The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-02-12
DISPOSED OF 300.
Victims Compare Notes and
Have Agents Arrested.
Parties Appear in Court, and
Compromise Is Made.

Wichita. Kas.. Feb. 12-This city has
been badly sold by two smooth fakirs
who offered for sale smoothing irons Of
a natent variety. The Beacon tells the
story as follows.
1.-TWO smooth fakirs with their toes
pointed away from Wichita are fleeing
to some remote corner of the earth ana
two or three hundred Wichita ladies are
Justly indignant. all because of some
little transactions in which the fakirs
appear to have intended at least to gee
the best end of the bargain. over Ia the
police court room there are half a
dozen pretty nickel plated smoothing
irons. and i'm Judge Stanley's Office an
other collection is rapidly being made,
and the end is not yet.
There were lively times in the police
court this morning when five indignant
women faced Judge Stanley and asked
that two named respectively
e. c. Greer and e. Y. Caulheld, be
made to pay back to them the money
the bad received for some smoothing
irons that were not as represented. and
after waiting an hour CT more their
prayer was granted and they left the
court room much happier than when
they came.
1T seems that Greer and Caulheld
have been staying here nearly two
months. during which time they have
sold between 200 and 300 irons, but until
YESTERDAY no one had the courage 10
make a complaint to the police. though
so FAR as known not a single purchaser
has been able to make her iron work
Yesterday was the day on which a de-
livery of irons was made. and Delns
Tuesday. and ironing day, the ladies
were all pleased to see the affable agent,
and they could hardly wait until he left
the house to try the irons They tried
them and kept trying them, but not an
iron would work as the agent said 1t
Quiz Then the ladies got to compar-
ing notes and the way they p-atrOnized
the telephone was remarkable As a
result about fifteen of them sent in COM
plants to the police. and Chief Burt at
nee sent out Detective Harry Sutton.
who arrested the men. The ladies were
notified of the arrest and told to appear
for the trial at g o'clock his mOrnin@
but some Of them were too timid and
others We're prevented from other
causes. so that only five were on hand
with their irons at the appointed time
"One lady said she got an iron IN De-
cember and had tried every way she
think OF to make it work. h
said the agent told her all that was nee
essary was to place a little ape in the
iron, which is hollow, then fill it up with
charcoal, touch a match to it and it
would be ready to use. She followed di-
Iections. but the charcoal would not
burn so she got down on her knees by
the table and blew the smOuldering fire
to make it heat the iron. but all to no
purpose. e. she took it out on the
back porch and swung it back and forth
TO create a draft. with the result that
the charcoal burned quite briskly. but
IS soon as she went into the house and
began to iron the fire died out and in
stead of being able to use it four hours
without trouble she thought four min
utes was beyond the limit that the
thing would run.
Many of the victims of these smooth
fakirs are among the best known fami-
lies IN Wichita. but no class or station
was exempt. from washerwOman to the
bankers wife. The fellows were very
smooth. and they knew their pieces we'll
One of them recently happened in at a
place where a cottage prayer meeting
vas in progress, and protested to be
deeply religious and offered up a de-
yOut prayer for the good of Wichita.
Next day ne went back into that neigh
borhood and sold a lot of irons.
After an hOur spent in wrangling in
court a COMPROMISE was declared by
which the agents paid over so. which
was about all the money they had, TO
be used to buy back the irons of those
that were not satisfied with their pur-
chase.
Judge Stanley was appointed grand
keeper of the excheQuer, and w. A.
Ayers, grand custodian of irons. A fine
Of $lu0 each was assessed up against
Green and Garfield. but his was sus
pended on condition that they at once
leave town and neither sell or deliver
any irons in the city of Wichita