Omaha daily bee., 1888-07-29
VULTURES OF TENTH STREET
The Shares They Lay for Verdant
R~usticity.
LICENSED TO CHEAT AND ROB.
The Methods of These Birds of Prey
Who Fatten or the Rustic
on a Permit Of the
City.
Snide Auction Houses.

walls of perhaps a block and a half, are three
rooms, the doors of which are closed only at
night, and where from the top of the portal
the red flag of the auctioneer ever floats.
From the interior of these places can be
heard from morning until night the dollar,
dollar, dollar; make it a half" of the in
dividual with a pair of healthy lungs, held
in place by a paste diamond as he endeavors
to sell a ''solid gold watch left there to be
sold by a lady in hard circumstances, who
desires to raise enough money to take her to
Denver where she has friends" Outside
the counter are generally two well dressed
men, who invariably raise any bid which
may be made until the right figure is reached,
when down goes the hammer and behold, the
! purchaser is sent to the cashiers desk,
| where he parts with his shekels and leaves
! for home to ruminate over the inhumanity of
man toward man.
The first of the auction houses is located on
South Tenth near the Union Pacific tracks
and directly opposite Paxton g. Gallagher's.
The ruling spirit is a young man of about 155
avordupois, named Connor. He has for
assistants one young man who sometimes
dresses in a suit of light clothes and another
who wears a snuff colored outfit. Each
changes his dress oncein a while in order
! that he may not be remembered too often.
| Yesterday afternoon Conner was singing his
dollar-dollar song in his four-by-six baritone,
when a BEE reporter happened along. This
time it was a "solid coin silver watch, the
property Of an engineer" that was being
sold. The watch was guaranteed to be all
wool and a yard wide, would not rip, tear or
run down at the heel, etc. 1t was wound up
in the presence of the audience, consisting of
the two cappers, two men who were supposed
to be suckers, and the reporter. "Capper''
No. l started it with his finger, the thing
having nearly run down. Then No. 2 raised
him a half. One Of the outsiders bid 81 and
the 'capper" raised him one. All this time
the auctioneer was dwelling on the merits of
the ticker and explaining how the poor en-
gineer, who was out of work, had been COM
PEELED to part with his favorite timepiece.
Then .'capper',' No. 2 bid IS, but the bid was
added to the lot and the price jumped
diamond studded battons' raised it
to sl7, no o., outsider bid and the
SO and offered to pay that and the remain
der August ID, whereat Mr.. Conner informed
him in tones very forcible and manner very
dignifed that 'the house sold goods for
cash and if he had not enough, why, not to
bld." AS the roper-in of suckers had no
more money, the bid of $40 was taken as a
starter and the ball again put in motion
while another twist of the balance wheel
again started the watch. But the two men
mentioned as supposed suckers had seen
through the iiimsy trick and left and the re-
porter did not want to buy, so the gang be-
took themselves to the sidewalk TO look for
fresh victims.
The above case happily ended we'll for
everyone concerned except the auction house.
But such is not the case always. In a great
many cases a victim is caught and then the
services of a policemen are brought into
requisition. Sometimes the victims money
is refunded but such is the excep-
ton, not the rule. All the houses men tlone
are guilty. of the same practice an
one is no better than the other. They are
clothed with the legal authority to conduct
an auction house by a license issued by the
license board. OF course in this day of news
papers it is asserted that a man who is SWIM
dled deserves no pity, but there are thou
sands of ignorant people who can be thus
taken in. Some time ago a petition was cir
culated and signed quite extensively, skiing
the license board to refuse these houses IL
cense. 1t was doubtless pigeon-holed. No
action has been taken in the matter. The
police who patrol the beat on which these
places are situated say that they receive
complaints almost daily, but what can they
dol They are under no orders to arrest any
one. So they content themselves with send
ing the complaints to the license board.
In order that the fraud may be shown up
in its proper light the figures subjoined will
convey a fair idea OF the value of the prop
erty sold over these counters. All goods are
purchased at wholesale, and as the 'cappers''
mentioned always make the first bid, q sale
is never made except at a big profit.
The watches are Bristol movement and
cost as follows: Shell case very nice rlook-
ing, usually the property of a man from
philadelphia who pawned it for $685. and
which sells from SS to S12, and sometimes
higher, $3.50 and S2.75 each per dozen.
Ladies' watch, belonging to woman whose
husband died last winter and who to buy
bread was forced to- put up the ticker for
: $50" S2.40 each per dozen. Plain gold cased
watch, property of a farmer who sold it for
$50 to clear up a mortgage, $40 each pei
dozen. Bell metal case watch (silver Of
course) owned by a railroad engineer for
5 merly on the B. & M, now on strike, etc. >
S2.25 aud $3.50 each per dozen. Fancy gold
rings left to sell by party in need of money
to get to Ogden in this evenings train
:; cents each or 20 cents per dozen. Acordeons
genuine, imported from Germany or some
other foreign country, sell for 50 and 50 ovel
counter at auction, regular price on thirt,
days credit, 65 cents apiece per dozen. Tht
rule which applies to the above goods alsC
G applies to all other goods palmed of upor
I the unsuspecting purchaser.
I The hgurcs on the goods mentioned wer'
t given the reporter yesterday by a ieweleI
Q who keeps them in stock and offers TO sci
d them at the figures quoted and he guarantee
@ them to be absolutely correct. lie assert
o that he has tried in yaiS 70 break up the ne
farious business, but has failed by reason o
d the proper authorities taking the matter IL
5 hand as requested. Onlyin one instance, thi
man claims, has anything been done, AM
then the board refused ono license, but