Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1885-08-22
PAWNBROKERS.

| sDo the police often impose upon the peO'
pie in your line of business?" reporter
asked the other day of Third avenue
pawnbroker, and then recited to him the
case of the policeman who put his coat in
Yorkville shop, and, because the pawn
broker charged him interest when he came
to take it out, had him arrested.
"I read about the case," said the pawn
broker, unwrapping paper from ring and
sliding the gold band to the customer who
redeemed his property, ''and was not at all
surprised. TWAS only one of the little mean
tricks that the police are constantlypractisng
upon us. 1t is the fly cop or detective that
makes US the most trouble. How many
people who have slipped $40 bill into q
detectives hand for recovering some article
of stolen jewelry at a pawnshop know that
the same detective is getting his bit out of
the money they have put up at the pawn
shop"
"How do they work the racket?" was
asked.
GLOW? Why, it's easy enough to explain.
A man loses, say, his watch, and not desir-
ing any publicity given to the fact, hunts
up Vidocq on the quiet, and says; Now,
you get my ticker back without any fuss
about it, and Til pay you we'll for your
trouble The detective goes to work and
discovers that the watch, worth perhaps
$3.50 or 5000, has been spouted at q certain
shop for 500 or $50. He tells the pawn
broker that there is stake in it, as the owner
will put up a good.sized sum to recover the
timepiece. The two then fix it up between
| them that the owner shall be told that the
sum of $50 or $50 was raised on the watch,
and the figures in the book are changed to
that amount. The detective brings the
loser to the shop and asks that the watch
| be shown.
"'How much did you loan on this gen
tleman's watch? p the detective asks of the
pawnbroker. Don't give me any CUFF; let's
see your book
| "Your humble servant, after some re-
luctance, brings out his record, and there
are the figures in black and white, $50. The
owner pays the $50, and the interest, which
| usually does not amount to much. Before
bidding the detective good-by outside the
shop he pays him his promised fee. and
walks off thinking to himself, What devil
| ish shrewd fellows these detectives are!
The detective returns to the shop and tells
the pawnbroker that if he doesn't give him
two thirds or nearly all of the extra money
swindled out of the unsophisticated owner
he will have him arrested as a fraud. He
has the pawnbroker on the hip. IF the
pawnbroker were to submit to arrest and
tell the detectives relations in the affair,
the officer would swear that he acted as the
pawnbroker's confederate only to get evil
dence against him. The court would be-
leve the detective, and the pawnbroker
would get a long term, besides having his
business broken up. Your uncle takes
what the policeman will give him of the
extra money, and consoles himself with the
fact that he is armed against the detective
in the future"
"And does the detective report the case at
his station house or headquarters" asked
the reporter.
"Not much. That's the way the detec.
tive makes his extras"
"What are some of their other schemes ~
"Now, YOU think that the police and
pawnbrokers stand in all the time. Well,
we don't The law allows detective to in
spect pawnbroker's books and stock at
any time. Well, he comes in, and, looking
around, his eyes light on nice overcoat.
He remembers description of the coat, and
when he goes out he sends in confederate,
who claims the coat as having been stolen
What can the pawnbroker do? To avoid
arrest as a receiver of stolen goods he gives
up the coat. Whatever the coat brings al
another shop the detective and his friend
divide. The same trick is practiced with Q
watch or ring, or any other article OF jew
elry.n o,
was asked of another pawnbroker.
"Know ?" he calculated. "Well, more
than care to tell, because I'm not going out
of business just at present, but call them
bleeders. Not long ago detective came
into my place and said I had some stolen
goods He pointed to a lot in the show win
dow. told him he was dead wrong, and
if he expected to make anything out of the
lot he was mistaken. He left, and the fol
lowing day another detective came in ano
said he had been put on the case, and the
other fellow had no further business with it
These two sharpers had put up JOB tt
make something. The fellow said his cap
, tain had sent him down to get the goods.
refused to give them up without an order
from his superior. He went out, put never
came back. I was too much for him."
''Do other people ever contrive to trick
you2" :.
"Yes; gamblers, thieves and fast wo
men,"
"How?"
"Here is an instance. A landlady ant
her servant connive to raise some money
The servant brings her mistress ring ant
pawns it. Pretty soon the landlady come
10 and says that the servant has robbed he
and run off, but left the pawn ticket in he
room. We must give up the ring, of course
Generally the landlady takes policeman
with her to make the farce appear genuine.
'Does detective ever pawn his coat
jewelry ?"
"Does he9 Well, he does. He is alwa,'
pawning something, but he never wants I
pay interest. have diamond stud be
, longing to private detective right here
my safe, and intend tokeep it until h
-, - xh a coz odvoncad him IN II -