Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-11-07
CLOTHING DEALERS
AFTER SUIT CLUBS
Say They Are Lotteries IN Violation of
Tic I.aw--Up to Chief Barlow
To Take Action.

Upon the protest of the regular
clothing merchants, Chief Of Police S.
NJ. Barlow has been requested to in
vestigate a number of suit clubs. run
bI tailoring establishments. which
they declare are nothing less than
gambling games and lotteries. AS
usual, Chief of Police Barlow could
not be found this morning, either at
his home or in his office at headquar-
ters. SO far as could be learned. Chief
Barlow has taken no action in tho
matter, :although he has received a
letter from Frank Kimball license in
Spector, asking him to proceed against
the tailor shops which are running
gambling games and bring them into
court. In the letter. Chief Barlow was
informed of the names and the adj
dresses of the establishmcntswh where this
gambling Is being carried on. Late this
afternoon In n dozen establishments
the drawing took place without any in
terruptlon from the police.
III the letter addressed to Chief of
Police Barlow are the names of Tom
Thompson Brown e Arnold. Ray
Dayncs, La Turinn e Warren. Woolf
g. Company. and several others. If
Chief Barlow has received the letter,
he has detailed none of his men to
investigate the gambling games,
which arc encouraging young men to
put their money In lottery.
Tom Thompson has seven clubs with
100 members in each club. There is
drawing every week and somebody
gets a suit. The suit is worth about SIS
or less and there is clear profit of
$50 week on each club for the
tailor.5a
1.aTuran & Warren conduct several
clubs of 40 members each which they
keep going the year round Some
members in these clubs hold num-
bers and draw a salary for keep
ing the club filed up.
Woolf and company have several
clubs consisting of about 500 men,
bcrs. Several times. Woolf's customs
ers declare that they have been
swindled and n complaint has been
issued against him for fraud. Richard
Burnham claims to be one of his lat
est victims. Burnham says he got a
suit after paying in $40 in the club.
The suit cost him $40, but when It
was delivered it did not fit. Burnham
asked to have it altered and Woolf
charged him SIS for it. He paid the
SIS but refused to pay the additional
$40 tackled onto the price. Wolf put
the bill in the hands of collector
who sued him. In the meantime
Woolf went to Burnham's house and
started civil action against him ana
a criminal warrant will also be issued
against him.
The other companies mentioned in
the letter conduct suit clubs on a
similar plan The clubs are composed
of young men who pay In ST each
week in the hope of getting n suit of
clothes cheaply. 1t encourages the
spirit of gambling and in the long
run the club members loose out.
In these clubs there are several
numbers which are distributed among
the employees of the shop and do not
count when they are drawn up. Some
of the clubs are mostly composed of
dummy names, and there Is not one
chance in 100 of a number drawn out
which n subscriber holds and for
which the tailoring company gives u
suit.
These establishments carry small
stock of goods on which they pay n
license. Most Of them however, are
agents for companies in the east and
the subscribers get readymade cloth
ing instead of tailormado garments
These suits are worth about ST. each
and the agent gets $40 or $40 for the
suit.
County Atty Lyon says that the suit
clubs are in violation of the state
statute and he will prosecute any firm
conducting club II the complaint is
sworn to by anybody who will furnish
the evidence. Mr.. Lyon says that he
tho clubs personally, but that any
member of club who can furnish the
Information can have n warrant OF
arrest.
Frank Iimball, license inspector.
says that In n number of states the