The daily citizen. [volume] (Asheville, N.C.) 1889-1890, 1889-12-03
UNREDEEMED RELICS
IN MAYOR BI.ANTON'S PAWN
BROKERS' SHOP.
a curious Collection of "COIIat.
teTaI" CuriOsiIieS-Rem EN- ark able
FaZOrS, Peculiar Pistols and
WitChing Wines.

teTaI" enarIx able
RazOTS, Peculiar Pistols and
Witching Wines.
Who knew that the Mayor kept a regu-
lar pawn-blokcr's establishment? But
it is Il fact. Slowed away in his Office are
many articles which have been left by
their owrerS as security for the fines i'm
posed. 1t is a regular mares (Mayor's)
nest. The pledges were on exhibition yes
tcrday morning, and, as the time of some
of the tickets had expired, a rare chance
was afforded to secure goods dirt cheap.
Col Baird took the stand, and. as each
article was drawn forth from its hiding
place, described the scenes they had fig
ured in, and drew graphic and blood
curdling pictures of fights and quarrels.
Many may have noticed that our police
men are always clean shavcn, with not
hair to spoil the manly beauty OF their
faces. Cease to ask the reason why.
They have over fifty razors, which
have been left there as mementos
of drunken brawls. One razor has
had a very peculiar history. 1t has
been pledged and redeemed or bought
fifteen different times at Mayor BlantOus
court and is now on its sixteenth round,
having been deposited there by darkey
who lost his head through eating too
much turkey on Thanksgiving, and tried
| 4,
certain fatality seems to pursue every one
who has ii in his possession, andeven the
most sober, industrious and peaceably
disposed individual is seized with an in
tense longing to cut and slash when once
it is his. This CURSE which it brings on
It's owner, has made our police dub it
"Old Mortality" 1t is an ordinary razor
with white handle, on which is small
red spot which no amount OF cleaning
tan remove and winch the superstitious
say is blood. But be that as it may, the
policemen all regard it with awe, and even
he Colonel invoIuntarily shuddered as he
lrew our attention to it and related its
,ad history.
Among other things was pair of
knucks which had been made out of
eadcn pipe, They belonged formerly to
/ man who had become
crank in one particular, although
sane i'll every other way. From con-
stant reading of the reports OF prize
I,, b,,J IL,
idea that he was a great pugiist himself.
One evening, while under the influence OF
liquor, he saw his reflection in the win
dow of Jacobs drug store and immedi-
dtely squared off at it. Though drunk,
ne seemed to realize that he was not
really what he pretended to be, and con-
Sequcntly he put on these knucklers, and
when he was found by policeman he
was WALKING around the sidewalk, spar
ring at his imaginary enemy from a safe
distance and crying out, "c'm' on. Don't
be a-hic-coward. This erc's a hghtin'
an no runnln' match" There were piS-
tols sans number. Most recalled only
ordinary, everyday stories of drunken
ARRAYS. One was shown as remarka-
Die case, where pistol shot had, with
out injuring any one, saved Il man either
from being hung, or ending his days
bowed down with rcmorsc for the killing
of a dcicnCclcSs man, and lOathed and de-
spiSed by he members ofany community
IN which he might settle. There
was a mcclce some years ago in
which this man, excited by liquor
had the drop on an innocent party
and had his weapon cooked ready to fire
when a shot fired from the edge of the
crowd, glanced from some hard sub
stance and lodged SO firmly under the
hammer as to prevent the trigger
from being pulled. y policeman who ar
rived on the scene at this juncture, ar
rested the would-be murderer, and his
pistol, relgiously preserved with the bull
let in its original position, forms one of
the most interesting features of the col
lection.
One dirk has a history which points
back to the time some years ago, when
several murdcrcrS escaped from the city
Jail, and were followed by one of our
prominent citizens. armed with rifle.
They succeeded, however i'll gaining their
liberty and all that remained the next
morning was a broken Jail and this dirk
which was found near the scene and
which one OF the criminals had dropped
i'll his hasty fight Some may remember
the event as Chroniclcd in some papers
under the striking head lines, Bun
combc's Boastcd Bastilc Busted"
Two elegantly bound plush albums
and a bible form rather a strange con-
traSt to this. Heterogeneous medley of pis-
tolls and drks. One of these albums
might be classed under the head of an
upright, while the other is OF ordinary
shape and contains the pictures of one
white man, four darkcys and the adver-
: tiSing card of one of the most prominent
business firms in the city. Music, as the
Mayor says, has not been neglected by
| the police force, and they could very cas-
lily give concert with the banjos and
guitars which they have on hand. A lit
t II" drawer, lacetiousy called the Colo
ncl's wine cellar, every day receives a
/ contribution of rye liquor from some
c charitably disposed individual who had
j been out late the preceding night and