The San Francisco call., 1896-03-19

watched for the marks upon their doors,
and frequently the discovery was accom-
panied with scream like cry of pain.
''The horrid double cross! There it isl'
"What of it?" pater familias would ask.
"Well, the house is to be entered by
burglars and robbed, and some of those
terrible tramps are to burn it down. and
we are to be boycotted or slaughtered.
Timid people on the San Francisco
side of the bay felt so greatly moved
by newspaper articles on the mys-
tic marks that a general hunt for
the double cross was made about the doors
and garden gates, and when strange signs
were found throughout the Mission and
Western Addition the word passed round.
81 told you sol" That nightmare of black
leadpencil mark, the double cross, was
there on many door. staring the aston
ished householders like an apparition of
some bilious dream.
After all the mystery was easily ex-
planned. although for many there was
some dim cause for concern over the
double cross with an initial and dates, or
an unmeaning scroll. The cross itself was
similar to the character used to indicate
mum Der before numericals. 1t is the trade
mark, so to speak, of an industrious set of
canvassers who are going through the city
for one firm, and it is placed on doors as a
notification that the house has been tried.
Inc lllIldl Q6IlOtGS tuc tdAfdSSci, duu Ol-
ten date expressed in figures, such as B.
2-'96. is added to tell the day the house
was visited.
.It is an old trick of the trade" ex-
planned an old canvasser yesterday, "and
ever since / saw the double cross two Or
three weeks since | have been trying to
find what new caHYasser is in the field.
There is no doubt whatever that it is done
by canvassers, who may be out for new
arfi "a or q n11hlipQfinn II time fOr
when man in the secret sees the mark he
will.leave at once.
eff people would only look little closer
they would find on almost every door in
San Francisco some one or more OF these
marks"
He wrote the initial "E'' with charac-
teristic curve; 80 C,' the letters united,
''Van'' and '.Spud' and "Winn," the lat
ter printed in block letters.
''All these signs may appear mys-
terious," he continued, "if you believe
that children had not scratched them on
the door. Suppose 'Spud' was noticed at
once in Oakland, Alameda, Berkeley and
San Francisco, wouldn't there be a sensa-
ton and mystery?
"The man who writes sE' represents a
sewing-machine agency, and 1 think he
writes his initial as warning to the
extras to keep off,
A canvasser for morning paper writes
his initials, "O'C," everywhere he goes,
and the other men look at these letters
and remark, "O'Connor has been here,
too"
A new sign is "Van," and from the
way in which it is growing throughout the
City canvassers declare that Van, whoever
he may be, is certainly an industrious fell
low. They cannot resist the temptation of
having little fun at his expense, and
add 'sity," making the fellows sign Van
ity. Another sign is '.Spud," which is fire.
quently accompanied by Murphy, so that
the name is Spud Murphy, though it may
represent any one else in creation.
The name ''Winn" IN bold print is still
a familiar one on the lintels of doors
about town. Two years ago there was
scarcely door in the whole of San Fran
cisco without it and its characteristic ring
hurriedly drawn around it.
Winn was canvasser on THE CALL
under its former management, and bore
the reputation of being the most active
canvasser on the streets. He worked with
two comrades, who made it rule not to
canvass house that bore his name. Other
canvassers made it rule TO add ''dy'' to
his name, and in time this hustler saw
his trade mark turned into "Winndy."
He died about eighteen months ago; but
his name remains on thousands of doors,
little faded and weather-worn, though
still a sign from which canvassers have
taken their cue to make queer marks.
Winn originated the idea of marking
dOorpoStS in this City,