South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-08-10
CLEVER YOUNG MAN
WORKS HOUSEWIVES
Induces Them to Order Towel
ing at Cut Rates and Sells
Rich Dress Goods.

MUNCIE, Ind, Aug. 1O.-f you
were a thrifty housewife, with wom-
ans natural love of a bargain, and a
gOOd-looking, strange young man,
wearing "a hunted" look and carrying
large leather suit case, should call
at your home and in a husned voice
asked to be permitted TO sell you linen
toweling, all you desired of 1T, at two
and a half cents a yard, and long turk
ish bath towels at 80 cents a dozen.
what would you do, especially if you
were TO pay down no money until the
stranger delivered the goods TO you?
Probably what scores of well-to-do
Muncie women did. They gave him or
derS for hundreds of yards of towel
ing and scores Of dozens of Turkish
towels. and only now has it dawned
on them that they have ben victimiZed
by one of the smoothest tricks that has
been worked; and the peculiar thing
about the matter is that it is unlikely
any punishment can legally be intiict-
ed on the salesman, should he be
caught.
The young man on making his prop
osition to the housewife, opened his
suit case to bring out samples of the
tOweling, and in doing so permitted
her to have a flash" of rich dress
goods carried in the bottom of the
case. Then he quickly shut up the
case and made no reference TO the
fact that he was carrying anything
except toweling After taking the order
the salesman opened his case again,
placed back his samples and started
as if to go, making casual converse
ton in regard TO the weather. the
crops or anything else that might
come to his mind while permitting his
customers curiosity concerning the
contents of the case to develop.
In nearly every case the woman
would say, on seeing the salesman
preparing to leave, 90, haven't you
some dress goods in among your
samples? ?"
Yes, sell dress goods. too" he
would reply, at the same time starting
toward the door. but just now L am
specializing on towels"
BY this time the customers curio-
sity would be ready to touch off.
and she would ask permission to view
The dress goods. Then the young
man would bring out a bewildering
array of beautiful silks and other
goods. Thinking these must neces-
sarily be cheap in price, because OF
he exceeding cheapness of the towels,
The housewife who had any money at
home would invariably buy a pattern
or two, and would pay the cash on the
spot for them, although the prices
were actually much higher than those
charged at the local stores. She re-
ceived these goods on the spot.
After a sale of this kind the young
man left, after promising TO be around
I'm a few days with the towels. But he
never returned and the woman never
received the towels.
Sometimes in order to excite fur
ther the curiosity of women he would
see sitting on a front porch, he would
tell them. after announcing his towel
ting prices, that he could not show his
samples outdoors. Nine times out OF
ten. the women would then invite him
indoors, where. with an air of mystery,
he would book orders for toweling and
probably make cash sales OF dress
goods.
AS the statesmen did not actually col
lect money for the undehvered towels
and was even shrewd enough 20 re-
| fuse money rendered 10 him in ad-
vance by custOmers-and as the wom-
en- bought the dress goods with their
I eyes open. il is doubtful If the young
man is guilty OF any criminal act.
| even though he is a gay deceiver"
and took out of town many hundreds
of dollars.