in the
meantime eats enough cakes and fruit
to pay for it; the woman
who, while haggling about the price OF
oranges in the market when they are worth
cents apiece, manages to stow away IN
ternally two or three. and then takes a
dozen; or the wealthy citizen who tries to
beat railroad conductor by putting back
into its place the punched part of a ticket,
are the pests, verify the parasites, that suck
the profits of legitimate trade. A sale is
supposed to be fair exchange, but no rob-
berry. In the instances cited above, if the
people are, as they say, regular customers
in trade, the only one to object would be the
conductor, who is eonseientiously opposed
to such regular sharp practice.
A,reporter has taken the trouble to gather
information on this delicate subject, and it
has been discovered that rich and poor alike
are guilty. In fact the scale inclines to the
wealthy as the greatest and boldest offenders.
A clerk in large grocery house, speaking
of how the proprietors are thoughtlessly
robbed of their profits, and yet are unable
to give gentle hint without offense, said:
have seen rich men come into the store to
purchase groceries, to be sent 70 their homes in
the East End, and, while buying, eat cakes,
dates, figs and anything edible they could put
their hands on, without stopping to think that
they were consuming something which did not
belong to them. Such a man, in the course OF
his perambulation from point to point through
Of stuff. In all probability the profit to the
grocer on the groceries he buys will not be that
much.
Another grocer visited had funny story
to relate of woman that illustrates the
point clearly. He noticed lady enter his
store one day who lived in the neigborhood,
but who had never been in before. She in
quired for butter, and it was during the
season of the year when that precious article
sold for 40 to so cents per pound. He po-
litely referred her to counter on which
there was an abundance. The woman
proved to be butter fend, and relished it
as much as an Esquimau likes train oil or
hogs lard. She seized knife and made
judicious round of the rolls. She cut large
chunks. and devoured it with avidity. The
grocer was astonished at first; but settled
down to watching her antics with an amused
smile. When through with the inspection
and wiping the last remnants of the grease
stains from the corners of her mouth, she
said:
'sWell, think will take quarter of q
pound from this roll, 4" pointing to it.
Gall right, madame" was the courteous
reply she received. When the change was
placed in her hand, she counted it carefully
over and over again.
81 think you have made mistake, f" she
explained.
''That can't be-" replied the grocer.
"Count it again" She did, with the same
result. Finally the man behind the counter
remarked, since she was too blunt to take
hint: "You forget that you ate half
pound while making test of the quality"
The lady was indignant, and slammed the
door with all her strength.
A gentleman tells little story that came
under his observation while coming into the
city one day from East Liberty, that is
apropos on this subject. He says:
A wealthy citizen sat in the seat ahead of me.
When the conductor collected the tickets the
rich man handed to him monthly ticket en-
titling him to one more ride, the others having
been used. For some reason the conductor
scratched the ticket with his finger, and the
punch mark fell out. At once he demanded
the fare, which the passenger paid willingly
and with profuse explanations. His face was
dyed in crimson.