The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-01-02
RICH BY PEDDLING.
James; Scots Flight After Ac.
curing a Fortune.
Why Turkeys and Oranges Were SO Cheap
. About Christmas on the streets-Firms
That Were Yictimized.

a: trusted peddler, who by deXterOus stroke
of business managed to swihdle them out of
a:Shm amounting in the aggregate to $4,000
They are nav looking, and have been fol
several days. for this peddler hut his. where,
[ abouts is concealed in that veil of mystery
which usually surrounds the disappearance
oil wrong-doers. All that is known about
MN IS that he has gone to Canada, to the
springs, or where the woodbine twneth.
HIS name Is James Scott, and: lie was the
largest peddler in the produce business.
several years ago James Scott appeared as
peddler among the produce merchants,
Duylpg their goods and selling them at re-
iaiL lie soon extended his operations and
increased the number of his wagons until
they amounted to ten. he acting as the SUI
peIviSOr of the peddiing caravan. After lie
left: his first wagon he abandoned driving
himself, and no longer went through the
streets yelling Potatoes" Bananas, %
Oranges, "etc.
Besides obtaining control of ten wagons
be managed to secure deed TO nice piece
Of property On Hampshire street. The ac-
QUESTION of this real estate was too valuable
an indication of wealth to be kept from the
notice of the various firms with which he
dealt. They soon were in full possession of
the news. and came to regard Scott as a very
substantial citizen. aud one whose business
was to be courted. Before long he had the
complete confidence of many Of the Leading
produce merchants.
Nothing wrong was ever known of Scott
until the week before Christmas. when he
began to ask for heavy consignments Of
goods and excused his demands on account
OF the holiday season. There was no
question as to his integrity and his orders
were honOred in every instance. This time
Sect did what he had never done before.
he went out his usual line, obtained orders
for goods in which he had never dealt be-
fore, such as nuts and the choicest fruits.
oates ana ralSlnS, Tor his usual stock con-
sisted OF potatoes, oranges and lines.
INCREASED MS LIST OF GOODS.
Scott also added game to the rest of his
stock and Obtained large supplies OF turkeys
All his orders were promptly furnished
without payment on his part. No suspicion
was excited as none OF The firms with whom
he was dealing had any idea Of the various
transactions he was making with other es-
ADJUSTMENTS. His wagons did busy trade
and were kent active day and night
Several days after Christmas when the
day OF SCOTS usual settlement arrived he
ala not appear. This was thought strange,
as he had always been punctual before
The mountain. according to the story, did
not come TO Mohammed, and so Mohummed
went 10 the mountain. In the same way
Scott not appearing to liquidate his bills his
various creditors started to look for him.
but he was not TO be found.
1t was learned that he had left the civ
the day alter Christmas. One of his drivers
stated that he had gons to Seattle 10 collect
some bills. One Of his creditors on Wednes-
day telegraphed to that place, but an
answer was returned that Scott was nnt
there turthnr investigation Ia a..
TACT That Scots piece OF property on Hamp-
shire street had been some time ago Trans
ferred. There are now fourteen produce
and comm iSSiOn houses who would ike TO
know his whereabouts.
a CALL reporter paid visit yesterday to
number Of commission merchants and
frult-dealers in order to learn the t!ue facts
OIL Scott operations. At first ignorance
was teigned OF having been taken in. but
finally all seen owned up to having been
badly Ylcilmized through misplaced con-
fdenee.
James II. Cain, of Cain & Mitchell. ac-
kn0wledged when seen at his residence on
Scott street yesterday to having been one of
those duped.
SCOTT HAD ENTIRE CONFIDENCE.
q" Scott had our entire confidence" ne said.
- lie could have gone anywhere and obtained
what he wanted. l would have trusted him
to any amount in our business. He had been
always square. He was among the dealers
lbl dDpuS bNO ltdlS, anu Always HGLtu
fairly. At first he made his payments i'm
Uediately on the purchase Of goods. As his
business increased and the number OF his
wagons was augmented, he pleaded that it
would be more convenient for him to make
his payments by the week.
- He readily secured acquiescence to his
plan among the wholesale men. He ALWAYS
had plenty OF money IN his pocket and
went among the dealers spending it freely.
Every week regularly be was on hand with
"A !,
ments. In this way no thought was ever
entertained that he was In any way crooked.
His flight is matter of the greatest sur
PRISE to US all.
During the Christmas week his orders
became unusually heavy. He dealt in goods
that he had never sold before. He told some
Of the firms that he was going to establish
store in Seattle, and thus secured large con-
signments OF nuts and potatoes aud oranges.
He came to me on Christmas eve and got
$500 worth of turkeys. l gave them to him
as L would have to my brother. | have
since learned that on the same day he gave
orders to his various drivers to sell the
goods for whatever they could get. This
they did and turned the money ever to him.
SOLD FOR LESS THAN COST
When ascertained this fact had no
longer any doubt that Scott had fled. Other
merchants said they were surprised to see
mandarin oranges and bananas on the
streets SO cheap, and that game could be
obtained from peddlers for less per pound
than they could be got on Sansume and on
Washington streets at the wholesale houses.
1t Is no longer mystery how such articles
were sold so cheaply. since the man selling
them did not pay for them"
Mr. Cain stated that his loss is between
$500 and $1,000. bat be could not tell exactly
until his books were balanced. The follow
ing are some of the firms victimiZed, the
amounts being only Appropriated Wet
more u Co, $1,000; J. ID. Keefe & Co., be-
tween $1,000 and 5000; Dalton Bros, $1,000
Porter Bros, $500; Cain 81 Co., $500; Cain
d Mitchell, $1,000; McDonough 81 Co., 5000
Il. K. Stevens, $1,000; Trobok 81 Bergip'
$1,000, and others.
l.. X. Sresovich, the large wholesale fruit
dealer on Sansome street. was seen at his
residence and asked if he was among the
victims. be replied that he did not think
he was, and If so only to a small amount.
he said that he had been the victim of
rascally peddlers too much in the past and
had issued orders TO his clerks to trust none
OF them. he said that he had been down
town IN the morning and the dealers taken
IN were very dlsconsolate at their losses.
Their turkeys and fruits had no doubt been
enjoyed by the people who ate them, but the
poor dealers VITO we're waiting for their
money were like the man who fell out OF the
balloon-they were not in it.
CREDITORS ARE AFTER HIM.
1t was also learned that on Christmas eve
Scott went to E. II. Stevens and asked for a
large amount Of turkeys, amounting in yalue
to $500. Stevens asked Tor recommends:
tons and Scott furnished the name of
keefe, of ID. keefe 81 Co. Keefe had been
IN the peddling business himself ana knew
Scott well. He sad that he would trust
scott Tor any amount Stevens thereupon
gave the turkeys. 1t is said that he now
Dlames heele for his loss. but as the latter
Is out himself by his confidence several thou
sand dollars ne thinks that the blame should
not fall upon him.
On Tuesday a general meeting of the vari-
GUS creditors OF Scott was held, but no plan
oil action was determined upon, the prevail
ing idea being first to determine what has
become OF Scott The police are on the
lookout for him, but have as yet discovered
no ciew. Some of the merchants yictimized
are very hot at their losses and threaten to
make IL warm Tor Scott il he is found. The
charge against him will be obtaining goods
under false pretcnses.
Several years ago number of produce
and frult dealers were cheated in similar
Inn n M nF H.. 4