, 1889-01-10
AN ODD BUSINESS.

AN ODD BUSINESS.
How Bssk. Number D1dd is Gsttis9 Ricf
Ont OF ofNewspapsr Fites.
A dimly-lighted musty.smellinR cellar
at the corner OF Broadway and Thirty
third street. says the New York World IL
the headquarters Of stalwart, rather
good.looking colored man, who carries on
u profitable business by saving old and
selling them at fabulous prices. He il
known to all newspaper men, and, In fact.
tU everybody. az Back. Number" Budd.
and his business is the outgrowt OF m
old hobby OF his saving old newspapers.
Ten years ago he came TO New York from
Washington. and started in as bootback.
A reporter called ut the place few days
ago. and while looking for an ancient
paper Back Number" budd told some.
thing about his queer business.
'After had biacked boots for two
years." said ne, 'the thought flashed
across my mind one dav about saving all
the old papers could find. had grown
a little careless about my boot backing
business, and eight years ago | started
with but 38 In my possession. l opened q
little stand at the place where Palmer's
theatre now stands. IL WAS very
hard pulling at first, and got the win.
dow man in the GiIsey House 10 save me
all his papers, which ! bought by the
pound. IL was awful slow work, for |
hardly made my bread and butter out OF
it. My friends advised me to sell out.
but was obstinate and was bound to
Az the file kept on growing larger and
Larger my trade commenced to pick up,
and resolved TO stick IL out ut all haz.
yards.
"As soon as found was likely to sue
ceed made a uniform set of prices as
follows: A copy OF paper one week old,
5 cents; q copy Of any 5.cent paper one
week old, 8 cents; q copy OF any paper
thirty days old, 10 cents. For each month
after thirty day. add cents u copy; a
copy of q paper one year old. SO cents.
For each year after the irst add 25 cents.
An exception to these prices II made when
a payer Is very rare or out OF date.
"Yes, and | always stick TO my price,
and my customers kick, too. A short Il ne
ago prominent lawyer came here and
wanted copy of the World printed in
1877. ] got it. and asked my regular
price-S3. He was very indignant, and
said | ought to starve. but when ex.
planned that it was my mode of living he
paid the price and left. The lawyers are
my principal customers, as they often win
big cases by getting back numbers of
papers FOR evidence. They are big kick
ers; bat | know they must have the papers,
and, therefore, remain firm in my price.
"My principal files are the Sun from
1888 to date, the World from 1880. the
Herald from 1888. the Tribune from l84l
and the Times from 1851.
81 have also very complete fles OF many
dead papers. including Truth, Dial and
others. | put twenty copies away "a day
of the World, Sun and Herald"
What is the highest price you we're
ever paid for paper?"
"a lawyer paid me $40 for two copies
of paper published in 1861, and | have
often received Sis and $lS for old and
come here and give me from 81 to IS just
to look over very valuable paper. A
large part OF my trade is In the country,
but never send papers out until they are
paid for. General Grant came to me
soon after the Grant & Ward failure. and
bought a two months file of the daily
papers containing an account OF the affair.
! charged 10 cents u copy, and got every
cent of it.
"l'll show you some curiosities, said
Budd, as he led the reporter to the back
part OF the cellar, which is known as the
curiosity shop Among the faded and
bu~ty puPcIo WSip - tiNi1Au VI huk uee 81,
1860. which contained full account of
opening of Central Park; a copy Of the
Sun of June 20, 1884. with turned column
rules for the death of Lafayette;
Police Gazette Of May 20, 1865, with a
badly drawn picture of the capture OF jeff
Davis on the front page; Frank Leslie's
of May, 1865 gave II picture of two men
throwing body wrapped in sheet into
the water. 1t was entitled ''rhe Assas-
sins End" merniug Booth, the murderer
of Lincola. He had also first copies of the
World. Herald and Sun, and hundreds of
other valuable relics.
The reporter then went to Ravenswood.
l.. l., where Budd had 4,000.00o copies of
papers styred away. He has SYSTEM by
which he can readily turn to any paper
desired without less of time. He is now
making money very rapidly, and his back
files are increasing in value every year.