The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-02-20
THE NEWS MAIL BAG.
From a Customer at Shepard and
Company.
PROVIDENCE. Feb. 10. 1894.


PROVIDENCE, Feb. 10, 1894.
To The EDITOR OF THE NEWS;
SIR: have read with mingled emotion
the first statement from an employe Of
Shepard and Company relating to the
trouble at that store that, so far as
know, has been in print since the first re-
port OF what has been going on there. AL
though I believe one or two OF
the papers claimed to have "inter-
viewed" certain employees, no names
were mentioned and the letter from w.
c. Cooke in The NEWS of Saturday is the
first outspoken utterance that have hap
pened to run across. i am glad The
NEWS printed the letter though 1t is diff
ficuit to believe that Mr.. Cooke really
represents the clerks and 1t doesn't seem
to me that he has done their cause any
good although must confess to a little
sympathy with him in pitching into the
newspapers which tried to make an un-
necessary sensation out of it.
But IL Mr.. Cookies letter reflects the sem
timents OF Shepard and Company's en-
ployes lam very much surprised. Here
Is business house which discovers
q number of its clerks engaged
in systematic thievery. The
revelation cannot by any possibility be a
pleasant one = to learn that old and
trusted employees have been abusing the
confidence and respect of their employers
and doing him material injury. Nor can
the proceedings of investigation be pleas
ant. They are, however. absolutely neces-
sary. And II in the process of inv stiga-
tion clerk has seemed to be temporarily
under suspicion should think it still the
part OF every employe to feel that they
should exercise the utmost consideration
ahd helpfulness in assisting the house in
ferreting out the wrong done it.
Now, what is the result? Shepard and
Company learn that number of theirem
ployes have been engaged in systematic
stealing. What had the house ever
done to them that it should
have its confidence violated and injuries
inflicted? THE News reported that Mr..
Shepard was much more hurt than angry
and anyone who can imagine himself
in similar position may well believe it.
What should be done? Inexorable
justice called for prosecution,
not alone for the punishment
OF the offenders but as an example and in
the interests of the non-offending and to
clear the atmosphere of unfounded sus-
picion. Instead Of that, Shepard and
Company let their dishonest employees
walk out of the store, kept their names
fromthe public as sacred trust. cleared
the atmosphere of their store,
and, so far as possible, suppressed every
thing that would injure their misguided
young clerks. Some Of the newspapers
made q sensation out of 1t, which Mr..
Cooke objects to and SO do 1, but it does
not alter the position of Shepard and
Company.
Now, Mr.. Cooke, assuming toNrepresent
the clerks, pretends to be very much per-
turbed because Shepard and Company did
not take those clerks into court of law,
didn't illegally prefer charges" In other
words, because the house was lenient,
considerate, and through it oil
guarded the good names of their en-
ployes, would you have the public
believe that all this was done because
Shepard and Company didn't dare to
pursue the thing any farther?
That seems to me very much like non
sense and w whatever the personal grievance,
the attack Is unfair. don't believe the
clerks feel that way at all. have
talked with o number, including one
of those who confessed to participation
in this unfortunate business, and the SEN
timent is all the other ways -gratefulness
to Shepard and Company. IL there is
any other feeling it's a good thing for
the public to know IL that IL may have due
consideration and accordingly am glad
Mr.. Cooke wrote his letter. But it's the
kind of complaint that makes the posi-