Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-04-18
LOST THEIR CLOTHES.
Many Victims to the Wiles of Pro-
jectors of a Clothing Club.
OFFICERS HUNTING TWO TAILORS.
The Strange and Complicated Travels Of q
Stolen Bicycle.
A VERY BUSY SUNDAY FOR THE POLICE

Perhaps the weather was not the only
cause for the lack of new spring suits on
masculine backs yesterday. 1t might have
been partially attributed to the fact that an
other clothing club has shut up shop and
left this city, and the police presume that
some forty or fifty people have been swim
died in sums ranging from 81 to $35.
About three weeks ago Superintendent Of
Police O'Mara was called on by two we'll
appearing men, who explained to him that
they desired to open tailoring shop
clothing on the installment plan. They had
heard of such establishments running foul
of the police here, but they assured the Su-
perintendent theirs was on an entirely diff
ferent plan; that small and easy payments
only were demanded, and in the end the
customer secured his suit at the emallest
possible cost and nobody was cheated. The
men were told that they would not be mo-
Tested so long as they did legitimate busi-
ness, and then they left.
Pulled the Door Bell Out OF Joint.
Nothing more was heard of them until
Saturday, when woman who keeps a
lodging house at 9OS Penn avenue asked the
police to find two of her boarders who had
gone away from her house and failed to
liquidate board,bill of three weeks stand
ing. They were tailors she said and had
been making mems clothes on the install
ment plan. They left on Saturday morning
and during the afternoon and evening her
house had been besieged with anxious
customers looking for the tailors and
promised clothes.
The woman said the visitors had almost
pulled her door bell out of root, and some
halfdozen men were about the place at q
time and intimating that the tailors had
gone of with their money.
Detectives Shore and Fitzgerald were de-
tailed to look into the case, and found tho
tailors to have been S. Funkestein and A.
Co., the very men who had called on Super
intendent Mara. The men had fled and
lest no trace OF where they might have gone.
wih ihsS
and lot Of pamphlets as to the plan of the
club.
Caught Number of Victims.
A list of names and addresses. presumably
customers, was also found, which contained
some wellknown names. The plan, as set
out by the pamphlets was a scheme whereby
a $35 suit of clothes could be gotten for SIS;
an overcoat worth as much for $40, and other
in the same proportion, all for the
agreement to pay 81 q week. The "club
rules provided that each club was to con-
sist of 100 members, each to pay 81 a week.
A certificate was given each member, and
by a system Of drawings the lucky holder Of
q certain certificate secured his suit.
If the books and other material found
about the place is evidence then there were
81 members of the club. Some few only
seemed to have paid in any cash. one man,
l.. Elynn. Market having
SIS, as evidenced by q receipt for that
amount found in the room. On the back of
of membership were noted some
other payments of 81 each, not more than a
half dozen in all. These certificates bore
the names among others of J. c. and W. H.
Fullwood. 13S Fifth avenue; w. J. Mccarthy,
l6 Smithfield street; Harry Perks, 140 Mont
gomery avenue; F. E. Burnside and G. w.
Morris, 133 Fifth avenue: G. W. Lowry.
Harris Theatre; j. L. Gilbert. Anderson
Hotel: Jacob Taylor, Seventh Avenue Hotel;
w. H. Bissell, Curry University; H. J.
Fowler. Black Diamond Steel Works, and 7.
W. Gale, messenger to Mayor Gourley.