Daily Yellowstone journal., 1888-11-16
CLOTHES OF THE DEAD


1t used to he, among the women of a
past generation, a custom TO leave their
clothes by will in the same manner that
they did their second best bedStead'
and ~''silver gilt teapot" They divided
their furs, laces. brocades and body
linen among their nearest kin, and gen
orally left the palmer and more worn
things to old family servants or poor re-
lations. But these personal possessions,
with the exception of laccs, are rarely
~bequeuthed nowadays. Mrs. John Jacob
Astor kept to the old customs, and saw
a poor, pretty girl wearing one of her
sealskin coats last week, il having been
specially ~brquclthel to her in the will.
The usual course is that taken by the
heirs Of Mrs. \. 7. Stewart. who sold all
her ruurlaaas wardrobe 10 dealers in
second hand clothes. Though little Wa
said about il at the time, Il good many
society women took occasion 10 purchase
certain things through the dealers, but
generally handkerchicfs, stockings, silk
underwear and gloves, which would not
be recognized and which they got very
cheaply.
There is a woman on Fifth avenue who
makes a business of buying the ward
robes If dead women, and who is fast
making a fortune out Of the bargains she
gets. Most of her customers who pur-
chase goods from her have no idea Of the
real secrets of her trade. She is osten-
sibly a dealer in imported goods and has
certain French and English boxes and
cases into which she packs many OF her
goods and sells them as new. She will
take the whole wardrobe of the deceased,
new and old, good and bad, and then this
goes through a careful process of selec-
ton. The new things, or those nearly
SO, which are really imported or have
that appearance, she packs into foreign
cases and ties them up daintily and dis
poses Of them To rich customers. Many
"A time n woman has come 10 her and
said: II want 10 find somcthing-stOck-
ings, gloves or What not-like some ]
once saw Mrs. Quelquechuse have. See
if YOU can find them for me-" And the
dealer has in course Of time sent hcr a
note saving that she has found some
thing very near what she asked for. In
reality they are Mrs. Q~ucllurchosr own.
and the dealer had them all IN" while.
The gowns that are new or very nearly
new she sells 10 The dressmaker-, who
! freSlGu them Up a bit aud srii them 10
out of town customers.
Thrn lhn,lDalur has y list OF customers
who arc perfectly fam,lior with ire "a d
nature Of hur trade. Tney are mostly
women who are struggling 10 keep tbrlr
places in society, with lean purses and a
great desire 10 keep up appearances.
They keep the run Of her place and get
some bargains. hucauscthGuGh tGethings
thew bny are somewhat worn. they are
worth the money for the good Pari5iIn
cut and style. They buy from her black
and inc0nspicuous gowns that are like
those worn by u dozen Other women and
are not likely TO be recognized, and some
times they have them made oyer at home
and buy them for the sake of the good
material in them. There is a third class
Of the wornuut and shabby clothes. bon
nets, shoes and general belongings which
are sold in a lump 10 the second hand
dealers in the Bowery. And so all the
pretty frillS and faucies of the dear dead
women Of our households become scat.
tered TO the far winds, worn by her
friends, her enemies, her servants,
strangers aud women whom in life she
would have turned her eycs away from
as she passed. There is something very
pathetic, it seems 10 me, in such dispersal
and Use Of these most intimate personal
possessions of a lovely women. The old
way was best.-Cor. Brooklyn Eagle.