The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-09-06
EASY GAME OF GRAFT
HUNDREDS OF SAVANNAHIANS
FLEECED BY PEDDLERS.
"PH0NY" LINEN EVERYWHERE.
MERCHANTS CALLED UPON TO
TEST THE DOPED COTTON.

Swindlers Took Advantage of the
Warming Given Them by Police
and Disappeared Found Cloth
Business More Profitable Than the
Monkey and the Organ Stunt.
still There Are quite "A Number
who Insist They Have the Cen
uine ArticIe-Others Are CIamOr-
ing for the Return of Their
MOney--AnOtber Clever Swindle
Recalled.
Although the linen swindle was full
ly exposed by Superintendent of Police
Garfunkel in the Morning News yes
terday there are quite a number of
victims, strange to relate, who insist
that they have the real article. They
refuse to believe that they were vic
timized.
Hundreds of inquiries were made at
police headquarters and at the retail
stores yesterday about the "phoney"
linen, and more than one expert on
Broughton street was called upon to
pass judgment on the "doped" cotton.
Even then some of the victims refus-
ed to believe that they had been
swindler and went away feeling that
the merchants were only jealous be-
cause they had got bargain.
But hundreds realized when they
read the exposure in the Morning News
that they had bolts of cotton stuff that
they had believed was fine grade linen.
A majority took the sWndle good ma
threatened dire vengence if they could
lay hands on the "Dago." Not few
called upon Supt. Garfunkel to collect
what they had lost. But only one
purchaser got his money back and that
purchase was made as a decoy. No
trace of the peddlers could be found
during the day and they are believed
to have departed for new fields.
People Easily FIeeced.
That the men found the linen game
much more profitable than "de monk
and de organ" stunt cannot be ques-
toned. Their work was made easy. by
the fact that linen is all the go now,
and linen shirtwaists are being worn
more generally than in a long while.
They are usually deliberately trimmed.
and now more than one woman has
made the unpleasant discovery that she
has spent days in putting trimming on
a cotton shirtwaist that will not look
like the same old smile" after it has
been given a bath.
The linen swindle recalls an even
shreWder performance that was work
ed to ''standstilP' in Savannah sew
eral years ago. At that time, too, the
Wisest of the wise were easy victims,
and the men who played the game
made handsome profits. There were
two OF them and they. went from house
to house in a buggy.
Another Shrewd SwindIer.
The swindlers carried samples of the
finest grade towels, silk hose, handker-
chiefs, sheets, and stuff of a like char
aCter. They explained that they were
not selling anything, but We're only
taking orders. A vessel had been
wrecked somewhere off Canada and
the. cargo had been taken as salvage.
On this account the stuff could be
brought into the United States with
out duty. The samples of the cargo
were the finest that the market could
produce and hundreds of dollars worth
of orders were taken. The swindlerS
did not even require a deposit. They
simply took the orders and agreed to
ship the good C. o. D., subject to ex
animation.
But before their departure they
NOuiu always That they JldQ
several bolts of dress goods that had
been taken from the wrecked ship. If
the person who had Just made such a
big purchase cared to look at the dress
goods stuff they would be glad to show
it and would even sell three or four
bolts. The goods looked all right and
what seemed to be a very reasonable
price was charged. This was where
the swindlers made their money. Not
SNYnlxr n I,a k,,~ e. l.
of a most inferior quality, but short
in measure as we'll The goods order
ed shipped c. o. D. were like the let
ter that never came.