The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-12-12
CRAFTY PEDDLERS.
Thrifty License Brokers at
Their Work.
HOW THEY FOOL THE BOARD.
Experiences of Sharp Local Detective
Among the Deadfeads-A Doodle
Battle Between Lawyers.

W
with that banana wagon. you peddlers."
commanded police officer last evening. as
he passed the crossing at Market and Third
streets.
The vendors that he referred to were
directly in the way of pedestrians. and the
officer. who was an old-timer. but simply
serving an extra watch on that particular
beat. was decidedly angry.
Those fellows you see there" he re.
marked to passing reporter. ''pay no
license, and yet they try to run the town.
l know them too well. however. They know
better than to toy with me''
You understand them, do you?" wa:
ventured. inquiringIy.
Il ought to. / am of their blood myself
and l have travelled all over the woriC
everywhere eneouniering this same class o.
people. They will do anything but work al
hard labor. You have been before the Ii.
cense Committee of the Board of Super.
vsors at their regular meeting when an
army OF these Migrants appear for free
licenses?"
Yes"
''They come In with the plea of poverty
on their lips, crouch almost to the Il or and
solemnly declare that they have Il vile and
numerous children at home. ali Of whom
are on The verge of starvation. They swear
that they have not the means to pay for a
at home Is what is earned in peddling.
The earnestness of the fellows is impress
slye TO people VINO do not know them.
What Is the result?'
They get license. of course, in nearly
every case.'
''Yes. and In ninety-nine eases out of a
hundred they are rank frauds. | know, be-
cause much Of the detective work done
among these people is assigned to me, be-
cause l understand their language aud Gus
toms so well: In the course of my work
during the last few years | have found
nearly thousand of these fellows who had
secured licenses offering them for sale.
I'm the majority of cases the party secur-
ing the license is an Old-tine peddler who
has amassed fortune. OF at least few
thousand u dollars and a. house and lot, which
Is fortune to him. They do not want the
license for themselves. but from the fact
that they have from year to year appeared
before the committee as almoners or pau
pers almost their requests are granted.
"Ihey forthwith seek some freshly ar
rived eountryman who cannot get license
free propose sale. and by misrepresenta-
ton often get as high as $50 for the docu-
ment. The purchaser, of course, therefore
assumes the name of the party from whom
he made the purchase, and in short time
he is able 10 get on the free list, with a large
bank account at the same time. and is then
able to work his unfortunate and ignorant
bre thIen in the same manner"
1T is strange that this matter has never
before been brought to the attention of the
board" suggested the listener to the police
detective.
lit may have been, as far as l know, but
do not think so, as these people are very
secretiye, and like Chinese they no sabe'
1t was no part of my duty to report the ma
ter You know, when man goes outside
OF his work III this business he is treadng
on dangerous ground. In fact, he wants to
Keen his side of the fpnrnp
1t Is fact, though, that these people
accumulate money In pursuits in which one
might think they would starve. is it not?"
well, here Is an instance of hundreds"
he resumed. Il was reporting on for duty
at the Southern police station about three
years ago at the noon hour.
Il was followed by a man who had The
appearance of being one of the shreWd
type-one of those fellows who might be-
long to some society. such as that of the
Suppression of Vice. Prevention Of Cruelty
to Children, or something like that Hs
accOsted me and stated that he had been
looking for policeman for the past half
hour
Il told him that he had found one and
asked him what he wanted. Looking yery
seriously. he told me that he had just seen
an Italian bootbiack at the corner of Fourth
and Folsom streets purchase pair of
shoes for 60 cents from boy about Il years
of age,
NC SIUtS. U6 UctIdI6u, were worm AT
least So and he thought the fellow should be
arrested for receiving stolen property.
II told him that | had TO report on, but
would be out In little while. OF course,
thought he would go away. but he did not
when the watch marched out there he
was in waiting and | went with him TO the
stand of the bootblack. l asked him about
the purchase of the shoes and he produced
them, saying that he had bought them from
boy for 6J cents.
"'Didn't you know they were stolen?'
inquired.
"'0h. yes; of course He steals backing
brushes and lots of things that buy from
him. he admitted.
"On his own admission Of course had
to arrest him. AT the station 1 charged him
with the felony and proceeded to search
him. The fellow, mind you, had baen in
this country less than two years. and owned
the bootback stand
I'm searching him / found SOS in gold in
purse and lot OF loose silver in his side
pockets.
when 1 felt behind him / found his
back or pistol pocket on the right hip sewed
up. took out my knife to rip it open while
he kicked in a desperate manner.
FINALLY 1t was opened and it was found
10 coutain handbook showing a deposit of
$500 in the Hibernia Bank, all of which
had been placed there since his arrival in
San Francisco.
In the morning when his case was
called Attorney Spinnett had control of it,
On the representation that he was a very
poor man that well-known police practi-
TONER took the case for $50, the victim
having also put up cash bail. The attorney
was in ignorance Of his boarded wealth and
made gallant fight. but in the face of the
evidence judge Rx held his client 10 answer
before the Superior Court. The accused
went TO Jail, where the leading attorney in
the McNulty case got on to him.
The bail had been fixed at $1,000 bond
or $1,000 cash bail.
The new attorney got power OF attor-
ney, drew down the bail money already up
on the preliminary examination, took the
handbook TO the Hibernia Bank and draw
ing the $500 put up $1,000 as bail for his
client, telling the latter TO get out ana make
some more dough-
when the case came up before Judge
Van Reynegom OF the Superior Court the
bootbiack was snmmarily acquitted and his
worldly goods consisted of the $1,000 held
fer his bail. the most Of which, il is SAID.
went the same way that the other $500 did.
This goes to show that these people-so
smart, thrifty and dishonest-come In con-
tact with a class hers occasionally who
within lew months return them 10 beg
gary"