New-York tribune., 1905-04-20
A STAMP AND A WOMAN.
Frenaied Mob Raids Big Store
Heard the Blue" Had Failed.

Women by the hundreds hocked to a store
al N0. l56 West 23d-st. yesterday afternoon.
led 10y rumors that the company was insoivent
They had books filled with blue trading stamps.
and they demanded everything from pins ana
needles 10 bodsteads. Tor them. They smashed
llatc glass door. broke all sorts OF furnishings,
blocked street traffic, lost babies and hurt them
and themselves. mobhed the saleswomen and
foorwalkers and were only overpowered by the
reserves Of the West 9th-st. station and the
mounted police.
The cause OF the rrmor was the shutting down
on trading stamps by the Fourteenth Street store.
The women gossped about II until the report
grew to r1smor that the store. which IS the East
ern agent for a trading stamp company whieh
issues the stamps for the Fourteenth street store
was insolveLt.
Tbis was late in the afternoon. Then women
hurried from an over the city. They arrived VIII
babies in arms. by the arm and in carriages. huh-
sireds were soon hand and the pavement over
flowed Every now and then woman would hold
ND a child and cry out: Whose baby is this?
Then fight would ensue 10 get the baby to It's
rightful owner.
inside the store the rush was terrific. Seventy
i've saleswomen had 10 be assigned 10 attending 10
the trading stamp business The managers ana
floor walkers made eXtemporaneous speeches 10 the
crushing women, declaring that the company was
ell right and that every stamp would he eashed
u did good.
The women did not wait TO have their orders at
tended TO- but graf pictures, chairs ornaments
and Furnishings Of every kind. and then threw the
books on the counter and tried 10 make their way
through The surging crowd with what they had
seized
some women caught up pictures. and others VINO
had been watching the same picture fought Tor
possession. These women had taken their stamp
books on hearing the rumor. gone 10 one OF the
blue stamp stores. made sufficient purchases 10 nj
their books and then gone 70 the Sd-st store 10
claim the article they wanted.
Hats were torn OF women's heads. wells rent,
dresses soiled and ripped and faces made red from
passion and saps.
! had this picture hrst," shTieked one. -
4 don't care il you did said another and bigger
woman who seized the picture OF Christ ana an
Easter lily and rushed of with IL. throwing down
a book with stamps in H.
The mounted policemen sent their horses through
the crowd and moved them this way ana that, blt
Few got out OF the street. and The mob was as pad
The doors making the women outside more Hls-
satisfied than ever. They Missed and cried ana
stoTmcI and At last the manager tried 10
paCify them by sending out a spokesman lot lls
COnpany. He chose woman. she squeezed
through the door and stood box and ad-
,5rossS5 ne crowd
..I.adies'' she cried though she was hardly heard
ten feet away. Ladies. this company IS S0i-
vent The company has q million dollars e
10 give f3T your hookfuls. We viii be mere lo-oas %
and tomorrow and year. LOOK at luat slGfl
Every one locked and read the sign on the win
."This business VIII remain forever"
OIatory did little good however. The rush con-
tinaed for -hree hours.
IL few at a time and let them out the same way.
This enced about O'Clock, and the store was al
Many WonleE fingered, but the manager ap-
peased them by saying:
he here tomorrow. II you want TO get your stamps
dashed.