The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-03-27
Vile CIGARS Tn
FINE RAIMENT.
IMITATION BRANDS ARE BEING
SOLD HERE IN GREAT
QUANTITIES.
MAKERS WILL BE ARRESTED.
INTERNAL REVENUE AGENTS ARE
ON THE TRAIL OF THE
LAW-BREAKERS


internal revenue have been at work on one
of the biggest frauds ever perpetrated on
the public. A cigar mandatory has been
In full blast, turning out any brand re-
quired by the stands, and in consequence
at least one-half of the people who smoke
the soothing weed have been victimized.
limitations OF the General Arthur"
"Conqueror," "Sir William Wallace, :"
Belmont" "Estrella," GEL TELEGRAPH"
and others have been sold at full rates, and
the genuine brands have suffered in
consequence.
1t was Nose Gunst who first complained
that limitations of the General Arthur
cigar were being sold. Deputy Special
Agent OF Internal Revenue GiIchrist was
put on the case, and yesterday he sue
ceeded in locating the mandatory in the
home of e. r. Clute at 1926 Scott street.
In the basement of the house were found
empty boxes with the revenue stamp on
them still undefaced. Similar boxes filled
with imitation cigars, and over 10000
bands which were to have been put around
the better grade of cigars were found.
These bands were printed by J. Schirmer-
horn, an employee of the firm of Hicks
Judd & Co. He supplied Clute with 10, 900
OF the bands last Sunday, and had con-
tracted for the delivery of 100, 900 more in a
few days.
Hicks Judd & Co. had not the faintest
| idea that the work was being done by one
of their employees, and they were very
| much surprised when the facts were told
them by the agent of the internal revenue.
Schirmerhorn evidently did the work in
secret and is now hiding. Deputy Reve-
| nue. Officer Gi.christ is looking for him and
expects to have him in custody before noon
to-day.
In telling about the discovery, Mr.. Gil
christ said: "Mr. Gunst was the first one
to take the information to the Office. After
| was few days on the case I suspected
Schirmerhorn, and l Swallowed him.
| wouldn't like to count up the number of
legs and gets over the ground like race
| horse. When l would be block away he
would shoot around a corner and disap-
pear. 1 finally discovered that he and E.
r. Clute, who used to keep cigar-store at
81 Montgomery street, were running part
ners, and when Schirmerhorn delivered
Clute 10000 General Arthur bands last
Sunday. L knew l was on the track. Mon
day night Clute delivered a box refilled
| with General Arthurs at "a Montgomery
| and received his price. Yesterday at II
A. M he delivered two more boxes, and then
| determined to make the raid.
1.-The boxes that were delivered. at "a
L.
Chandler went out to 1926 Scott street.
The name on the door was M. A. Clute, )
probably that of the wife of the man now
in Jail. The house is well furnished, and,
as the family lived well, Clute must have
done thriving business.
ga thorough search of the cottage re-
vealed nothing, but when we reached the
cellar what haul we did makel Boxes
representing almost every brand of cigar in
the market were there. The aristocratic
three for half, the two for a quarter and
those that retail for 10 cents were all repre-
sented. The Scent article was not forgot
ten, and the imitation of the cigar made
by Seidenberg & Go. of New York and sold
in that firms boxes will make Jacob Joseph,
the agent, turn purple with anger when he
sees it. The brands initiated were the
General Arthur, Lillian RUSSELL Con
queror,' Belmont La Rosa 'Estrella,'
and in fact all the cigars that sell readily.
An expert can easily tell the genuine from
the counterfeit. The latter is made in a
mold, and in places is hard to the touch,
while a hand made cigar is even all over.
This man has been in the habit of going
around to cigar.stands and buying up their
empty boxes. The revenue stamp, on a
genuine box, is only burst when opened,
and is Just as good when refilled as when
it was on genuine package. In this way
Clute evaded the internal revenue tax
and will have to suffer for it. Schirmer-
horn is in the same box and when caught
will further have to answer to charge of
initiating patented labels"
In view of these disclosures Internal
Revenue Agent McGlachlan has issued an
order that will make it impossible to refill
cigar boxes. In future the revenue stamp
must be Cancelled on every side of the box
as soon as it is empty. Any one taking
the last cigar out of box and seeing the
dealer throw it under the counter without
defacing the stamp has only to inform the
internal revenue agent to start an investi-
CATION.