The Topeka state journal., 1903-06-17
A CLEVER PLAN.
United States Authorities Act
in Jewelry Case.
Boston Concern Is Object of
Governmental Wrath.
FRAUD ORDER is ASKED
Deceived People With a ColIec-
tiOn Scheme.
FRAUD ORDER is ASKED
Complaint from Fort Scott Re-
ceIved by District Attorney.

An application will be made BY. United
States District Attorney J. S. Dean to
the United States postal authorities to
secure the issuance of a fraud order
against the Standard Jewelry company
of Boston, Mass. The information upon
which this application will be made has
been furnished by Byron c. White.
United States commissioner and deputy
clerk of the United States district court
at Fort Scott The case is an interest
ing one and of a nature which makes it
difficult for the federal authorities to
combat.
In many of the daily and weekly news
papers of the country and particularly
IN the cheap weekly and monthly story
papers the advertisements OF this con-
Germ have appeared for a long time
past. Apparently it was a graft en-
1erprlse for the sale of cheap jewelry.
But from the correspondence which fell
into the hands of Commissioner White,
the graft extends considerably father
than IS at first discerned.
As accurately as can be ascertained
the system" operated by the Standard
JeWeiry company is about like this:
Aside from the main office the company
maintains collection agency This
wing Of the institution has separate
letter head bearing the words United
States Collection Agency {. Federal
Court" The use of the name Federal
Court, IS manifestly for the purpose Of
addlng weight to its correspondence. In
It's correspondence the collection agency
endeavors to throw out the impression
that 1t IS in no way connected with the
interests of the Standard Jewelry com
Pany but. at the same time. care is
taken to have correspondence directed
to the Standard office.
Advertisements of the Stan
dard Jewelry company invite agents
TO handle cheap jewelry to be
sold in consideration of some
sort of premium" or else to be re-
turned if not sold. In the case brought
to the attention of the federal authofi-
ties here Mrs. VIII Barr of Fort Scott
answered an advertisement of the stan
GARD company. Some time elapsed be-
fore she heard anything more of the
matter at all, and when she did she
found herself in possession of a letter
from the United States Collection
Agency demanding the payment of SO,
alleged to be owing for consignment
of goods sent by the Standard Jewelrv
company and threatening prosecution
for misuse Of the Unite States mails.
The letter is printed in circular form
and reads:
Esteemed Friend:-
We have received complaint which.
If true. means that you have violated
the United States mail laws. 1t is set
forth in complaint that you have order
DA eODtr llOtl llt otdHQAIQ dew
elry company Boston Mass. and ignore
their demand for settlement
In the affidavit of the proprietor of
the said firm, it states that advertise
ments were sent out inviting agents
to handle goods manufactured hv said
firm. 1t is shown that you sent an or
der for goods to be shipped yqu on con-
slgnment, the conditions being that You
We're TO sell them for a premium or to
return them if not sold
f1afa1-r l-a of
one lot of goods, valued a So, We're sent
you in compliance with this order sew
eral months ago, and that you have
not paid for the same. The letter in
which you ordered the goods is in our
hands. are copies of three letters
which the firm has written to you for
settlement all of which have been ig
nored by you.
IF the foregoing facts, as stated in
this affidavit are true it means that
you have unlawfully used the mail
service provided by the United States
government. Laws are made to pro-
tect merchants from individuals who
use fictitious names and in other ways
use the mails to order goods for which
payment is rever intended
rs there any legal excuse that you
can give for ordering these goods and
refusing to pay for them or return
them?
we do not want to prosecute any in
nocent person. but as we understand
the case we do not understand where
you have any right to defraud this
company out of their goods
Payments in settlement of claims
should be made by postal or express
money order, payable to the Standard
Jeweiry company. Boston, Mass. Use
the enclosed order blank and envelope
4 in making returns. Unless we are ad-
/ vised that money has been received
within ten days. further action in this
4 matter will be promptly taken
Yours respectfully, U. S. Collection
Agency,
Assistant United States Attorney z.
/ D. AIcKeever said this morning
such eases as this one are very diff
ficult to handle The people behind the
! Standard Jewelry company, as well as
every other one of the thousand differ
ent kinds of similar fakes. are very
careful not to lay themselves open to
criminal prosecution They study the
law carefully and crawl through the
loop holes. The quickest way will be
to file our information with the postal
authorities at Boston and nave the
1 Standard Jewelry company excluded
from the use Of the government mail
service.
The effect of such letter upon
two-thirds of the people who receive
them can be imagined Most people
have the notion that the federal court
is an expensive and dangerous place tc
get into and rather than become ell
tangled with the federal authorities
pay the money that is demanded OF
them Such cases as this one are par
ticuIarly Annoying because they casi
discredit upon the federal law itself
I have investigated several frauds Of
this sort but I believe this is one oi
the cleverest I have yet looked into
Silk Culture on Long Island.
Down ~, oue Island a woman raat
in the Eagle that the government would
supply silk worm eggs to those wht
wished to interest themselves in tbs
work She wrote to the department o.
agriculture, stating that she had on he
property a number of mulberry tree:
and that she would like to take NJ tbs
work A box of eggs was sent with {
book of Instructions When the nIulber
ly sent forth its leaves she exposed th'
eggs to light and heat In several day: