The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1917-02-15
GET HUNDREDS IN KENOSHA
Men Who Are Selling Inferior Jewelry
Catch Many Victims and District At
torney Begins Investigation Of
Complaints Filed With Him.

District Attorney Fisher has been
appealed to with a view Of ending the
working of diamond" and jewelry
agents of Chicago companies who have
been working in Kenosha Several
complaints have been lodged with him
by local men who have paid exorbitant
prices for all but worthless jewelry.
They insist that they have been
threatened with suits by the Chicago
companies when they failed to make
payments and that although they have
offered to turn back to the company,
with loss of the amounts paid, the
cheap iewelry and bogus diamonds,
that the companies have refused to ac-
cent such return. One suit, brought
by one Of these companies, is now
pending in the Municipal Court of
Kenosha county and the judge at this
court on Monday afternoon turned
over the pleadings in the case to the
district attorney and asked that he
make an investigation with the posi-
bic idea Of bringing charges of obtain
ing money under false pretenses
against some of the Chicago promoters
of these "iewelry clubs.
It is claimed that the agents of these
clubs come to Kenosha every Tuesday
and work largely among men employed
in the factories of the city. They
make liberal offers and have some won
derfully fine looking samples which
they show, but before the jewelry is
delivered the victim is forced to go to
Chicago and sign up number of judg-
ment notes, These notes are pushed to
the limit and the helpless victim is
forced not only to pay high price for
iewelry, but he is also forced to pay
ruinous rates of interest.
"'It is a hard matter to get at, -
said Attorney Fisher on Monday. ~
feel certain that people of the city are
being defrauded by these companies,
bat it is a hard matter to get the man
who is actually to blame for the swim
die Tracks are covered with lot of
care and there is a chain of men
through which the contracts go which
is very hard to break through. People
in the city should be warned against
dealing with these men at all. 1t may
be that such an order would be hard
ship against some fair dealer, but the
best idea is to buy this stuff right here
in Kenosha. The man who buys this
stuff in Kenosha knows just who he is
buying it Of and he also knows who
he can start an action against if he is
fooled in the value of it. For the
most part these people work among
the foreigners of the city and they
manage to get away with considerable.
The complaints I have would scarcely
warrant seeking to bring men from
Chicago by extradition and if this
course was to be prusued it would
be difficult to lay your hands on
the right man, +"
Trade organizations in Kenosha are
urging the prompt arrest of these men
when they work in Kenosha and peo-
pie approached are urged to immedi-
Rtely notify the police department
Every one of these men should have q
city license, but lot of them work
without it. Demand the license be
fore you talk with any of the people
and if they have no license turn them
over to the police. Tt is declared that
many hundreds of dollars have been
lost by Kenosha people within the
last few weeks as a result of the oper-
atoms of these "salesmen.