The morning news., 1888-08-28
HE PAWNED HIS GLASS EYE.
Some OF the Straits Needy Men Are
Put to in the Search For Funds.

Some OF the Straits Needy Men Are
Put to in the Search For Funds.
From the PhHd ielDhfa Press.
A seedy individual, with an expression of
pecuniary infelicity on bis face, dived into
al Port Richmond pawnshop the other day.
put his hand on his forehead, hurriedly
disiodged a glass eye, and after carefully
wiping it on his sleeve, passed it over to the
pawnbroker.
"Give me 81 so on it," he said. with
glibness suggestive of long familiarity with
the operation.
Without word the pawnbroker took
the imitation eye, carefully depositing it in
cabinet, and threw the money on the
counter.
"rll redeem it Saturday." said the seedy
man, and he bolted out.
docs that surprise your asked the
pawnbroker, turning to a reporter, who
had watched the scene with astonishment.
That sort of thing" he continued, rather
astonished ME when | first got into the
business. I'm used to it now, and nothing
surprises me. There's nothing that ism
pawnable. / suppose I've had that mans
glass eve twenty times. Whenever he gets
hard up he comes around, and give him
an advance on it. It's safe as anything
else, and good deal safer than many
things we get He usually puts it up
about the middle OF the week, and Satur-
day he invariably comes around and gets it
out What excuse does he make TO his
friends when he goes around without his
eye? Oh, be fixes that! he says he is get
ting il cleaned, or that it hurts him, or that
the oculist is making some changes in it.
They can't queer him. He is too fy--or
thinks he is
"But hes only one of many. What
do you think of o woman who puts up her
false teethi / have a woman who leaves
her teeth here two or three times O month.
Funny isn't it.
The visitor suggested that it was ghastly.
The pawnbroker smiled.
'So it is until you get used to it, he
said. "Now, there's set of teeth" he Goa
tinued, taking row OF ivories from the
cabinet, and fi"gering them with evident
veloration, "thaJ cost $25, If they cost
cent. The owner was in yesterday and
let her have five on them.
II know hall dozen cripple soldiers who
make practice of raising the wind on
their artificial limbs They can't borrow
money on their pension papers, and a cork
leg Is tile next bost thing. Every now and
then an old soldier comes in. slips into the
back room with apparently as sound pair
of legs as you or /, and returns with a
crutch under bis arm and his dummy leg
IN ais nahu. lueres preJuulce aSalnSJ
artificial limbs, and a pawnbroker won't
advance anywhere near their value, hut
mans morally sure TO want 10 get his leg
or arm back again, and pension day the
old soldiers generally manage to get their
missing limbs out Of pawn. Occasionally
an old soldier will die. leaving his dummy
leg in hook. Ii his friends do not redeem
1t, it's apt to be loss to the paw nbl oker,
for people dislike to buy secondhand arti-
fetal limbs. and leg that cost $40 OF $50
won't bring more than SO or 81.
There is q class OF people who make
living out OF tao pawnshops Tho plan
most generolly adopted is to buy goods
from tho installment houses and TO pawn
them. There's a large number of sharpers
WHO have worked the dodge with singular
success. Pawnbroiers are notified 70 look
out for stolen property, but they have no
means Of knowing whether the customer Is
pawning her own goods or those OF an IN