Daily globe., 1882-09-18
CIGAR-BEALERS' SIGNS.
IHe Indian Maiden in uctaI iSuperseding
the 4neieMb Wrrrior Ot Wood.
New York World

"e 4neieMf Wrrrior Ot Wood.
New York World1
Between Canal and Houston streets in
Broadway is a handsome building where
are made the Indians who do duty in front
of cigar-stores. THE first step,'' said the
proprietor, when asked how he made the
figures, lis toward the dark ages. and
therefore we viii go down-stair short
walk to the basement followed, where
the guide took up the theme again
by saying: The popular idea is
that the sign which has become tpy
ical of the devotless to smoke was origin
ated by Sir Walter Raleigh, who, it is
claimed, introduced tobacco into England
after his Virginia discovery in 1886. 1t is
said that as Sir Walter got the tobacco
from the Indians, he in return concluded
to perpetuate their kindness by using an
Indian as sign. But had an Indian ever
visited shop where his counterfeit pre-
sentiment was he certainly would clauor
! for Sir Walters hair. Look at this, for
instance, which came from in front of a
cigar store in London, where it stood In
/ the year of our Lord 1701: wouldn't that
/ make an Indian warrior swear?''
The figure was of a copper-colored per-
son about -four feet in height. The form
was merely sort of a travesty on man
kind. The twO-inch pine boards, nailed
together, formed rough counterpart of a
human face. The figure bore a short
hatchet-Hke weapon, meant for toma-
hawk. "Now look here" sai3 the owner
of tho store as he led the way towards an
+ aicOye. Throwing aside a cuutain, he dis
played the stalwart form of Sioux chief {;
standing with uplifted arm,r the hand of
which grasped a cleaning weapon
Across the broad back hung a quiver of
arrows, and a long bow was grasped in the
left hand. On the shoulders hung a robe
of fuuS and the brow was encireied with
tuft of feathers. 'That figure" said the
proprietor. lis worth $3.50. It is one
solid piece of casting and weighs 300
pounds, The wooden carved figure is
rapidly falling into disuse, and we make
only the new metallic signs. Talking of
signs, let me show you one made. FOR
wholesale tobacconist at New Orleans.''
The sign represented broad prairie
the grass and sage brush apparently just
stirring under g breeze. In the back
ground the white-topped wagons of an en-
igrant train were just disappearing
while in the middle distance could be seen
a train of cars. Behind the figure of an
Indian warrior, a sQuaw and papoose were
silently watching the Indian. whose gaze
seemed fixed on the emmigrant train and
railroad cars as if fearing their approach.
That said the exhibitor, lis an idea of
the New Orleans man. He said that he
wanted group for sign manufactured
out of the idea in this line of poetry:
The Indian warrior passed. away passed
away with his fading race" The design
is our OWL The emigrant train disap-
pearing in the distance is typical of the
march of civilization which the pioneers
began in the west, and which was, contin-
ued by the railroads. The Indian warrior
stands looking at these evidences that his
race has run That group cost So, 200.
Here Is the Goddess OF Liberty for $75
or you can use a figure of Puck at S150
A negro boy playing the bones costs $50.
You can have Indians from the Sioux,
Choctaw. Cherokee, Arrapahoe and Apache
tribes. We are compelled to historically
correct their dress or some one would come
in and find fault. Last summer tall
lank westeraer, with hair reaching to his
shoulders, wanted to buy cigar sign for
store in Bannock city, Montana. We
showed him Sioux Indian. He locked at
the figure and slowly said: IF 1 was to
take that ere greaser up in the mountains
some fellow would put me in an insane
asylum. That amt no Indian that's
| greaser. No Sioux on the warpath wears
! a Bannock tribe headdress.' The man
meant that the 'greaser' as
he called the figure, looked
more like a Mexican than an Indian The
complexion was not the right color The
| Wo hot nf Row ,af
a Sioux. We had to break the figure UP
and cast new one after a better
model
"How many figures do you sell in a
year?"
Thousands of them. The western peo-
! pie like warriors and Indians. The south
erners take more kindly to big allegorical
pieces, and the rest of the country select
as their fancy dictates. There is grow
ing fancy for neat and buxom Indian
maiden, whose short skirts display we'll
turned ankle. That pretty little girl over
there goes to Albany next week. She cost
$75. Excuse me moment while l open
this telegram. See, here is an order:
Send me an Indian girl in good repair to-
morrow, not over $1OO.'"
On Canal street the house of the wooden
cigarshOp sign" was found. AS the reporter
entered the proprietor was engaged stick
ing broken arm on stolid Pocahontas.
| How is business?" asked the reporter
Not very good" was the reply. ''Most
every one buys the bronze signs nowadays,
and so about all we do here is repairing
old wooden ones. l have fixed mp seven
warriors, five Pocahontase es, four squaws,
and three or four isolated pieces to-day.
| The wooden figures are carved out of
solid block of wood by hand and are then
painted. We employ five carvers, who
darn S 40 or $50 week. Once we employed
100, but business is slack nowadays"
Through Pullman Cars.
New York, Sept. 1.-THE Erie Railway
company announces that arrangem ents