The lack of customers made Einstein despondent. It is suspected that yesterday he sought to drown his low spirits in others. After a rather long absence he returned to his store and began to act as if the thought had struck him, “If I can’t sell ’em I can give ’em away.”
Einstein pulled in the first man that came along and made him a present of a pair of trousers.
“They cost me $4 wholesale,” said Einstein, tearfully. “I can’t sell ’em for $1.50. You’ve got fine legs; you will show off this check well. Take ’em, my friend, take ’em. But take my advice, too. You are a married man? Yes. You have children? Yes. Don’t wear ’em in the house when the babies are asleep.”
To the next man Einstein gave “a real Panama straw hat” knocked down from $19 to 90 cents; to the third a suit of near-silk underwear such as “the Sultan wears when he goes visiting.”
In a very short time 500 men and boys were scuffling to get into the store. Patrolman Buck could not restrain the mob, and sent for the reserves of the Alexander avenue police station.
“At last I have a bargain crowd,” cried Einstein. “See what a rush.”
Einstein thoughtlessly left his store. Policeman Buck grabbed him, charged him with intoxication and locked him up. Then Buck locked up the store.
Frederick A. White, fifty-six years old, who says he is a broker and lives at No. 345 West 116th street, was arrested yesterday by Detectives Fitzsimmons and Flood, of the District Attorney’s office, charged with swindling James H. Burns, of Knoxville, Tenn., out of lumber land in Marion, N. C., worth $65,000.
Burns says that through fraud and misrepresentation White obtained possession of the deeds to the property on May 10. Burns became suspicious, and, coming to this city, went to Police Headquarters, where, according to the police, he picked out White’s picture, No. 4,391, in the Rogues’ Gallery. He then communicated with the District Attorney’s office, and the alleged swindler was arrested in the office of W. E. Wells & Co., lumber dealers, at No. 29 Broadway.
Burns, who is staying at the Hoffman House, is the owner of extensive lumber lands in South Carolina. He came to this city in January, and advertised in an organ of the lumber trade that he had some property for sale. He says White, representing himself as a broker, called on him in answer to the advertisement, and said he had a prospective purchaser of the land. He introduced Burns to Frederick A. Cannon, who lives in The Bronx, as the ostensible purchaser. The negotiations which followed were completed in Washington.