The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1874-03-20
From Our Regular Correspondent.
NEW YORK March. Is, 1874.

. ventilation and the other requisites fol
health and life But those dating back
thirty wears in the time past of the city
are fearful These houses are hives
>war;Iing with people. and possessing
absolutely HO cOnveniencss. Imagine
the condition of Il house twenty feet
wide. SiNTy feet deep, and six stories
hiZh. in the centre Of Il block. with
openings only in the front and rear, in
which are packed ten large families in
the upper FIVE stories, and imagine the
condition OF the people who live in them
In one such house twenty cases OF
I typhoid fever occurred in three months.
. PhiIonJhropi>tS have in this wide field
for effort. The crying necessity of New
York i Tor houses that can be rented
cheaply. and that furnish light, air and
water, ami in which cleanliness is a pos
SibiIty.
An writing OF poverty and tenement
houses, what springs 50 naturally 10 the
point Of ones pen as
PAwNBROKERS,
who are a queer SET and drive q queer
business. The pawnbroker isa man who
lends money on short time on collateral
security. Are You a widow. and is your
I boy Sickt You take a shawl to Moses,
and he advances YOU about One-fOurth
T' value at tremendous rate of interest,
twenty-five per cent per annum. This
supply gone, your best dress, YOUR extra
pair of shoes, your wedding-ring, YOUR
Bible, and finally your bed. lie takes
them all. for they are all saleable. You
get ticket for each article. and if Won
come within q year and redeem them.
all riShT; il nOt, at the end of year
they aF,' sold. Inside one of these shODs
YOU will see satin dress hanging ticket
ed beside Il calico skirt. shoes, Bible. re-
. yUiverS. musical Instruments, tools.
clocks, Kettles. skates. every species of
portable property under heaven, side by
side. But in the big safe in the back
room, you would, if you could get
peep therein, see other kinds of property
You would see diamonds. costly iewelry
and silver plate. For the poor are not
/ Shylochs. only customers Madame.
ON Fifth avenue, has spent more for
dress than her pressed husband can
I afford aud She does not ask him for
mOney. The ObsequiCus drpsSnaker
shows her that her diamonds can be easily
I removed from their settings, and bogus
I stoHe>, thlt an expert could hardly tell
from the genuine put in ut a triling cost.
I Then Moses or Simon Will be glad To
advance her what money she needs ON
\ the genuine stones. This she does. pay
ing a ruinOuS interest. and trying to save
| money enough ont of her allowance to
redeem them. And then ruined men
/ find these shops a convenient place to
| get temporary aid on jewels with which
/ they do not wish to part. For this class
| of customers there is a private side
I entrance
/ Speaking of removing genuine dia-
monds and supplying their places with
| paste. reminds me of little incident
| that excited the risibles of the fashion
ableS only two weeks ago. 4 lady on
! Fifthavenue had got Into trouble. She
/ had purchased thOusand-dOllar dresses,
/ and thOuSand-dOllar furS. and thousand
| dollar things generally, till her bill footed
up to a sum total that WITS frightful.
! Her husband had lost heavily in stocks.
/ She dared not ask him for the money,
/ and what was she 10 do She had dia-
mondS 10 the value of SIS. 600. She took
| these rings and bracelets and things and,
| hied her to u jewelers. who reset them
! with imitation stones that looked just
as well as the genuine, and on the gen
| Uine stones she raised the money to
| relieve her wants.
| In the meantime the husband had lost
money at gambling. and had debts of
honor which must be paid" How was
he to get IT, His wife's diamOndsl Cap
itaI idea, One morning he slipped them
in his pocket and went to n jewelers..
''Can you take stones out of iewe
and replace them with imitation"
''Cc~tain!y~
What would these be worth, or
rather what would You advance upon
them said he, pulling oHt the spark
ler's.
The ieweIer looked at them and look
ed up.
About Sl50r'
cone hundred and fifty, Why they
cost 50, OUO7
The originals doubtless did. We have
| the originals in our safe. We took them
out two weeks ago and put in these paste
ones"
The gentleman gave prolonged
whistle, and put them in his pocket and
| walked out.
There was doubtless a scene ut his
1 house. Doubtless he demanded why
| Madam. his wife, had pawned her jewels,
/ and doubtless she wanted TO know how
lie came to know it. How it was settled
/ never will be known.
| The pawnbrOkers are all shrewd men.
/ They not only know the exact value of
| every kind Of personal property, but
| they know exactly what it will bring at
/ auction.
I THE THIEVES
| use the pawnbrokers. If the thief has
stolen a watch or table linen, or hand
| kercliief he does not keep it. So the
pawnbrOker gets them at One-fOurth
their value, knowing that they will
never be claimed The marks are taken
Out Of articles Of cIOth-the eases of
watches are melted, if the material is
good enough and Others are substituted
in short no matter what the article is,
It Is disguised 50 that it, owner wouldn't
know il. II i a curious profession ard
full Of curious Incidents
THE BIG BUILDINGS.
The capitalists of New York, and some
who were rot capitalists, got, some years
ago "a Iuania for big buildings, and an
immense number were erected. But
none of them paid The HeT0id build
ing in Nassau street, one Of the busiest
locaIitie. in the city, was built ar a cost
OF millions. But it don't rent. The
cost OF the building il 50 enormous that
no one can afford 10 pay rent that will
be remuHerative. For instance, small
Offices on the third floor are held at 81
500 per year which rent requires an eX-
celieut business 10 pay. Men 90 10 ls--S
expensive buildings, where they can got
Fighter rents, and the big splendid build
ing- are empty The Domestic Sewing
Machiue 90. : building. corner Broad
way and Fourteenth. has never paid one
per cent on It's cost. ! could mention
twenty such building, the history Of one
answering for the rest The Domestic
Company pays a ground rent Of 80. 900
per gear and the cost Of the building
was simply euoruOuS. The,e buildings
arr splendid advertisements. but the pro-
pricrOr~ would have done better had
ti.ey used the newspaper.
TEMPERANCE.
The temperance movement IN the West
has had is effect on New York. though
the plan adopted can never be success
ful here. The liquor interest il too i'm
men-e. and the iawlc--ness Of the ele-
Inent effected by 1t is too dangerous to
Dc tackled in that way. But the good
people are at work nevertheless. in the
way / indicated in previous letters. and
they are strengthening their bands by
meetings Of personal solicitation. and
every other way. One good effect of
the agitation iia, been the awakening Of
the churches 20 tine evil Trinity Church
j. the richest religious corporation in the
country and her wealth il almost en-
tirplv In real estate. The singular fart
has been developed that TINS church
r-ut- one hundred and twenty buildings
to wholesale and retail liquor Dealers
Tho. T,-.-- Ii;.- called the attention Of the