The Irish standard., 1886-08-28
NOTHING BUT GLASS.
How a Good-Hearted New York
Journalist Was Duped.
An Imitation Diamond from Which q
Strange Woman Realized a Snug Little
Su,u-How the Game Is Played
with Pawnbroker's Aid.
IN. Y. Cor. Cincinnati Enquirer.l


with Pawnbroker's Aid.
IN. Y. Cor Cincinnati Enqurer.I
Detective Prior, of the Fifth Avenue
Hotel and Joseph Howard, Jr., the we'll
known journalist, stood on the broad
porch of that massive hostelry q night OF
two ago Said Prior:
81 thought you were old enough to know
that taere is a fool born every five min
utes."
Said sJoe,'' with laugh: dang my
skin, but think l came in three"
1t was all about a ring. Joe Howard is
one of the brightest and keenes5 of New
York newspaper men. He has written up
every phase Of New York life, from Tom5s
court cases to the Wall street panics. For
upward of twenty years ali pos
sible lights and shadows of Gotham
glorjes and Gotham shame have
been reflected by his pen. You would
as soon think of picking up the Angel Ga
briel for spring chicken rs Of playing Joe
Howard for sucker" Yet the clever 10
sephus was cleverly caught one day last
week, and by woman. AS heard the
story, there came to him a woman with
whom he was somewhat acquainted, who
wanted him to buy the pawn-ticket on
which she had raised money by pledging
diamond ring. She was in great distress.
Joe" was warm-hearted. She was anx-
ious to give him chance to get diamond
cheaply. He was not above thinking that
it might be soft snap. He took the ticket
and went down to the pawnbroker's place.
Like all New York journalists he is &C.
quainted with such places He found it
was a ''sure enough ticket. There was
500 loaned OH the ring. There was $3.50
interest due. It all correspondent with the
wolnan's story. She had said the time was
nearly out and she would lose the jewel
unless some one bought it. The pawnDrok'
er, Joe argued would never have ad-
vanced over half its value. In all his eN}.e-
rience he had never he nd Of a I'awnhroher
who would advance over 50 oel: cont. of the
value of the article. 10 cut 81 long story
short, Joe gave the lady $50, the pawn
night vita the gorgeous ring on bis finger.
1t was too good a thing to keep: and the
stone was proudly exhibited in the Hoffman
House cafe and other resorts Ii was exhib-
tied so often that it fell under the notice OF
q companion or two who are connolsseurs
of diamonds, and one OF whom ruaely Jost-
led Joseph's pride by the assertion That the
diamond was only ct piece OF glass. This
base insnuation was repudiated by the
journalist with great Indignation. But
the iron had entered his soul, and the fol-
lowing day found him in Fitzpatrick's dia-
molid establishment. where the ring was
submitted to All expert. You might have
knocked Joe down with q Father when the
answer came i'll tue cold, cl;.a, 81 Of au
thority:
"Glass! Worth. COLA included, about
$780,
Whew!
1t is an old trick--one that is played
every day or two Cd some unsuspecting
victim The pawnbroker Is generally in
secured to work off the ticket. In this case,
tho woman claims she sold the ticket for
frisnd, who gave it to her- But that is for
Howard and she to SETTLE between them.
lii every Sunday issue of the paper, when
smell advertisements are published in
great floods, there may be found such as
these, which [ selected last Sunday:
A CENT? EM MAJ dead broke has pa gawn ned
x IA q,
not redeem it; ticket for sale.
A GREAT BARG ATN-Pair Old mine dia-
"A mond earrings pawned for s225; weigh
5I carats; cost 5000; ticket sold cheap
The chances are about ni1aety-nine in
hundred that the man who answers and
follows up one Of these advertisements will
find himself the dupe Of sharpers and thei1
pawn broker pals. Sometimes the racket
is worked on. g higher plane. Detective
Prior himself was a victim not many years
ago. An Englishlnan who was stopping at
tho Fifth Avenue Hotel having come from
Australia he said, exhibited to tue hotel
people jewelry and diamonds of rare quail
ty. The diamonds were genuine. His
watch was studded with them He had
rose-leaf pin which is still talked about as
the handsomest cluster of diamonds ever
seen in the hotel He had money, and
spent it like a lord. He remained two
weeks, paid his bill, and left quite sudden
ly. The day after his departure, man
who had been his frequent companion at
the hotel came to Tom Gay, the head
waiter, and said:
"Brown was called by cable to London.
He was short Of money and payned his
watch and chain for $500 He told me to
bring you the ticket and let you buy it, be-
cause he wanted to give you chance to
make some money, you had been SO kind
to him. You know that watch OF his"
Gay either did not have confidence or the
money, for he. took the ticket down to-
Prior and asked the detective about it.
Prior thought he knew the pawnbroker, in
sisted the ticket was all right, and offered
to buy it himself if Gay didn't want it.
Coy let the thing go, and Prior went over
to his bank and got the monsy. When he
began to look for the pawnshop he found
that it wasn't in existence. He has been
looking for the Englishnan and his pal
ever since, but they keep away from New
York. The grand sp]urge at the hotel was
only the sharp rascals method of gaining
confidence SO as to get in his work and
catch victim.