Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1886-09-24
MEDICINE LODGE BARBER CO. KAs. FRIDAY sEPTEMBER
NOTHING BUT GLASS.
How a Good-Hearted New York
Journalist Was Duped.
An Initiation Diamond from Which Q
Strange Woman Realized Snug Little
Sum-How the Game Is Played
with q Pawnbroker's Aid.
IN. Y. Cor. cincinnati Enoulrer. !


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 a night or
two ago. Said Prior:
Il thought you were old enough to know
that there is a fool born every five min.
utcs."
Said "Joe," with laugh: 'Dang my
skin, but think came in three"
1t was all about a ring. Joe Howard is
one of the brightest and keenest of New
York newspaper men. He has written up
every phass of New York life, from Tombs
court cases to the Wall street panics For
upwar1 of twenty years all pos
sible lights and shadows Of Gotham
glories and Gotham shame have
been reflected by his pen. You would
as soon think of picking up the Angel GA
briel for spring chicken as of playing Joe
Howard for sucker" Yet the clever Jo-
sephus was cleverly caught one day last
week, and by q woman. AS heard the
story, there came to him q 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 20 give him a chance to get a diamond
cheaply. He was not above thinking that
it might be a soft snap. He took the ticket
and went down to the pawnbroker's place
Like all New York journalists he is ac-
quainted with such places. He found it
was ''sure enough" ticket There was
500 loaned on the ring. There was SIS 50
interest due. 1t ali corresponded with the
woman's story. She had said the time was
nearly out and she would lose the Jewel
unless some one bought it. The pawnbrok-
er, Joe argued, would never have ad.
vanced over half its value In all his expe.
rience he had never he rd of a pawnbroker
who would advance over 50 per cent of the
value of the article. To cut a long story
short, Joe gave the lady SO, the pawn
broker S11S.50 and appeared up town that
night with the gorgeous ring on his finger
1t was too good a thing to keep, and the
stone was proudly exhibl ted in the Hoffman
House cafe and other resorts. 1t was exhib-
tied so often that it fell under the notice of
companion or two who are connoisseurs
of diamonds, and cne Of whom rudely jost-
led Joseph's pride by the assertion that the
diamond was only a piece of glass. This
base insinuation was repudiated by the
journalist with great Indignation. But
the iron had entered his soul, and the fol-
lowing day found him in F.tzpatrick's dia-
mond establishment where the ring was
submitted to an expert You might have
Knocked Joe down with feather when the
answer came in the cold, clear tones of au-
thority:
''Glassl Worth, gold included, about
$3.50"
Whewl
1t is an old trick-one that Is PLAYED
every day or two ON soms unsuspecting
victim The pawnbroker is generally in
collusion. Innocent parties are generally
secured to work off the ticket. In this case,
the woman claims she sold the ticket for a
friend, who gave it to her. But til at is for
Howard and she to settle between them.
In every Sunday issue of the paper, when
small advertisements are published in
great floods, there may be found such as
these, which l selected last Sunday:
A GENTLEMAN, dead broke has pawncd
"A d amond stud 31f c.Irats; cost S375; can
not redeem 1t; ticket for sale.
A GREAT BARG AIN-Pair old mine dia-
"a mond earrings, pawned for s2!5; weigh
51s carats; cost s9uO; ticket sold cheap.
The chances are about ninety-nine in a
hundred that the man who answers and
follows up one of these advertis sments will
find himself the dupe of sharpers and their
pawn broker pals. Sometimes the racket
is worked on a higher plane. Detective
Prior himself was a victim not many years
ago. An Englishman who was stopping at
the Fifth Avenue Hotel, having come from
Australia, he said, exhibited to the hotel
people jewelry and diamonds OF rare quail
"a Al in r..
watch was studded with them. He had a
rose-leaf pin which is still talked about as
tho handsomest cluster of diamonds ever
seen in the hotel He had money, and
spent it like lord. He remained two
weeks, paid his bill, and left quite sudden
ly. The day after his departure. a man
who had been his frequent companion at
the hotel cams to Tom Gay, the head
waiter, and said:
"Brown was called by cable to London.
He was short of money and pawned his
watch and chain for $3.50. He told me to
bring you the ticket and lot you buy it, be-
cause he wanted to give you a chance to
make some money, asyou had been so kind
to him. You know that watch of hisn
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 pawnbroRer, in
sisted the ticket was all right and offered
to buy it himself if Gay didn't want it.
Gay let the thing go, and Prior went over
to his bank and got the monsy. When he
began to look for ths pawnshop he found
that it wasn't in existence. He has been
looking for the Englishman and his pal
ever since, but they keep away from New
York. The grand splurge at the hotel was
only the sharp rascal's method of gaining
confidence so as to get in bis work and