The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1895-02-19
LOST THEIR DRESS SUITS.
A HANDSOME YOUNG GIRL WANTED
THEM FOR THE TAILOR
TO PRESS.
BUT SHE FORGOT TO RETURN THEN
AND Now THE VICTIMS ARE
LAMENTING.

Quite number of prominent business
men are mourning the loss of their dress
suits, and while their friends are enjoying
a hearty laugh at their expense the victims
find it very hard to realize where the joke
comes in.
In most of the instances recorded the
confidence operator has been young and
prepossessing woman. Her mode of pro-
cedure is to go to the home of some gentle
man and, mentioning the name of his
tailor, say that she had been sent for his
dress suit, as it required pressing. If any
demurrer is made she says, 'Mr. Blank is
going to dinner tonight and he left word
that the clothes must be pressed and back
here before 6 o'clock"
This generally succeeded, and the next
car would carry the fair confidence opera
tor and the dress suit downtown, and that
would be the last of the clothes as far as
the legitimate owner was concerned.
One of the victims was S. J. Ruddell
Deputy Surveyor of the Port. He does not
consider it laughing matter, and could
he set eyes on the bunkoess he would have
her arrested. Half dozen other citizens
among whom are Varney w. Gaskiil and
Charles l.. Weller, would render him ali
the assistance in their power in securing a
conviction. They also were among heI
victims.
sit was about as exasperating a thing as
ever happened to me, )" said Mr.. Ruddell
yesterday. "Just when / wanted my suit
| was informed it was at the tailor's. When
l called there the next day the tailor knew
| nothing about it, and then the story came
out. a couple of days previously good
| looking dark-eyed young woman called al
the house and asked for Mrs. Ruddell. Ny
wife went down and the girl gave her a
message that | wanted my suit pressed that
/ L.
| going to dinner that evening.
"My wife couldn't understand what was
wanted at first, as l had not mentioned tc
| her that l had an engagement that night
The girl told a straightforward story, how.
ever, and my wife finally gave up my
| brand-new dress suit.
81 was detained downtown that particu
| lar night, and when | went home my wife
naturally thought l was at that blamed
dinner, SO she said nothing. A few even.
ings ago we were both going to a private
dance, and when | began to dress | looked
around for my other clothes. | might as
well have looked for a gold mine.
searched the closets, looked in my trunk
and turned over the things in the bureau
but no suit could l find.
FINALLY l called out, Where on earth
is my dress suit?'
''It was then my wife's turn to be sur
| prised
Didn't you get it at your tailor's2' she
asked
81 of course said No. and then the ca
was out of the bag. I'm religious man
as you well know, but l could not helI
using few strong expressions when
heard how that black-eyed girl had go1
away with my best suit of clothes.
~ am not alone in my misery, however
and when the boys try to joke me on the
subject | say, Don't mind me, but just &c
and ask Varney where is his suit IT,
wonderful how easy it is to get things ou1
of a house if you tell a plausible tale. A
number of young fellows who heard the
story started out on California street on &
similar errand. They went to the house.
of young men whom they knew well, anC
inside of half an hour they had a collec
ton of seven full-dress suits in al down
town hotel. They found that the black
eyed girls scheme worked like charm
One thing is certain, you couldn't get
bairpin out of our house now, not even i
you had a written order over my sigma
| fura ~