Evening star., 1881-12-31
,o, lSo Diodu"ay
NEW YORK. Goth December, 1881.

tEctifn7' aaad tfse HaSVnbrOkerSs
To the Editor of THE EVENING STAR:
Yesterday gentleman called my attention to
an article signed Victim" which appeared in
The STAR of the 2Sth inst which article de-
nOunced the District code generally and pawn
brokers specially. No one who had not a pri-
vate grievance or who was not actuated by some
sinister motive could have denounced the pawn
brokers of this city recklessy as the party who
wrote over the signature of Victim" do not
lear that Representative HscOck Will see that
the criminal code of the District. so far as it
relates to pawnbrOkers, will be Overhaued be-
cause he has suffered. 1t is in reply to other
statements of said communication that this arti-
Gle is written. "Victim'' homes that if there be
no law authorizing persons to take their prop
erty ION sight wherever found in this District,
that there will be- Encourage thieving. If
thieves had the control of legislation for the
District they could not make law which would
that suggested by Victim" must surrender
articles 'On sight" at the demand of every
Claimant, The thieves in Washington could
desire nothing better; they would only have to
walk INTO the various stores and places where
Valuables are to obtain every thing which they
might desire Such would unavoidabIy be
the practical effect of the enactment
OF the law advocated by ''Victm' Persons
thus robbed could only fold their arms and look
on. Even ii law be passed which authorizes a
counter claim is presented, it would be prepos-
ferrous. loan to A. b. money on All article: the
next day C. ID. walks in and claims said article
'.on sight to be his; he takes it away ION
sight. After an interval of month from the
cay on which the loan was made A. B. offers to
redeem the property pledged; l reply some one
mas claimed and taken away your property. ]
have no means of finding c. ID. to punish him for
obtaining goods by false pretences. / must paw
A. b. the value of the article of which | was
be pleaded to justify me he must suffer- How
many like G. ID. would be fOckin@ to nv store
daily to take away ION sight goods to which
tney had no other title beyond that of seeing
them am not familiar with the laws of this
District governing the restoration of stolen
goods. but | maintain that no one should be
empowered to take away any article by merely
Claiming it ION sight by merely swearing
that sad article was stolen from him. He should
at least be required. before taking away such
property, to insure the party from whose pos
session such property is taken against any loss
which might be otherwise incurred thereby
Victim" thinks that if money advanced on
stolen goods be not refunded by the owners
that pawnbrOkers will be more particular in
their dealings. This style of reasoning corre-
spends with the rest of the logic in the article
referred to. No paWnbrOker who is honest will
receive stolen goods, knowing them to be
stolen OF having reasonable ground to suspect
that they are stolen: they who receive stolen
goods could easily avoid detection by conceal
ment of said goods. If the pawnbroker be dis
honest. it is difficult to conceive that stronger
stimulus could be given him to conceal all slls-
pected goods than the adoption Of the plan sug-
gested by Victim
As to the charge that many pawnbrokers'
establishments are known to be Fences .'for
thieves" l did not know this. and if Victim
knows it, his knowledge on this point is superior
to mine. There should be, if there is not. a
penal law against persons who cause to be pub
lished serious charges against any one. A man
who charges that pawnbrOkers are ''agents of
thieves, and their establishments ''depOsitories
of stolen goods" should be punished for wlful
and malicious libel unless he furnishes proof to
support his charges. or at least show that he
had specific and reliable grounds upon which
to base such grave accusations.
PAWBROKER