The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1917-06-08
To the Public.
Edgerton. Wis. Jun,

( 70, 1917,my wife entered the store of
Pringle Bros. Company in this city
for the purpose of making some pur-
chases. While in the store she saw
some machine crocheted doilies which
attracted her attention because of the
similarity of their pattern to that of
some doilies which she was crochet
| ing. She took two or three doilies
out of her warkbag and compared the
pattern of those in the store with hers
and put her own back in her workbag
again. On the following Monday,
being May 28th, she received letter
from Pringle Bros. Company, as fol-
lows:
Saturday Night,May 26th
Mrs. S. F. Smith,
Edgerton, Wisconsin,
Dear Madam:-Upon evidence fur
nished us tonight by four eyewit-
nesses, who were customers in this
store, we request that you return the
articles taken from the top Of one of
our show cases here this evening
| about 8:15 o'clock.
Yours truly,
Pringle Bros. Company.
Upon receiving this letter Mrs.
Smith went down to the store and
talked with two of the responsible
heads Of the Company, who advised
her that four girls had been in the
store and claimed to have seen her
steal six of these doilies. Mrs. Smith
explained to them what had actually
happened and later she confronted
the four girls who claimed to have
seen her take these articles and told
them what had happened. The girls,
however, felt very positive, or claimed
to, that they had seen her take these
articles. Mrs. Smith does not know
the name of these girls and Pringle
Bros. Company refuse to tell her OF
to tell her attorney who they are.
Upon my advice Mrs. Smith then con-
suited an attorney in this city who
took the matter up with Pringle Bros.
Company and asked them to do one Of
two things, first, if they were not sat-
isfied with the denial which Mrs.
Smith made, that she had taken these
articles, to make complaint against
her so that she would have an oppor-
tunity to meet the charge or,second, if
they were satisfied in their own mind
that she had not stolen these doilies
to admit the mistake so that Mrs.
Smith would have some means Of
clearing up this charge against her.
Pringle Bros. Company, through the
responsible heads of the Company,
have refused to do either of these
| things which leaves Mrs. Smith in the
situation of having an accusation
made against her which she has no
opportunity to meet, because her &C
] cusers refuse to prosecute. In as
much as this incident in an exagger-
ated form has been maliciously and
falsely spread about through the city,
we take this means of advising the
general public that Mrs. Smith is not
guilty Of the charge which has been
made and to say that she stands ready
at any time to face her accusers in
Court and to settle the question of
veracity between them. do this
| for the reason that there is no other
means left by which the general pub
| lie may be advised of the actual facts
| in this matter. Our attorney has re-
peatedly requested that Pringle Bros.
Company file formal complaint for the
! purpose of testing it out. We thought
this reasonable request. If custom
ers of this store are to be charged
with stealing and given no opportuni-
! ty of meeting the charge, and the
Company refuses to retract the same
it seems to me that they are working
serious injustice upon innocent peo-
pie and that they make it hazardous
for any person not attended by COM
petent witnesses to enter their prem
Uses. Ii any person is not satisfied
with the denial of Mrs. Smith, | re-
spectfully request that he or she pub
lish this story in such way that we
may reach them, and I wish further
to warn all persons against repeating
the same because we will most GER
tainly bring an action for SANDER
against any person who does.
(Signed,) S. f. Smith.