A PECULIAR FRAUD.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume IV, Issue 972, 18 June 1883, Page 4

A PECULIAR FRAUD.

One of systematic swindles | perpetrated in Victoria for some time} Las just been brought to light. It ap-| pears, according to report, that some twelve or eighteen months ago a certain young grdcer established businesses in three distinct places, viz., one Sa Madeline street, Carlton, one in| Courtney street, Hotham, and the Other in Errol street, Hotham. The last earned he made his head quarters ; and his custom was to trade as Riordan and Co., wine and spirit merchants. | He stocked his three establishments to fepletion with 'goods such as grocers deal in, obtained from some of ilie leading wholesale houses in Melbourne. With these he made a brilliant show as a tradesman, and soon drew to himself a large share of public patronage. Thus he flourished, and continued to do until lately. Having once made a good start, however, the brilliant idea occurred to him that he Gould trade better upon a stock of empty tins and sham packages than upon a large reserve of genuine articles. It would make as great a show and would not diminish business. He traded mostly tor cash, his principle being “ small profits and quick returns,” with the addendum “no credit to be allowed if possible.” Consequently as his stock of genuine articles diminished he replaced the packages by boxes of sawdust, and the pickles and sauces by bottles of water, each, however, being duly labelled and bearing every insignia of the geuuine article. This process went on until very lately, and it is wonderful how appearances were kept up at the expense of honesty and economy. Latterly the youngCTOcetshpwed up he the winding-up arrangements in the same masterly fashion. One of his first transactions was to negotiate with a pawnbroker—a Jew —and, strange to say, he got quite the better of him in a monetary, a Thep pawnbroker bought thadcemunfng one of the shops as a clearance transaction at what he thought an advantageous figure. But when, some days afterwards, be came to-examine the packages he found sawdust and water where there should have been sugar and sauce. He was thus the lqser by about L3O instead of a 50 per cent profit. In the meantime the young grocer decamped. When his departure became known there were anxious enquiries in many quarters. It Soon transpired that the delinquent had left cregito»&,jt!9 Ilarge: amount, and that when all these were added together. the sum total equalled about Nearly every case in each of the three places where he carried on business to be filled with some spurious 'matter Legal proceedings have been instituted by several persons., ~