Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-11-13
Willy ORIENTALS
FLEECE PUBLIC
SELLERS OF RUGS AND CURI0S
MAKE BIG PROFIT
Instead of Purchasing from Reliable
Dealers, Many Residents of Los
Angeles Pay Exorbitant Prices
for Poor Goods

what am I bid for this japanese
glass-bead portiere? Murder in the first
degree! Who would have thought such
a man lived in Los Angeles! Five
cents! Say, you want it on the in
stallment plan, don't you? What am
bid, gentlemen? I could scrape $40
worth of gold from the beads. If this
doesn't sell for $50 I'll quit the box"
This was the kind of talk made by an
auctioneer selling oriental goods in
Spring street establishment last night.
It was one among the hundreds of such
scenes and speeches that have been
going on in Los Angeles and the beach
cities for the last three years, during
which time hundreds of dollars have
been thrown away on worthless goods.
81 wonder" remarked a gentleman
living near Westlake park, when peo-
pie will learn that they can't get some
thing for nothing. It's against all civil,
natural and every other law, and yet
we have to keep learning 1t over and
over. Hereafter when I see cigars
marked Five cents, worth 10 cents
I'll know that they never were worth
but cents. The other day / bought a
rug from an Arabian. He said it was
of the finest wool from the sheep of his
native land. Well he 'fleeced' me all
right, didn't even remember whether
sheep were raised in Arabia or not until
l thought of David, the shepherd boy,
and then remembered that sheep were
raised somewhere In that country, and
took it for granted that they raised 'em
in Arabia. The salesman explained the
designs on the rug and told how the
bright spangles and things were
worked in, and bought it. / thought
those bright spots would catch my
wifes eye. I paid a fabulous price for
the rug. When reached home man
was there laying some carpet, and when
I told him what I had paid for the rug
he rolled over on the floor laughing ht
to kill. My wife didn't say anything,
but 1 knew what she was thinking"
A. G.. Hergrove, formerly of Pasa-
dent but now of Los Angeles, yesterday
told a reporter for The Herald of
another incident in which a shrewd
oriental came out ahead.
Paid Big Price for Poor Ware
1.-THE joke is on me-" said Mr.. Her
grove, but I'll tell it. When l was in
Pasadena a few months ago l passed
by a shop where one of the orientals
was selling at auction lot of china
ware. 1 had always believed the
heather Chinee' was straight, but /
found out a few things before L got
through WIN IIlS Oilb. OOuSuI d SCI
of the prettiest china you ever saw. 1t
glistened like silver. 1 paid a good
price for it, but not more than I
thought it was worth, because 1 had
always heard that real chinaware was
expensive. Well, I took it home and
gently placed it on the table, article by
article, to show my wife what a bargain
1 had made and how thoughtful had
been of her. One or two of my wife's
lady friends were there, but it didn't
make any difference in what Mrs. Her
grove said to me. Talk about curtain
lectures! The few words she said to
nue. linger yet in my memory. After
she and her friends had inspected the
dishes she looked at me and said:
well, this is the limit To pay such
price for such stuff! Allen, you men
know how to manufacture things, but
you can't be trusted to buy things. We
women have you beaten g. city block.
This is not china, it's the commonest
kind of clay" and she looked at me as
If she thought I was made of mora
common clay than the dishes.
"The fine chinaware had been made
in America. had patronized home in
dustry and didn't know it. But it had
come high. Since that time my wife
has been doing all the shopping"