The herald., 1894-09-06
THOSE SUIT CLUB SW|NDLES,
The Scheme Worked in San
Francisco.
Men Who Figured Here Known in
the Metropolis.
How thu Desire to Get Something for
Nothing Made an Evident
Fraud Sacoeed-The
Details.

peen exposed several times In the HER
AID.
The following, taken from the San
Francisco Chronicle, shows how the
scheme was worked in that city:
The desire to get something for moth
ing or next door to it is very common,
and it is the weaknesses of human ma
ture which give the sharper his oppor-
tunities. Quite recently there have been
many instances of the penalties of trying
to get something for nothing, and the
victims oil misplaced confidence are be-
moaning their lossae. For months
past number of adventurers have
been working the Huit club swindle.
Now the failures are beginning to come
in, and the enterprieing gentry who
fostered the schemes are skipping out
as fast as they can, or are throwing
themselves on the mercy of their dupes.
RsThe suit club is an ingenious organ
ization belonging to that class which,
under the name of the Eagle Insurance
company, involved Mr.. Thielmann, of
unsavory reputation, in trouble and
finally closed the gates of San Quentin
prison with the gentleman himself ON
the inside. His scheme was to form
clubs of 1000 people and to issue cer-
tifcate to every one who paid 81 to be-
ceme O member. The man who held
the first certificate received the firet
$1,000 paid in by the first 1000 people.
the holder of certificate No. 2 paid So
for his $1,000, and the holder OF certifi-
cate 1000 would pay $1,000, though by
that time the club membership would
have been 1000, ,OC0. The scheme was
lottery with variation from the ordi-
nary form, and the law decided that it
was swindle.
The suit club ia similar Organization,
except that man may get up o dozen
clubs. Each club mum bers 40 mem bers,
VI ho pay 81 q week. Every week there
is drawing, and the holder OF the right
ticket gets q suit worth, presumably,
$40, usually worth SIS or less. Every
time member drops out q new one
must be found to take his place. In this
way some people pay 81, 81 or more and
obtain suit of clothes. The majority,
however, pay in $40 or $12, or even $50
or $50, and, to use the expressive ver-
naeular, ''get left"
Just at present there are number of
gentlemen in this city, Oakland, Alame-
da. Berkeley, San Jose, Los Angeles, San
Diego and many other cities of this
fiourishing state who deeply regret the
failure OF the suit club crop, in which
they have inveeted various sums, from
81 to $40. Quite recently Martin Siegel
of this city, the entrepeneur of a euit
club establishments, failed for few
Thousand dollars; Cleve l.. Dam of Oak
land, in the same line of business, went
under; Edward Turner was also unable
to meet his liabilities, and Francis o.
Zeiger is under arrest in San Diego. In
regard to the latter gentleman the fol-
lowing from the telegraphic columns of
the Los Angeles HERALD Of August 18th
tells the story:
Francis o. Zeigler, the smooth.tongued
operator in the euit-club fraud, came to
grief today. After successfully working
the cities of San Jose, Wstsonville. Gil
roy, Los Angeles, Ssn Bernardino, Chino,
Carpinteria, Anaheim, Santa Ana and
Pasadena, he came to San Diego some
days ago and began his fake, which wss
to collect 81 per week subscriptions to
suit clubs, hold drawings. and thus get
further subscriptions until he had got
all the traffic would stand, and then dis.
appear.
He WAS arrested on telegraphic orders
frem Los Angeles. where he is under
stood to be wanted in connection with
the exploded Imperial Watch COM
pany" fraudulent concern as well as on
account OF his suit-club swindle.
Clevs l.. Dam was a Democrat. He
may be still. but has certainly lost many
believers in his high-tsriff methods.
Among those who eonfded in him was
an eminent Oakland journalist. He
thought suit to cover his ample per-
CON for 81 or q trife more would be
cheap. He Clipped up cheerfully and
now has neither the $l3 he contributed
nor the suit he coveted.
II. M. Craggie, searcher OF records,
did get suit after he had paid in $40
and So extra for "a superior quality of
CLOTH" When he put the suit on he
told the head of the tailor lottery that If
he swung his arm he felt sure the coat
would rip. The president of the suit
club suggested feebly that Mr.. Crsggie
swing his arms. Craggie did, and his
prophecy WAS fulfilled, for the coat
which went on his back whole, came off
in halves.
E. Childs, an architect. paid in several
dollars to suit club and haa charged
them up to "profit and loss." A. Fl.
hSHl0E Phio pO III nuulblUU bU 1U WGekly
contributions, and swears that he never
wore worse suit in his life. w. w.
Chapman, dancing. teacher. has failed
to electriiy his clasu by pirouetting in a
new suit. but he is $50 to the bad. Fred.
erick Mundy in similar way contrib-
| uted $50. but the auit that he hoped for
never came. The brothers Casaebo hn
have had their first and last experience
with suit clubs, and Charles Rossnburg
tried to get suits on the club plan from
both Thomas Manning and Cleve L.
Dam. Each club tailor proved untrue.
A suit club impresario who recently
left Los Angeles with many uniulfilled
contracts has just arrived in San Fran
cisco snd has commenced the same
racket here also. The drawings by
which the suit winners are declared are
not always above suspicion. A. Grim
aud, an East Oakland tailor, was for q
very brief period partner of Edward
Turner. He said yesterday: "When l
saw Turner's friends get the suits every
time and the other poor fellows pay up
every week and get left. said: Now,
you get out, Mr.. Turner; want no
more of this dirty business l sold out
to Mr.. Turner for ST."
Dam was at one time candidate for
the postmastership of Oakland and
then became merchant tailor, degen-
Grating into q president of q euit club,
| from w hich noaition ha foil into hont -