I have never pretended that my fellow Francos were perfect. We've had a few bad grapes in the wine vat.
Today's post from the (online) Los Angeles French Museum showcases an illustrated trade card (i.e. early business card) from Edward Dupuy's feed store at 10 East Second Street. It reminded me of the time Dupuy (who was not related to the Pyrenees Castle Dupuys) tried to defraud a farmer and wound up in court.
I'll let the July 13, 1887 edition of the Los Angeles Times take it from here (paragraph breaks are mine):
It appears that on June 18th Louis Erbes, a farmer, drove up to the store of E. Dupuy with a load of potatoes for sale, and though other buyers offered to take them, sold the load to Dupuy for 70 cents a hundredweight, and they were unloaded in his store. As it was late, however, Dupuy did not pay for the potatoes, but told Erbes to call around the next day for his pay.
Erbes, being otherwise engaged, could not get around on the next day, which was Saturday, but called at the store early on Monday morning, during which time he heard that potatoes have gone down in price, and congratulated himself that he had sold on a falling market.
On reaching Dupuy's store, great was Erbes' surprise to find that his beautiful potatoes, which he had unloaded there on Friday night, were - according to the purchaser's story - rotten and of no use in the market at any price. In support of this information, Mr. Dupuy showed Erbes a sample of the tubers, which he said was taken from one of the sacks left in the store on Friday night.
Erbes could not believe that his beautiful "praties" had so deteriorated, and cutting open another of the sacks in the pile proved to Dupuy that they were all good in that sack, and wanted to open a few more in proof of his assertion.
At this, Dupuy got mad and said that he would not take the potatoes, and that unless Erbes moved them away he would have them "dumped." At this Erbes got riled also, and refusing to take away the potatoes instituted suit for the price of them, bringing witnesses into court who testified to the effect that the potatoes were of the best. Mr. Dupuy brought witnesses who testified to the contrary.
Justice Taney, having listened to the testimony in which it appeared that the falling market had something to do with the remarkable change wrought in the potatoes in so short a time, gave judgment in favor of the plaintiff for $37.50 - the full amount claimed - and costs.
What a scummy thing to do.
