American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1876-09-16
\ PHASE OF HARD TINES.
IN UENSE BUSINESS DOVE
BY WNBR OhERS.
Rooms Packed with Household
Utensils and E!orkingme1's
TooIs-FamiIy Bibles Pawned
Diamonds Turned Over for

y
upon the pawnbrokers for loans,
money lenders have not only been
compelled to reduce the amount OF
the loans on articles taken, but
have placed limit to the accom-
mediation. Inside of every pawn
shop in town now hangs II sign:
sNot more than $25 loaned on any
articlr.n
"What is that for 2" said Sun
reporter to Uncle Simpson, pointing
to the sign.
"That means just what it says.
We couldn't let people have all the
money they want. Why, we would
need more money than there is i'll
the United States Treasury.
GLOW much money have you
loaned out ?"
81 suppose the firm has out $3.50,
| 900, and sometimes more than that !;
money comes in and goes out all the
UIllC. W u ttiS IiOU
deal. In fact, things have been so
dull lately that the sales of gooiS
unredeemed have, in many ia
stances, not realized the amount of
the original loans. There Is such a
lot of old truck comes in that really
amt worth anything"
''But you get a great deal ofjewelry
down town."
! dyes; thuse fellows over in the City
Hall get hard up just before pay day,
and they put away great deal of
! jewelry; and business men often
want enough to make up II note or
bill. They generally take the things
out again; but the poor people who
come with coats and dresses leave
them. Then we have to store the
stuff for Il year and take the chance
of getting our money back"
The clerks said that they had not
known such demand for money in
years. The poor were parting with
every thing they had, and they were
compelled to stop loaning on many
articles which IN ordinary times they
would receive.
Ga the extreme east and west sides
the pawnbrOkers have done a ire
mendouS business. At one eStab-
lishment IN e ghth avenue tiveelerks
are engaged from o'clock A. NJ to s
P. NJ. taking in goods. The build
ing, Of five stories, is packed from
cellar to garnet. Rooms are devoted
to special articles. All the dresses
each days collection by itself-are
kept i'll a separate apartment, ana
the silks, merinOs, Sc, classified so
that they can be readily found.
They had on hand over thousand
dress es. varying in value from fifty
cents to $3.50 each. In one room on
the third floor the racks around the
walls were filed with large, square
packages, covered with canvass
What are those?" asked the re-
porter.
Them's family Bibles, and very
fine editions, too, most of them"
said the clerk, uncovtring one, and
showing the ornamental binding
and gilt edges. "INe loan from 50
to So apiece on them. There is over
143, and some rf them have been
there for u very long time. People
will do without IA Bible easily when
they are hungry, but don't like to
lose the books altogether, so they
pay the interest and keep them here
There are a great many of them
containing family pediSr-es, mar
Iiases, and deaths. They ain,
worth SO much, but the people who
pawn them generally take them out
before the end of the year"
The room adjoining was filled
with carpenters tools; saws hung
around the walls, and piles of NOR
tise chisels, planes, stocks and cen
tire bits lay piled up on the floor,
each article bearing a ticket upon
it
You see, said the clerk, "the
workingmen amt had anything to
do, and then they live as long rs
they can upon their tools. We amt |
takin' any more of these Clicking !
gainst Il quantity of trowels used
by brick layers) We shut down on |
them. They amt worth anything /
much, and we are getting such ii
lot of tools. If we had taken all
the old buck SAWS and psanrs and
trowels that have been offered we
woull have had the building filed"
"1Ou have a great may fiat irons
Eyes; but we have shut down on
fat irons. We used to give three
cents pound for them, but we had
to stop it. They are such bother
10 handle, and they amt worth any
thing. We have had enough fiat
IRONS come here to sink fligate.
They really amt worth The storage
The walls in most of tho rooms
were covered with mirrors, good
and bad. of all size and shapes
Being asked whether mirrors had
been Slut down. on yet the clerk
said, " NJ; glasses always sell we'll
These second hand dealers buy
hem at the sales, and we can always
get back what we lend on them"
SLOW much do you lend on them?"
"We'l, one like this (touching a
class which looked like sheet of
, ack tin, and which made the ,
lie Ks eyes apparently rise upward
fl :r his forebead) give about ,
fifty cents on. We get lot like
his. When people get hard up
hey don't care about admir;ns tie