The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-12-30
ORANGE sHARPERs CAUGHT.
U. s. Inspector Hollinberger Tells
Who They Are.


Washington Letter to Jacksonville CFla.)
Citizen.
If the orange growers of Florida ever
select a patron saint the individual so
canonized win undoubtedly be Inspector
Hollinberger, of this city, who, during
the fall months, has saved thousands of
boxes of oranges consigned to fraudulent
commission merchants from the orange
growers of Florida.
For some time past" he said, II have
known that there was band of sharpers
who were having consigned to them here
farm products from all over the country,
and for which the unsuspecting producers
never received cent. These scoundrels
have been fleeing all kinds of producers.
from the poultry raisers of Maine to the
orange growers of Florida. Lately Flor
ida has become their favorite field, and
they have flooded that state with their
circulars, offering much higher prices for
the luscious yellow globes than merchants
in this city.
'They. never solicited consignments,
however, as there is a law by which they
can be reached in case they attempt to
work along this line. They offer to pur-
chase outright, promising to send checks
on receipt of goods. They never send
anything in payment, and there is no law
to punish them for this offense, as pay
ment for the goods can only be secured
like any other debt
We have given to the railroad and eX-
press companies list of the fraudulent
commission dealers operating in this city
and when they receive consignments of
goods for them they notify police head
quarters. We then place the goods in the
hands of reputable commission merchan is
and at once notify the people who have
consigned the goods. The reputable com
mission merchants dislike to handle the
goods, however, as the fraudulent dealers
always offer prices far in excess of the
prices currently paid.
There are seven of these fake commits
sion merchants that we are certain oil, :"
continued Inspector Hollinberger, land it
would be well for Florida growers to re-
member their names. They are:
IN. Nelson Falk, f. o. Walker, ]. w.
Whalen, w. H. Haynes, Andrew BANNER,
d. E. Hardester Il Co., and Whiteford &
Co.
IN their circulars they usually under
score the words No goods sold on COM
mission because, as have stated, if they
took goods on commission and failed to
make proper returns there is law by
which they can be prosecuted.
"a good sample circular is that re-
,
of Kissimmee, Fla, from Whalen. 1t
reads as follows:
j. w Whalen, Wholesale dealer in butter,
eggs and cheese. also Jobter in tropical fruits,
honey, etc, office 5l7 Tenth street, salesroo
and warehouse 943 street, Dec 7.
"Gentlemen-I am in the market for
oranges and will pay you 81 30 per box for rus
sets and 81 IS for brights, fancy stock, for
sample shipment of fifty boxes, sizes l50s and
zoos, +. O. b. your nearest shipping point"
"He then gives references which can
not be found here by our officers after
long searching"
Inspector Hollinberger saved a consign-
ment of oranges from Messrs Franklin
& Son, and in reply to very grateful let
ter, sent detailed account Of the opera
tions of Whalen and his associates,
which he asked Mr.. Franklin to use in
warning his neigh bors. Five hundred
and seventeen Tenth street, which Whalen
gives as his Office address, is a private
house, where Whalen hired one small
room at "a per month and where he had
a number of circulars written by a type
writer
Nine hundred and forty-three B street
was VIGOROUSLY disreputable saloon,
now closed by order of the commissioners,
but at one time the favorite hanging-out
place of this gang of sharpers.
Inspector Holling berger recently saved
a large consignment of oranges from w.
M. Bennett, of Okahumpka, Fla, from
getting into the hands of these frauds.
He performed a like service for widow
owning an orange grove near Orange
Lake, who stated in a letter of thanks to
the inspector that the consignment com
posed her entire crop, and that if it had
been lost to her it would have resulted in
her financial ruin.
The inspector is going on in his good
work, but he says that if the orange
growers of Florida will paste the names
given here in their hats they will save
him much trouble.