THE FREE "FOTO" FAKE.

NZ Truth, Issue 158, 27 June 1908, Page 5

THE FREE "FOTO" FAKE.

AND THE PICTURE FRAME FRAUD. )

Complaints Against Several Crooked Concerns.

HOW THE BLACKMAIL IS LEYiED.

What Are the Police Doing?

That swindling sbindicate, the AngloAmerican Art Company, has been repeatedly exposed m these columns, but it still continues to prey upon the credulity, and trustfulness .of women m isolated places, writes "Truth's" Christchurch correspondent. Making a present of alleged enlargements of photos which have been pencilled into a hideous unlikeness of the original, the crafty company makes a substantial charge for worthless frames .that are glued around the^nnisiied "picture," and threaten Court proceedings .when the. victim whimpers. The blastiferdus impostors haven't the courage to try any of their nanky-j>anky business on with a man, but harass and terrify unsuspecting women with formal demands, and practically blackmail toe victims by keeping treasured photos until the exorbitant demands are complied with; Occasionally, however, they strika a lady 'who shows figitj attd "Truth" is plea^d to hear ol such a one atMussellmrgh, in* the vicinity oi Dunedin. The insinuating canvasser oi the unwholesome company succeeded m obtaining a photograph from "Mrs Gather line Helm, of tjueen's Drive, Musselburgh, on the understanding that she was to pay 80s by instalments for a framed enlargement, provided the picture was finished to her liking. The company religiously collected' instalments till 108 had been I paid, then discontinued calling for tne small sub. for a period of three months. As money and photograph seemed to have vanished into the wide, wide world, Mrs Helm wrote vigorously to the company s Dunedin address, asking it what it meant 0 by its unprincipled silence. Finally, the W nameless representative of tbecosttycom"■fsny. wrote- notifying that he would bring round " < ffie'enlargement for inspection, on Juno 10, and "duly arrived mtti . HIS ABORTION OP A PICTURE. Thu production was remarkable., principally for its' unlikeness to Mrs Helm ; m fact, it was a gross libel. White 6po*s S/ere shown. in the eyes, giving near the appearance of 'being wall-eyed, the hat was thrown round to the back •of her head m a reckless fashion, and m • other tespects the enlargement was an outrage Upon the appearance of a self-respecting woman. The lady promptly intimated that she didn't like the picture, whereupon the currish canvasser got quite nasty, ana had the beastly impudence to remark that she. wasn't going to take the picture, as he knew when he came inside !bhe door. As a matter of fact, Mrs Helm was very anxious to obtain an enlargement* of a cherished photo, but she refused to accept the hideous botch that the company had made of it. Whereupon the baffled brute picked up the horrible thing, and, remarking that the lady would heaar from the company's solicitors, went raging into the street. Neirfc day Mrs Helm received the following precious epistle :«- Anglo-American Art Co. ..,'•!-- .-■.: Auckland, June », 1908. Mrs Helm, '■■■■„ » Dear Madam,— , Re your photo, if this matter is not settled within seven days, from above date we will be reluctantly compelled to place the matter m the hands of ou& tolicitors. • We remain, , • , Dear Madam, . .-.'.... ■'■ ' Yours faithfully * .;., . .Manager Anglo-iAmeriean Art Co. 'This remarkable production seems to hive been dated a day prior to the- canvasser's. calPon Mrs Helm. The communication is written on . letter paper giving the company's Melbourne and Auckland addresses, and the Dunedin office is also stamped upon .it, but for the purpose ot conveying a terroxsome impression, the letter is dated as from Auckland, and the victim is threatened by the "Manager," although it will be noted there is no signature |o the precious epistle; m fact, there is nothing m it to identify anybody with the company or the unfortunate vic^ tim. Mrs Helm has announced her intention to pay nothing to the unconsciona- . ble company until the T photo is done to her liking, and "Truth" pauses, M6e to ' applaud the sturdy lady. Moreover, this' paper advises her to write to the cowardly company's representative demanding, the original photograph, and the moneys already paid on account under pain of: proceedings by civil, process. The crawling crihgers deserve a drop of their own nauseous medicine. . . ■ . \ Now' "Truth" takes the credit to itself that it has done a public service ia ex- ' posing these exploiting- frauds, the photo- . enlarging and picture-frame fakers, and it is not going to abate. one jot the hard and caustic remarks it has made. on these swindlers m the past few months. IC is very evident, judging from the strictures passed by this paper's Christchurch rep» resentatiye, that that swindling and cowardly■:' concern, the Anglo-American Art Company, is bent on pursuing its. crooked 1 games right throughout the length and breadth- of the Dominion, but this eon- . cern, "Truth's" exposnre of which recently landed it m, the Wellington Police Court, where Magistrate Riddell fined'the manager; one Robinson, for > a breach oi recent legislation forbidding bum-bailiffs and other sharks from coun--terfeiising court orders,, ought to take i,it to heart that wherever any of their shatp canvassers are, so also will "Truth" t« found,, and where "Truth" doesn't circyi&ic ift New Zealand, isn't a place within the meaning of the Act. .It does copie •rathe.r as.a heart-breaker to "Truth/", after, haying;, denounced these blackmail jug; jiumlmgs, after having shown that the "&n!;lo ; -Araerican Art Company," "Tfie Imperial Art, Company," "The' National t . Company" and other mushroom-like cpneerns, are. nothing else k t »£- BUT FRAUDS AND CHEATS and close on the criminal lino, $> ■^c^eivi}- the following letter :~ * ' yrttxw*: v j (To the Editor.) Sir.—Being a reader of your paper, I would like to knov/ if you could give jv-me a little --. information concerning this Company. The canvasser! tf.icailerl .at the liouse and pressed ray , wife; ['■■ '»:< 4itf {rive, .him a photo fqr enlargement/. 1 :*•;;'' Jree o? charge," and when he cam*: ;.back Ihe second time lie had with him: • some . simples for framing .nnd v/anfod ' her to t°Vp the Dick, hut she said she had sonic samples for framing and wanted, • the photo back, which lie refused, so J • have rcwived this threat, which I enc}ose,*and ask you kindly if they can enforce .you to pay. ■This letter is signed by a Vogel-streeii resident, and the threat enclosed is the usual gag, ..which has before received prominence in -these columns. "'l I ruth'\ will 'let this Vtigel-street resident know what this Imperial Art Company is. It is ownv ed' ; and controlled by a sharp-snouted Melr "bourne Jew. The idea of the canvassetfis "to obtain possession of a photograph by ' hdok or Yif crook, and if the photograph -.. 'is that of soine near and dear and <le- ■ ceased relative or friend, so much the better for' the crooked concern m its dealings ' with lib- victims. They blackmail a householder into purchasing a frame for i a valueless; enlargement and the photograph is tlie weapon they wield. Not until the victim pays the price (the Ar<; Company's;, own price) for an often rotten irame will tha 1 photograph he returned, and it is questionable whether the wretched rooking concerns are not guilty

of an offence m retaining* the photograph and using it as an instrument of blackmail. As for the thieving and blackmailing concerns themselves resorting to lagal proceeding* to make their victims pay up, that is the last thing thought of. They dread a Court of Justice as Tommy Taylor shuns shypoo, and if half their threats of legal proceedings were carried into execution "Truth" would be provided with much copy and the exposure the concerns would receive would drive them out of the country. The most impudent of all these blackmailing "joints" is that one m Taranaldstreet, which carries on its dubious pho-to-enlarging and picture-framing business under the india-rubber stamped name of "The National Art Company." Owing to the pressure on our space for the past week or two, "Truth" has been unable to deal as it desired with the complaint of a Berhampore resident, who has had ,• AN EXPERIENCE WITH THESE SCHEMERS, and m the not altogether vain hope that others will profit by the lady's misfortune m having had any truck with the tricksters, ii her© deals with the matter. This victim writes ;— "'I was m Gisborne m January last when, a travelling canvasser for the National Art Company called ottering to enlarge photos free of charge— just for an advertisement. If they were ap'•proved of I was to order- the frame from the company. I gate the order for two enlargements. \A couple of days later ; another of their > canvassers ap-, peared and brought a sample of frames, telling me that I must pick a frame and pay a deposit, and until I paid a deposit they would not go on with the photos. However, I picked the frames and paid a 2/6 deposit on each photo. The photos to be delivered m six weeks' time and £2 to, be paid on. delivery." After that the lady remained some time m Jimmy Carroll's stronghold and came to Wellington., having heard no more about the pictures or the frames till four or five weeks ago, when a letter written to Gisborne from the National Art Obmpan^s "headquarters" m Wellington, w»s forwarded to the lady, having been readdressed from Gisborne. It, was notified that the pictures were ready, and the crook concern . being again communicated with, a canvasser called on the lady and said the photos were on hand for delivery. She, however, was unable to pay on the spot for both, but offered to pay for one. The canvasser took £1 from her, but declined to leave one photograph, one of herself which she wished to present to her son who was to be married about that time. The canvasser declared that he had been instructed to collect i£2, otherwise he could not leave the photos. Of course, the lady protested, but the National Art crowd ARE A CUNNING, GREEDY LOT, .and this is their reply j— | ' Dear Madanv-Sorry we cannot com* ply with your, wish re delivering picture as the order m the first place was (cash on delivery). But when full amount is paid off . one and 10s (ten shillings) oil the second, we shall be pleased to deI Jiver at your . request,— Yours faithfully, .National Art Co. 'Continuing her letter, the lady says :— "I have every right to have the one photograph as it is paid for m full. 1 hold two separate tickets for the photos. One photo is fully paid off, and 2s 6d off the other. . . . but Ido not know I it I am right m saying it, but I am under the impression that I cojuld compel them to give me the one I paid for. - It does not seem just to hold the two' when one is. paid for. Can you tell me if I am right ? , . "Truth," m these circumstances, and if the photographs .have not been, delivered, certainly advises, this lady to take immediate proceedings to recover her photos. This National Art Company is a scheming, blackmailing concert , and a little exposure of their methods m the Police Court would help to focus public attention on them. The best advice, however, that "Truth" can possibly give to everybody is to shun* THESE SWINDLING SCHEMERS. They have been given plenty of latitude, and if they are . not careful they will land themselves into the clutches of the .Law. Moreover, "Truth" is sick and tired of exposing the humbugs ; ''sufficient space I has been given them, and if people are [ foolish enough to nlay with fire, it's them own fault if they are burned. ■'