The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1918-12-28
BOLD CHICAGO FOOD HOG
IS TRAPPED BY A FARMER
Who Praises 1t Very Highly, But Who De-
means It When Sending Draft in Payment.

There are Food Hogs in dear
old Chicago as well as on Mich
igan St., Duluth. Michigan fruit
and vegetable growers are their
favorite prey and it took a Mich
igan vegetable grower to proper
Qy catch Chicago crook.
Henry G. Boughner consigned
225 bushels of new potatoes and
IS crates Of cucumbers to a Chi
cago commission merchant. Each
crate contained seven dozen fine
cucumbers, worth anywhere from
$3.50 to $685. a crate, according
to quotations in that days bulle-
tins. The new home grown pota-
toes were quoted at $1.75 to ST.
Is on the same day and the day
following.
Mr.. Boughner not only was a
man of means but worldly wise,
as well. His experience was am
pie to make him unafraid in
asserting his rights and he was
constitutionally opposed to being
waylaid and robbed of the fruits
Of his toll.
A few hours after the freight
train started to Chicago with
Mr.. Boughner's consignment of
potatoes and cucumbers, he took
the night express for Chicago,
where he arrived several hours
ahead Of the freight train.
Getting his breakfast, Mr..
Boughner took a taxicab to the
office Of his consignee. Giving 9
fictitious name, he posed as a
prospective purchaser Of new po-
tatoes and cucumbers. The COM
mission merchant was all smiles
and handed out a chair and big
cigar just like a Michigan street
Food Hog would have done.
II want a lot of stuff and I
will pay cash." the Michigan
man informed the commission
merchant.
The commission man smiled,
rubbed his hands and played the
genial host to a finish.
81 have a car consigned to me
from a man in Michigan who
never sends me anything but
prime goods. The consignment
will be in the yards in a few
hours" the Chicago Food Hog
said.
Mr.. Boughner made an ap-
pointment for l 80 p. m. to ex-
anime the produce.
At the appointed hour the
Michigan man was taken to the
yards and shown the produce
that he had SHIPPED the day be-
fore. The commission man was
loud in his praises Of the stuff.
He declared that he always could
depend on getting good produce
from Boughner Of Michigan.
The canny Boughner paid
cash for his own produce. The
potatoes cost him 1925 per bush
ell and the cucumbers $6.15 a
crate, the very top price.
In the meantime the Michigan
grower had made arrangements
to resell his stuff to another
merchant. He received 1920
for the potatoes and Sc for the
cucumbers. He then went back
to his hotel until his son, up in
Michigan, could send him invoice
bulletin and check from the COM
mission merchant to whom the
produce had been consigned.
In couple of days the returns
came and Boughner's check was
$605.75 instead Of $75308. which
would properly account for sale
of the produce, less the 10 per
cent commission allowable to the
consignee for disposing of the
shipment. In a letter it was
claimed that the potatoes were
short nine bushels and that the
cucumbers were so wilted as to
be unstable as prime goods.
Boughner's wrath mounted to
high pitch as he took a taxicab
to the office of the swindling
commission merchant. That in
dividual was all smiles as he
greeted Boughner, thinking that
he had a customer for another
narpe order Of nroduce.