The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-03-22
A CHECK PUT On THEFT.
POINTS ABOUT SEWING MACHINES
OF INTEREST TO WOMEN.

tectiVe system that Beats 1hleVeS
1t Costs Only So to Make One.
From the Washington Star.
eyes, it is a very common thing for
people to run away with sewing machines"
said a dealer to Star reporter. THAT
sort of offense is committed usually not by
those who rent them but by installment pur-
chasers. Any ono we do not know may
come in here and get machine by simply
paving So down and contracting to settle
for the balance by monthly payments of
So each. Surprising the customer is dl =
honest, there is nothing to prevent her car
rving off our property to another city with
out ever giving us another cent in addition
to the original IS. Nor in such case are
we likely to know whittier she has gone.
Or we may lose track of not over-consci-
entious person through frequent changes of
residence in Washington. Thus it happens
that machines are constantly reported as
missing. And yet GU will be surprised to
learn that the actual and final loss of one is
very rare occurrence
DETECTIVE SYSTEM
How does that happenP
Simply through the operation of what
might be called very effective police sys-
tenn among dealers in sewing machines. In
the first place every machine has number
of its own engraved on little metal plate
by which it may be identified absolutely,
no two machines sent out from the factory
having the same number. When a machine
is sold its number is registered, together
with the names and address of the pur-
chaser, and from that time this machine is
identified with the purchaser, to be traced
through her IL she sells it. Let US suppose
for example, that Mrs Shocks buys
q machine OF us. She pays IS
down and signs notes for monthly
payments covering the rest. The
price TO her, on this instalment basis, is
$50, although the cash price is only $40;
this leaves a considerable margin to cover
loss, you see. When she takes the machine
we register in our books Mrs. Shocks of No.
1870 y street as having bought machine
No. 0,276, 43S. Now. it happens that Mrs
Shocks is cheat; she is on the point of
moving to another town far away, and it
has occurred to her that it would be good
idea to get first-class sewing machine for
So. So she packs it.up and takes il with
her 900 miles in some direction unknown.
A month later our agent calls at No. 1890
Q street and finds the bird flown with the
machine. No one knows where she has
gone, but it is understood that she has left
the city"
GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN.
Then you are lefts"
Not at all. OF course, it is barely pos
slble that We may never see that machine
ag in, but the chances are enormously in
favor of our getting it back. To begin
with, we make a note of the number of the
machine missing and send that number to
the Se,CinJ Machine Journal for advertise
ment in the regularly published list of miss
ing machines. That is all that is necessary
for US to do. Now, Mrs. Shocks has gone TO
st. Louis, let us suppose. She gleefully
works the treadle of her $50 machine.
secured for S., and smiles to think how
clever she is and of the injured feelings of
the sewing machine dealer in Washington.
After a few months have elapsed
some little part of the mechanism
breaks down and it is necessary to have
it mended. She has from our company
a guarantee to keep the machine In repair
for five years, and her first notion is to go
to the shop in st. Louis wnere the sort of
machines we sell are on sale and have the
damage fixed. But she is too clever for
that. Better keep away entirely from the
which owns that machine. So
she goes to another company's shop and
says that she has a machine that needs
Win they fix it for hera Imme-
dlately the question is returned, is it
machine of our manufacture? No. is the
reply, my machine is a s0-and-so' In
that case, madam, it will be necessary for
YOU to take your machine to the agency
here of the company that made it. 1t is the
rule invariable in this business that no sew
ing machinescompany shall repair machine
OF another company
NO WAY OUT OF IT.
"'But l am willing to pay literally for
it, says Mrs. Shocks.
ttTr iS h1a madam roc0opJS Aba
clerk, his suspicious already aroused. The
woman is in luck if he does not find out
where she lives and communicate to the
agency for Mrs. Snooks' kind of machine ais
notion that there is stolen property of that
company at her ad iress.
However, the clerk knows so we'll the
trap she is in-supposing his suspicion justi-
tied-that maybe he doesn't take the trouble
to do this. And Mrs. Shocks, after trying
two or three other agencies, is finally driven
TO send her machine 20 be repaired at the
shop representing the company it belongs
to. After all, she thinks, it cannot be re-
cognized. How can they know in st. Louis
that the machine she bought in Washing
ton has not been paid Tor. But it so hap
pens that, upon receiving the machine, the
agent looks at the number, as is his business
habit, and sees at once that the instrument
was not bought in ST. Louis. A list of all
the missing machines in the United States,
clipped from the Securing Machine Journal,
Is pasted up over his desk. He finds in that
list the number 10,276, 43S. The machine is
a stolen one, palpably. 1t is very simple
matter-the company has regained its prop
erty, that is all-and to find out where it
was stolen from is ascertained at once by
another reference to the list. Mrs. Shocks
Is promptly communicated with and in
formed that the machine, being the prop
erty of the company. will be retained by
It's agent. The agency in Washington is
notified of the capture and all is well, I'M
less it is with Mrs. Shocks, who feels not
unnaturally disguised at being cheated out
OF her machine"
TRYING ANOTHER DODGE.
But suppose Mrs. Shocks. instead of
keeping the machine, swaps it off for an
other of a different sortg'
She would be very apt to try to conceal
the theft in that way by getting rid of the
machine, which stands ready to accuse her
at any moment But if she tries such a
thing she will quickly have reason to regret
II, for the suspicious of the agent with whom
she tries to make the deal will be at once
aroused. He will wonder why she should
wish to dispose of a nearly new machine,
not long bought evidently, for one of an
other pattern, and his curiosity will at all
events be strong enough to make him take
glance at the number of the machine, and
see If it corresponds with any one IN the
missing list. Sure enough be finds the
number 10, 27643 in the list is missing, and