The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-11-09
"AGENT" LANE
IN PURSUIT OF
BOGUS CORD|ALS
Home NJ AIDE Goods to
Be Protected.

Dealers who sell spirituous liquors of
domestic manufacture under initiated
labels of imported goods are very much
agitated over the advent of Freeman {.
Lane a Minneapolis lawyer, who claims
to be the attorney for the Wine and Spr-
it's Traders Society of the United States.
The society is said to be composed of m
porters of foreign liquors and cordials of
high grade, whose business has been in
iured by imitators of their goods under
counterfeit labels
Mr.. Lane arrived in this city about two
weeks ago and went among the smaller
LIQUOR dealers like a steam moving ma
chine through wheat field. Previous 10
that time he had devastated the Pacific
Coast States and Territories and had
throWn the thrifty element of the liquor
trade into spasms of CONSERVATION.
The matter was brought to the atten-
ton of the Federal authorities yesterday
nv Julius Levy of 261 Third street. Mr..
Lew said that two men called at mis-
place of business on the previous day.
one of them displayed nickel or silver
official badge This man did not open his
mouth at all. The other introduced hum
self, according to Levy's statement. as a
special agent. throwing down his card at
scription, Freeman 2. Lane. Minneap-,
oils attorney Wine and Spirits Traders
Society of the United States.
Mr.. Levy, believing him to be special
agent of the treasury and authorized to
eSanine his stock of liquors, made no
objection when Lane said that he wanted
to make an investigation.
Lane found a bottle of creme de menthe
which purported to be of foreign origin,
but which Levy, in answer to the cues
tons of Lane, admitted was OF domestic
make Lane informed him that he had
committed a violation of the copyright
law and also of the Revised Statutes, a
section of which provides that goods must
he nut up under the names known to the
40 nd a a
of foreign manufacture 1t must be of
foreign make He threatened Levy with
prosecution and advised him TO call on his
attorney Bert Schlesinger, in regard to
the matter He said further that the
Wine and Spirit Traders Society of the
United States was making these inves-
LEGATIONS for the protection OF importers
and others and that on behalf of the
Society he Gane) would be willing to
compromise the matter If Levy paid $50.
Mr. Levy was not willing TO say that
lane had represented himself to be a
revenue official, and he was informed that
the revenue authorities could not inter
fere unless Lane had so represented MIN
he had violated the law as Lane said.
Bert M Schlesinger was asked in rela-
ton TO the statement made by Levy Mr..
Schlesineer made the statement that he
had been employed by the Wine and
Spirit Traders Society to prosecute all
persons putting up domestic liquors under
foreign labels and that he proposed to IN
stitute several suits in the United States
Circuit Court in this city against liquor
dealers, Mr. Levy being among the num-
Der 1t was the purpose of the society, he
said to stop the traffic in fraudulent imi-
tations of imported liquors.
Lane is said TO be a prominent attorney
of Minneapolis and to have collected from
Iinuor dealers at least 100000 by way of
compromises In Butte, Mont, he was
arrested. but a telegram from the Gov
ernor of Minnesota vouching for him as
a. reputable attorney procured his release
within few hours. He recently pur-
chased a summer resort in Puget City,
paving a good cash sum for 1t.