The evening times., 1896-08-06
THREE INDIGNANT BIDDERS
Kicked Up a Racket at the
Barbour Auction Sale.
swoRE OUT A WARRANT
Auetioneer RascHffe Was Arrested >
ON Their Complaint, But WasSpeed-..
lily Acquitted and Released-Then
They Sought Sanitary Inspector
Mothershead's Scalp.

a scene which was opened atthe business
house OF James L. Barbour Il Son, on Penn
sylyaDia avenue, where an auction is in
progress, was shifted yesterday with blue
fire embeIlishmeDt to the police court, and
had its finale later at the health office,
with three indignant bidders, Auctioneer
Ratciiffe and Sanitary Inspector Mothers
head as chief actors and the health Office
rofce and Times reporter as spectators
Mr.. and Mrs. Jimmie Richardson and
brother merchant, the latter's name not
given, but belonging to a business in South
Washington, attended the sale OF the Bar
bour goods, at which Ratcliffe & Sutton
served as auctioDeers. The Richardson cou-
pie bought a gas-stove, it is alleged, in
addition to some other. articles, and as the
purchases proved to be undesirable, they
demanded the return of their money-in
amount, about 81
Their request was not Immediately COM
piled with, because little time was
necessary to go over the transaction and
determine what ought to be done. While
they were waiting their brother merchant
from South Washington came in, complain
ing that he had been deceived in the pur-
chase of keg of goldfish.
THEY WERE ABUSIVE.
The three friends got together and abused
the auctioneer, the firm and everybody else
connected with the sale, The more they
talked the madder they got. and by the time
the clerks at the sale got around to consider
their complaints they were all in mood
to make troubleif everything was not done
exactly to suit them. I
The fish waS had Thara fe tftfra <5<,,h<
OF that. Inspector Mothershead was at the
sale, and he said they were not fit for
use. When the moment of settlement was
reached Mr.. Radcliffe offered to return
the money that had been paid On the goods
But it seems that one OF the clerks OF
somebody let fall remark taken to be un-
complimentary to the claimants. An three
in moment were afire with indignation.
They declared that they wouldn't have the
money.
They would make an example OF the whole
auction. They would have a warrant for
false preteDses against the managers of
the Sale.
A trip TO the police court and the orli-
nary fee brought paper calling upon Mr..
Ratcliffe to ans wer the charge of obtaining
money by false pretenses Such a warrant,
of course, can be procured against anyone
almost any day upon partial statementof
facts
MIR. Ratclifte was brought up to police
court and the details of the two transac-
tons were put before Judge Mills he
at once dismissed the charge as absurd
Then it was that Mr. and Mrs. Richard
son and their brother-in- wrath burst forth
again. They Were on Mr.. Motbershead's
trail. He had sworn that the fish was
bad all right, but he added the inrorma-
tion that the offer to refund the mouey
had been made.
SHE CHEwED GUM.
They found him at Dr. woodward's Of.
flee in the District building. There, with
DR.. Woodward as chief auditor, they
made a harangue. Mrs. Richardson had q
mouthful of chewing gum to relieve her
nervousness when not talking.
Mr.. Richardson talked a while about
the gas stove, and DR.. Woodward, not Sc, q
ing his way, began to become impatient.
Mrs. Richardson, observing this rolled her
gum on one side and took up the story in
winning tones She had her say out, and
brought the gum again into play.
Dr.. Woodward looked thoughtful a mo-
meDt and said: You took your case into
court and it was decided. don't see wbatI
have to do with it, !
but, exclaimed the two together, chew
ing-gum and all, and then followed fun
rehearsal of all the details Of the trade. !.
''wen," repeated DR.. Woodward in des-
peration, 1.-THE court settled your case, and
I have nothing to say" :
mo, no, no." exclaimed all three In q
chorus, and then by relays the story OF the
fish was told. At the close DR.. Woodward
tried to explain that the gas-stove trade
had nothing to do with the fish trade. In
which alone his officer sd anything to do.
He failed to separate them, and at last
accounts the three were hanging together
trying to fix some blame on Mr.. Mothers
head and to bring trouble to the auctioneeS
|, for selling bad fish.