The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-12-04
MOCK AUCTIONS
AGAIN BOTHER
THE POLICE
A Growing Evil to Be
Suppressed.
HOW THEY FLEECE VICTIMS
SELL TWo-DoLLAR WATCHES
FOR A LONG PRICE.
Many Visitors From the Country
Help Support These Expensive
Establishments on the
Main Thoroughfares.
HOW THEY FLEECE VICTIMS
SELL TWO-DOLLAR WATCHES
FOR A LONG PRICE.

The mock auction stores, which had
quite vogue at one time, have been
multiplying of late, and complaints have
recently been so frequent at police head
quarters from persons who have been
swindled that steps must soon be taken
to suppress the evil
The establishments usually masquerade
as jewelry stores, and are confined al
most entirely to Market and Kearny
streets, where there is always a throng
of passers-by. The shrill voice of the
auctioneer is heard at all times, whether
he has a store full of customers or only
two or three persons. One can see at a
glance that the smaller the crowd the
less interest they take in the proceedings.
This is explained by the fact that they
are the cappers, or confederates, of the
auctioneer, and with no purchasers in at
tendance they have no duties to perform
The number of victims who are fieeced
must be unusually large, as the rent OF
the stores is heavy, and a large corps OF
assistants is maintained. The goods are
OF the cheapest variety, so that it is evil
dent on the face of it that the storekeep-
ers are not seeking legitimate trade. One
victim OF kearny-street house had a
watch and chain which he secured there
appraised. The chain and locket were
valued at 81 so, and the gold" watch al
~. The volunteer soldiers, especially
those from the backwoods,. proved easy
their scant pay in the hands of these
''sure thing" men.
The manner of swindling, as explained
by r. GriffithS to the police, is one that
would hardly catch men versed in the
ways OF the world, but might easily fool
strangers from the interior. Mr.. Griffiths
was induced to bid 500 on a watch lust
as a favor to the house. as they wanted
the watch bid in" He did so and the
watch was handed to nm. Almost imme-
diately man who had bid SIS on the
watch created a disturbance, claiming
1t was not a genuine sale, and that as he
was the highest bidder he was entitled
to it. In order to save the valuable watch
to the house the auctioneer asked Mr.
Griffiths to pay for it and the money
would be returned to him later. He had
was duly recorded. Shortly after the
auctioneer disappeared and Mr.. Griffiths
tried to secure his money from the mar
who took his place. He denied all knowl-
edge of the transaction, affirming the
auctioneer had no right to promise the
return of the coin, and that 1t was g
legitimate sale.
Later in the day, in recounting his ex-
perience to some friends, he found one OF
them had been Swindled in the same man
ner, and that by the aid of an attorney he
had recovered the greater portion of his
money and had what he thought was an
order for the balance due him. Together
they went to a well known lawyer, and
Mr.. Griffiths placed the matter in his
much parley the proprietor agreed to take
back the watch, to return the unwilling
purchaser $40 of his money and give him
an order for S. more, to be paid when fhe
sells the watch for So Mr.. Griffiths does
not expect that the watch will be sold.