The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-04-17
Mock Auctions and How
They are Operated.
Paid "PufferS" Keep Bidding
Till Signalled to Stop.
Facts About Rings = Builder OF
New YOrk's Spite House Dying.

The mock auction is one OF the devices
resortcd TO by the unscrupulous for the
purpose of fattening their pocketbooks at
the expense of the gullible and unwary. Az
one time 10 was limited that Providence
was not free from such crooked concerns,
but it Is stated that they have all been
weeded out and that the auction establish
ments now i'm existence all do a Legitimate
business Probably this statement is cor
rect and IL so Providence has a decided
advantage over New York where a day or
two ago a number of individuals were
indicted and arrested on the charge OF
conducting a mock auction. Three classes
are represented in the batch taken into
custody First there are the owners Of the
goods Co be disposed of and in this in
stance they are Americans The second
class is made up of "puNers, and the
third the auctioncer. The 'pufiers" APP
pear TO be under the direct control OF the
owners OF the goods and are paid 81. so
day for their services They are skilfully
placed in different parts of the room so rs
TO avoid the appearance of collision.
They operate by means of marked cata-
logues and their work consists in bidding
each article up to the sum marked in tho
catalogue. These ''putfers" it is claimed
~
man who runs IL in New York, an
Armenian doctor, is under arrest for his
connection with the auction swindle.
Women as well as men act in the capacity
of 'puffers" and they bid against legi-
innate bidders until they receive "a signal
from the auctioneer or some other person
in the conspiracy to stop. This signal is
given only when the price has been forced
sufficiently high TO suit the owner or auc-
tioneer. Until that limit is reached tho
legitimate bidder is unable to get the
goods.
A deliver into the musty past who has
been tracing the history of finger rings
says that he has been able to obtain no
light as to when the first ring was fash
toned, or who was the possessor of IL.
Evidence has been discovered of its exist
snce among the earliest races, and
numerous specimens have been found in
Me oldest pyramids. Although the origin
of the ring is thus unknown, the Greeks
supply pretty story to fill the deficiency.
It Is that after Jupiter had decreed that
should remain bound 10 the
rock for 30,0O0 years he relentod, and
wised to free the prisoner. So he ordered
u ring Of iron to be made, In which was
set a small piece of the rock. This was
placed upon the finger of Prometheus,
who thus remained hguratively bound to
the rock.
In days when the impress of IN ans
signet ring was recognized everywhere n
his signature, genuine beyond a doubt il
was looked upon as of priceless value,
and guarded with jealous care. If one
should happen to fall into the hands of
an enemy 1t could work unlimited mis-.
chief in very short time. So absolute
was the rule of the signet ring that when
Alexander the Great wished to nominate
tne of his Generals, Perdiccas, as his sue
cessor. he handed him his signet ring,
md the power and authority Of Alexander
passed with the ring TO Perdiccas The
custom of placing the ring, during the
ceremony, upon the fourth fin
ger Of the bride, comes from the ancient
X R,mans 1t was the belief with them |
and other nations of that time that vein |
extended from the fourth finger of the left |