National Republican., 1883-01-12
OLD CURIOSITY SHOPS.
A Study Of the Is.1c Of q Washington Second
Hand Store.
Where the Curious Collections OF Old
Traps Come From.
Almost All Kinds Of "B,,blss" Contribute to ThIm in
One Way or Another
And Members OF Upper Tendon Arc as
Frequently 'lDycrs ms sellers.

On several Of tho ba K streets, within easy
range Of Pennsylvania avenue, ar2 located
small secondhand establishments wilcrc a
person can buy or sell anything from fine
tooth comb 20 grand piano They arc curi-
Gus places. and ,hor collections are ollontmcs
as varied rs those to hc found in muse ims.
"Whgrc on Garth do you get al these
thinv.." asked NATIONAL REPUBLICAN rec
porter OF an old dame in one OF the little
store, on y street. as he inspected the articles
spread on. before him in thcshow cas-. There
was pretty r'uCh oi cyurythng scattered
about mental inventory taken TnidiN dis
closing butchers ClunvCr, uarpcltcr's jack
piano. two or thruy rusty jcwshrPa. a hand
ntl OF uuckrt knives very much the worse
for wear aud rough usage, Inutch safes,
tJIr' lines. hutton hooks, q badly shattered
Nutr. a lot ot unmatched table cutlery. some
buttons, a plate ut cheap brass medals, pack"
age of trunk hinges, cracked s"uCcr contaIn-
ing Few old keys, 20 pocket testament with
q dirty pack Of playing cardi pccping from
beneath is t9ticrud cover, Il smal! tray of
sr,utaClps aua eyeglasses. halio in state Of
hopeless disi.ur. Ivnt, u vicious pa.r of brass
Elucks. q pistol tug, mus have antCdutCd tho
landing OF the plymouth &.hcrs and two or
three rusty swords, with Inscriptions on the
handles Several badges aud cmhlcms were
was 20 be- socu q medal with IN inscription
upon it bearing the name Of
SOLDIER now DEAD hSD NEARLY FOR
DurTET
who was well known icw years ago as q
fearless Indian tighter and mountain scout
The trophy is vaiuuicss to almost all save
friends Of the urgiua! "wncr, aud how it
found its way into this out oI the way show
casc will never b. Known. The original
owner wandered one daY from his camp on
the zig Horn and mover returned. His
wlilucd homes will one day be found on
the mouaigiu side 1r nj the foot of some
mighty prprilrr whore he met his iHtC. The
lit.,cr,hr telling utNis brave deed has dritud,
thcmcrcst HtuH. Oh The mysterious OF time,
and has finally found loGgmcnt a5 described
\ dreamer ruuld find in The fate OF this liitlc
nanunatr object q subject for endless, MS well
as pruHtlcss spcculuiioE, conjecture and SEN
tirncnt: hut life IS too short to 10 into chat
sort Of thing. The sleepy Hollow age is past
and gone.
There were piled up in that dusty show case
a small store of limp dolls, Il whisky flask, an
old powder hu-m with German silver Ornd-
luonts. an inlad card ease, II boz cover full of
dice OF odd sizes, Il boS Of poker chips of all
sizes and coUH, a mOroCco-covcrcd volume of
Tom MOorc's poems, II watch safe, Il hair brush,
ard right inthc center Of the heap Il second
band tooth bush.
"Whcrp dd you pick up all this truck -
repeated tho reporter, allowing his gaze to
roam abou fhc walls, which were hung three
dccpwithOlN tools Of every description, old
clothes, I'D boots and shoes, old harness, old
cir.ip,riol{s, old skates, old straps, old fid-
d!as, gnt every old thing imaginable
"iioulic, brings them m,' replied the
mo,lc, in Israel. "Somcdincs we pycs Il lot
Of Glgs oil one bcrson, and sometimes they
lcuv, thcm here. What haf you got"
"Sothiug."
"yhat YOU want then ?" and the woman's
ey's were turned ON the reporter with sus-
prion, us shC asked the question.
=" want to look AT your museum, that's
ILL.,"
80, vail, look around den. thought you
vas detective or u tict.'
On being assured by the stray caller that
he was neither one nor the other, the old
woman waNed more communicative and inn
parted to him sundry scraps of information
about
THE PEOPLE WHO VISIT SECOND HAND PLACES.
The establishments are patroni2cd generally
by the very poorest class of people, mon and
women who have been sick or out of employ
mcnt, and who are compelled TO part with
their small belongings picccmgal to keep body
and soul together. Children come with an
old dress or shawl and sell il for whatever IL
will fetch; an invalid will drag in his kit of
lutcly Indispensable as means of livelihood
when he is able to work. Negroes are great
people to pcddlc away their household gods,
and then ICpurChuso secondhand trash when
they have money. They are constantly COM
ing and going in nrVcr-rndng procession.
There are great numbers who are forced to
buy their clothing 1T these places, for the rca-
son they have not money enough TO buy new
goods, and have 10 buy something to cover
their naliCdncsS or keep the SUlcS of their
net from the pavement
Establishments OF the better grade obtain
their stocks IN 20 less miscellaneous fashion.
People ofhigh station oltentimcs come in ear.
ragcs 10 dispose of their accumulatiuns of
wearing apparel and rhuiy furniture, making
negotiations with prclrutcd lofty d.sduin OF
triiics, but bargaining with great shrcwdncs,,
They frequently buy supplies from pawn
shops, aud in many cases the establishments
are mere appcudages 10 loan offices. Thcir
sales are small, hui ~ proceeds are nearly All
prOht the prupuciols contriyc 10 get along
and in many eases save considerable money.
several Of the ViutcntiOus furniture ware
houses and salcsruum on Pennsylvania ave-
nuc and Cuutiguuu, streets can be ClasscL un-
der the sam, general heading. They buy the
furniture of foreign ministers, members of
congress, and department. people when they
break up housekeeping or move out Of Town,
store The goods through the suumcr, and sell
are the elegant uptown residences which
are fitted up almost wholly with
furniture that has previously been in use.
The wives of senators and the wcalthicst men
in Washington do not consider it hrncatk
their dignity 10 make largo purchases of scc-
ond-hdnd furniture, and they may be met ut
any hour Of the day roaming through the
stores selecting carpets chairs, sofas, parlDr
ornaments. bric.a-bruc ANY and all Of the
thousand and one odds aud ends that 20 to
make up The furniture Of every cll-rcgulatcd
household.
PUBLIC AUCTION SALES
of these establishments are generally well at.
tended, If the weather is at all agreeable, uud
the sales are ordinarily large, Shrcwd shop
pers who know what they want aud what
they ought to pay for it, and who are not
ashamed to 20 whore they can get IL cheapest,
say they can save half the COS, Of furnish
ing house and make fully rs prcscutablc an
appearance by buying second hand instead of
purchasing at first hands at the, cNtravugant
figures usually cXactcd. II takes a genius for
bargaining, however to do much u that di-
rcctiOn, and everybody is not giftod that way.
Carroll Institutc Election,
The annual meeting aud election of Off
GERS of the Carroll Institute took place last
evening, The members turned out en- massc,
and it was the largest mertng ever held by
A., ;ngtitttD 'fI.. r.f.rfr., r.r..iIrtt NJ,