The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1890-09-01
ROBBING AN UNCLE"
A Pawn. Broker Tells of Schemes
to Swindle Him,
Ringing the Changes in the Gold Watch
Trick-The Dyed Diamonds Dodge.
Putting the Baby in Pledge.

"Uncles," not relatives, but those who
assume that name when relieving financial
distress with advances on collateral seeur-
lty, pear, as general rule, very enviable
reputation for keeping a dollar bright for
their own benefit. They are not commonly
quoted as paying S25 in silver for $50 gold
piece. But to say that a pawn-broker gets
$50 per cent the best of it is not exactly
borne out, according to what very gentle
hearted uncle" said the other day.
RoBBING THEIR JUNGLE"
He, according to his own account, has fire.
quently had the worst of it. A cruel
hearted generation of confidence artists lay
traps for him, and it is case of Keep
sharp lookout or else be skinned.
You've no dea," continued the brother of
an aunt, the jobs put up on u.s. We are
looked on as class of men who lend money
on dead sure things, and the more misery and
want there is in the community, the more
money we make. That is a great mistake
On the part of our nephews and nieces. The
pubic wants money from pawnbroker, and
If he cannot supply it. he had better shut up
shop. And the public, or some OF them, lay
awake nights planning how to get The money
out OF US without proper collateral All
uncleS are not dishonest. Still there are
many who are, and who deserve all the abuse
heaped on the class. But as ! said, some OF
us are honest and humane and kindhearted,
and we shout1 be given show.
VALUABLE" WATCH.
Frequently the sharpest of us are robbed.
Let ME tell you case in point. Look at
this watch. I'll sell it to you for SIS and l
loaned a cold 500 on it This is how it
happened: One evening, just as | was get
ting ready tn close up, young fellow came
in very much excited. He wanted 500 ad-
vance on one of the finest gold chronometers
/ ever saw. He had it in his pocket in
chamoiS bag. / thought the loan rather
more than l cared 70 make, and told him so.
lie seemed much distressed at my refusal,
and nearly in tears, gave me one OF the neat
est song-and-dance tales one could wish to
hear. He was trusted clerk in a leading
wholesale store and had played the horses in
the Iool-roomS that afternoon with his EN-
ployer's money, and of course, had lost. IN
less he replaced the money (S1OU by
O'Clock the next morning he would be DIS
covered, disgraced, arrested, his mothers
heart broken, aud so on
HIS GREAT BIG HEART.
81, in the goodness of my great big heart,
let him have the 500. He redeemed the
watch in ten days and was profu>ely CRATE
ful. 1u about a week he repeated for the
same amount, same watch, same purreose,
anu tUUh tlc WAUGH UuO blo WCut ou
several times. The last time he came in,
when was very busy, urged haste, and, as
on the previous occasions, handed NE what
| believed was the valuable watch In It's
regular ehamois case, l gave him the
money, and when, later on, l looked in the
little bag | found a valuable brass time
keeper that now offer to sell you for So. L
have not seen the young man since, nor
heard his repeated tales OF woe
DYED DIAMONDS.
Then there is the trick of taking off-color
diamonds, coating them with light solution
Of aniline dye, which, for short time.
makes them uncommonly brilliant, pledging
them for much over their real value, and
that ends it. Dishonest 'unc,es' may get
even by recoatiug the stones with the same
kind of dye and showing them OIL on coun-
tIymen. But l, personally, scorn such
tricks, though | am not responsible Tor what
my wicked partner might do.
STOLEN GOODS DoDGEs.
"Another dodge is for poorly dressed but
respectable looking woman to offer for pawn
some really good iewelry. Perhaps fine
watch, or good diamonds. This is accom-
panied by an I-have-seen- better-days tale, and
rigmarole about deserted home, run
away husband. starving babe and so on. Size
viii work me for nearly the full value OF sne
stuff, and she often gets it. Thena few days
iatnr another woman comes m, dressed In
the highest style with lots oil iewelrg, dia-
nands and so on. She is accompanied By
detective, and asks If the stuff Of the first
woman was not pledged with me. have to
say yes or else the detective might look over
my books for the property she has closely
described. We'll, they re some stolen by my
servant give them up at once. What can l
do? The detective is with her and if |
refuse l should get into trouble for
receiving stolen gods; the detective
might make it unpleasant for me
and the papers get after me for keeping
fence I'm out and Injured the amount |
loaned on the property.
"Such schemes are very common. and how
ever sharp we are we frequently get caught.
I've loaned lone widow $40 on her
wedding-ring, only to find that 81 was
nearly sevenJy-fve per cent more than it
was worth.
PAWNED HER BABY.
SAT one time | used to lend cash on any,
thing from a goat to a baby. l once
loaned SO on baby to woman
who lives near me, to ball her hus-
band, who was arrested for being drunk,
not loose his job. In this case, though, the
pledge was soon redeemed. | have lost
money on guns, false teeth, life insurance
policies, cork legs and arms, dogs, glass
eyes and wigs. In such cases the loan is
not made on the actual value OF the collat-
eral. but on the intrinsic usefulness to the
owners.
airy poetry, but l got badly stuck, and
now positively decline even to look at all
kinds of manuscript in collateral and ad-
vance sense"
And with that hint the "uncle" told his
wicked partner to interview the country
man who was gazing through the windows,
and try to sell him few 50-carat aniline