The evening times., 1896-03-26
POOR IRE THEIR VICTIMS
Many Itinerani Goal Dealers
Give Shott Weight.
FALSE MEASURES ARE USED
Anthracite Haw ked About the Streets
In Every Conceivable Kind Of We
hicle-POlice After the Sharpers,
and Propose to See That Their Gus
toners Are Protected.

Owing TO Poverty and other causes there
are many families in this city who are COM
PEELED to buy their coal by the peck or
bushcl. This demand has resulted in
many men and boys engaging in the busi-
ness of hawking coal about The streets In
wagons and other conveyances. IN fact,
it appears that every sort OF vehicle, from
discarded grocery wagons TO limping and
rheumatic Daytons and played-out furniture
vans, have been pressed into use.
They are hauled about town by all man.
ner Of Lorseflesh, including spawned and
stiff Iointed ex-street car stecds, game
legged mules and other antiquated animals
which are ripe for the bOneyard.
1t is estimated by the authorities that
there are upward of three hundred OF these
intincrant coal dealers and their mournrul
cry Of "C-o-o-a-a-a-l, Coal!' can be heard
from the gray OF early dawning until far
into the night, especially in those neighhor-
hoods which are Inhabited by the poorer
element.
Now 1t has come to pass that the police
are after some OF these itinerants. There
.are rascals among them just as there are
in other callings, and complaint has been
made aiat tisere are dealers among them
who are imposing short mea sure upon their
poor patrons. The patrolmen In the sew
eral precincts have been been instructed
to look out for the dishonest pcddlers Of
black diamonds ana to make arrests
where they are found cheating by means
OF false measures or i'll other ways.
A GOOD FIELD.
The tenement houses furnish good
field for these coal hucksters, and as the
purchasers in but few instances see the coal
nea asured the dealers give them short
measure and bring the scant bushels or
pecks TO their rooms in gunny sacks or
hand baskets. Others are provided With
two sets of measures. One consists OF
vessels which bear the official stamp Of tine
seaicr OF weights and measures. the other
is Il fraudulent set, usually Old buckets OF
small tubs, which are used when no one
is at hand to watch the measuring-out
process. In some instances false bottoms
are used for the stamped measures.
This cheating OF very poor people is said
TO be- carried OH TO "A considerable extent
by both hucksters OF coal as well as vege-
tables, and the police department proposes
TO make Il raid on them just as ii did
some time ago OH short-weiGht bakers.
AS the penalty under the old law is a line
of 81 for every fraudulent sale, the
swin,ilers can be taxed heavily in the
aggregate.
1T is true the petty coal dealers do
not receive prinCeiy4 incomes from their
business" said policeman at headquar-
ters, but people who are compelled by
reason OF poverty 10 purchase coal in
small quantity can III afford to be filched
out OF even little amounts of money, and
it should be the province OF the strong arm
of the law to protect them Just as fully
as IT. does the establishments of the rich
merchants or the palatial homes OF the
afflUent citizens In the West End"
A WARFARE STARTED.
The Georgetown police have already
irau gurute n warfare against the short
measure and light weight street venders and
several oIlprits' have been successfully
prosecuted IN the police court by Lieut..
Swindell's men.
There are twenty-eight bu shells OF coal
to the ton. which costs the venders from
$3.50 TO S6.25, according to kind AMI
quality. Each bushel should weigh about
seventy-two pounds net. IL is rctdiled
from the wagons at 25 cents per bushcl.
These figures were furnished by a well
known coal dealer. He also said that
some OF the ha vkers, while selling their
coal in short measures 10 their patrons,
resort to all sorts OF schemes and tricks To
secure overwei ght from the wholesale
dealers. One plan is 20 have number OF
bricks or big stones concealed in their
wa gon VIXEN they are weighed empty
before the coal is loaded into them. An
cth'I IL 10 ti'uh theit muses. W pid'e al Hiii
foot on the platform of the scales 50 a. 10
lncrca So the light Of the wagon.
This in known in commercial parlance as
"tarc weight and is deducted after the
vehicle is loaded with coal from the gross
wei Ght. In this way dishonest coal
peddlers sometimes get from two TO five
extra bu shells with the amount they
ordered.
A coiored man in South Washington is
growing wealthy in this pefty coal trade
He has seven or eight wagons out and
buys his coal from the mines direct by
the car load.