The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-02-02
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REED ARRESTS THEM
Secondhand Wen Who Failed to
Obey City Ordinances

Several OF fhe second hand dealers were
{ arrested yesterday by order q Chief OF Pc
Aee Reed or fhT charge Of failure 20 take
oaa q license under ire ~ Is ordinance reg
I NIating the secondhand business. Several
months ago tas council passed n ordi-
Eancf calculated 10 cover this matter It
Was drafted after the one IN Use IN Ia
coma. but In me title Included only those
. Who dealt IN secondhand garments. i
test case was made wiki the result that the
ordnance vas knocked oct IN one round.
In fact Il developed that most OF those who
We're arrested GA not come under the pro-
visions o. the ordinance al all The new
ordinance Is similar - the Old one. IN that
S provides an annual license Of s. and re-
o1irss dealers 10 make a daily report Of
goods purchased the names. addresses and
description Of sellers and their place of res
IdeBce- Furthermore the previous defect
II rene died by the adoption Of a title in
gliding All persons who deal in second
hand goods
The dealers viii probably fight the new
ordinance. rs they object strenuously 10 be-
Ing compelled 20 make daily reports. One
or those ARE sted yesterday said last sven
ing: Ae Do not object 10 paying The IL
ceuSe bat when i comes 10 making rs
hand In a REPORT every day Of the goods
we aAve purchased thar u a different mat
ter. There are some people in this bust
ness who are not well enough educated TO
Keep a proper record ana then again there
are times when we do not have the time.
Under the provisions Of the ordinance you
are required 10 take down the mans name,
a complete description OF him. his address.
and the article he sells. | have known Of
instances where men have taken advan-
tage OF this kind OF an ordinance 10 prey
uDou the secondhand dealers. / VIII cite
one case in question. \ man came into my
store one day and after looking around he
saw q rifle. lie took down its number
nd xTar ia
the police and told them that / had rifle
which had been stolen from han three
years ago. He came down II my store and
said he wanted the rifle. / said he could
not have il unless he proved the property.
Finally we went 10 police headquarters.
where he sai1 ne would lind the number of
the rife on record among stolen property.
il was not there however, Yet | was not
believed when / said I had purchased the
rifle IN good faith from man whose name
! could not remember. Rather than have a
fight | gave IL up and the man immediate
~ pawned the rifle 10 another secondhand
dealer. I lost 81 BY the operation.
The new ordinance opens the gate to
men who have TIE inclination TO prey upon
Us \ man can come into my store today
ana look over goods. Suppose some certain
article that n knows has been recently
purchased strikes his fancy. All he has to
do l. 10 90 10 police headquarters and give
in a description. The matter Is looked up
by the police They find on the list turned
in the goods described 10y the man. They
take il for granted that the man has told
a true story and demand that We give mp
the property. The matter then resolves IL
self down % either giving I'm 70 the de-
maRds ii the man backed by the police or
fighting IN the courts. As a rule. the fight
IS much moro expensive in the end than IL
Is 20 give up the goods.
I'VE feel that a hardship is worked upon