Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-12-06
TALK WITH A TAILOR.
How Some Men Try to Avoid Paying for
Their Clothes.

TALK WITH TAILOR.
How Some Men Try to Avoid Paying for
Their Clothes.
SWELL, I've been in business a good
many years" said fashionable tailor
10 STAR reporter, 'and I've met some very
queer customers in the course of my experience.
Have l ever been beaten? Why, of course
nave. Every man in my business is bound to
meet with men who swindle him III one way or
another. don't think, however, have lost a
great deal of money in late years. Before set
up in business for myself represented large
house in another city. came here and made
quite a trade among the clerks in the depart
ments. 1 used to call upon them in their Offices
with my book Of samples, and as I'm pretty
fair taikcr 1 managed to get a good many
orders. used to give them credit, and will
say one thing for the department clerks, and
that is that lost very little money by them. 1
used to have to wait good while sometimes,
but they generally paid me in full
FINALLY, worked up such good line of Gus
tom that rented o suite Of parlors and used
to keep quite number Of suits as samples 1
had several dress suits with different STYLES of
trimming SO that l could satisfy different
tastes. The average man, however, has no
taste In dress-I mean no individual taste. He
comes into tailOr's establishment and looks
over whole lot of samples or examines many
pieces OF goods, and he don't really know what
he wants. can talk nine men out of ten into
getting just the goods that want to dispose of.
Inc tenth man will have an opinion of
his own: He will know what kind of goods
VIII suit his figure and complexion, and he will
know just how he wants them made. can
SIZE up man OF this kind very quickly, and I
always let him have his own way. If 1 didn't
ne would go somewhere else. But. az said,
the other nine men will take just what choose
they shall wear and will accept any dictation
as to style of cut and trimming. They don't
know that they are yielding to my Judgment
Bless you, no. They think they are deciding
Tor themselves, but they are not.
ABOUT THE BEATS.
'But you want to know about the beats
Well. one of the worst ever knew was fellow
who was here for sometime as a Newspaper
man. He was on a local paper and it was after
l had gone into business for myself that met
him. He came into my store one day with two
or three weli-known business young men
whose trade had possessed for q long time
One OF the party. a banker, ordered $50 suit
and measured him while the others chaffed
MIN and examined my stock. About an hour
afterward this newspaper man returned and
SAID that he would like me to make suit for him
OF the same goods selected by his friend. 1
presumed he was all right. took his measure
made the suit, sent it to his address and waited
Tor him to come and settle. Blu. he never did
and in short time he skipped out Of town.
That was a dead loss to me.
THAT wasn't as bad, however, as q trick that
was subsequently played upon me. A tall,
nne-looklng gentleman came in one day. and
after carefully looking over my stock selected
piece of the most expensive goods and ordered
a suit to be made from it. He wanted the suit
finished in three days, as he was going to leave
the city. He was on his way south, he said
and had already spent more time in Washing
ton than he had intended. He was very polite
and appeared to be man of means He was
also particular "a to the cut and style of the
coat and vest, Insisting upon collar to the lat
ter. although the style then was without one
Well. put of some other work and completed
his hotel about dusk with the bill-$S0. The
man brought back the money, four twenty
dollar bills. and put this i'll the safe and went
home. The next day when l sent my deposit
to the bank those four twenty-dollar bills were
returned marked counterfeit Well. perhaps
l wasn't mad. sent down to the hotel. but of
course the man had gone. placed tho mat
ter in the hands OF the detectives but they
failed to find the swindler. Many years after
ward saw his picture in a rosue's gallery and
learned that he was one of the most expert
counterfeitcrs in the country. l think he is
now in II western penitentiary. but it was a long
time before the government officers captured
and convicted him.
LAUGHABLE swINDLE.
"One Of the funniest swindles ever PLAYED
upon me was by government clerk, who was
brought to me by the chief of his division, for
whom had made clothes for years. I measured
the man myself, and was particularly careful
about the shoulders and chest, az I pride N.Y.
self upon the fit of my coats sent the suit
the next Monday morning. bright and early, he
was down to the store very much enraged
because the coat and vest didn't fit him. He
said the trousers were all right, but
the cont and vest were altogether too
small. I sent mp for the garments and
compared their measurements with those
had marked on the books and found that they
corresponded exactly; 50 wrote note, asking
him to call in after his Office was out in the
evening. He did so, and asked him to try on
the coat and vest He went into the back part
OF the store and when he came forward with
tho garments on they would not meet by at
least three inches. was nonplussed. was
certain that had made correct measurements
evidently didn't lit him. offered to make
him others. but he was mad and wouldn't have
it. He paid me for the trousers and was going
to leave the coat and vest on my hands. Just
as he was going out the door he turned and
said he was sorry that I'd made such blunder,
Tor he liked the goods. He added in a reflect
i've sort of a way that he might split
up the back Of the vest and set piece in 90
tnat ne could button that, but that the coat
wouid always have to stay open. Finally he
said he'd give me $40 for the garments, the
price for which was SIS. told him / would
prefer to make him new coat and vest, but he
wouldn't have it, and finally rather than to run
the risk Of not getting rid Of the garments at
al Let him have them for $40. About week
afterward saw him at the theater with the
coat buttoned over his chest-it was q Prince
Abert-and fitting him beautifully. Icouldn't
understand il until was told that he had for
meriy been contortionist and had the power to
throw out his chest far beyond its normal Else.
He had Just beaten me out Of els. ] didn't
make any more clothes for him. but heard
that he beat another tailor In thu enune vvnv ~