Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-07-02
PAWN SHOP CURIOS.
A Family Bible Can Occasionally Be
Found Among the Pledges.
THE MUSEUMS RUN OPPOSITION.
One Weary Wanderer Put Up His Artificial
Arm for Three Dollars.
ANOTHER LEFT HIS LEG AS A FORFEIT

A Chicago reporter has been drawing on
his Imagination in an effort to make people
believe that every pawn broker in that city
is virtuoso and that the guild keep O mu-
scum, in which cannot only be seen Lysip-
pus' original statue of Opportunity, the
stuffed skin of the wolf that devoured Little
Red Ridinghood, the older one that sucked
Romulus and Remus, the milk-white lamb
which Una led, the skeletons of Bucephalus
and Rosinante, that of Balaam's ass the skin
of the three-headed Cerberus Noah's dove
and Elijahs, one of the flock of geese that
saved Rome and all the rest of the collec.
tion that Hawthorne originally found in a
Massachusetts, museum, but coming down to
more modern times he processes to have
found in an establishment on Halstead
street an illuminated history of Napoleon
Bonaparte of almost priceless value; a pair
of revolvers carried by General Fremont
while earning his title of Pathfinder, pair
of firearms carried by Sir Walter
Raleigh, a sword worn by Stafford,
a pair of snuffers once the property
of Lady Fairfax, of Virginia, a
Bible that passed through the massacre OF
St. Bartholomew and one that came over in
the Mayfower, and, in short, all sorts Of
Bibles which seem to be favorite articles for
pawning, If pathetic stories of family des-
titution are to be believed.
Pawned the Dear Family Bible.
1t seems that "the old family Bible,
the dear blessed Bible that lay on the
stand" frequently covered with dust, and q
safe receptacle for the hiding of fgreenbacks,
arouses most sentiment in the mind of the
reader when he ponders over the awful
destitution that compels people some
times to part with it temporarily,
rixyin fIo Of of n..1 ifa or
the meat that perisheth. He also found the
belt and badge owned by Sir Hudson Lowe,
Napoleon's keeper on the lonely isle of st.
Helena; curios whitfield out by soldiers in
the horrible prison pen of Andersonville, an
old hat of General Grants and jewel box
that was washed ashore in Green Bay, Mich,
from the wreck of the Lady Elgin genera
ton since, besides many other things OF rare
historic interest that would occupy place
of honor if in Madam Tussaud's wax-work
exhibition.
and has in its time sheltered many
notable, impecunious historical people, a
reporter concluded to see whether 1t could
turn up any curi9s in its Pawnshops nd and
Without exception the pawnbrokers of
Smithfield street and Wylie avenue pro-
nounced the article q fake suggested by
reporters. reading and adapted by him to
the subject is plausible.
Weary Of the Many Past Wonders.
In the first place this material age is not
given much to relic worship, too many
wonders being almost daily unfolded by
science and skeptical empiricism to interest
intelligent people to any great extent IN the
half fabulous exploits of people who lived
even before the close of the seven
teenth century, when SO few people
could read that the marvellous
travelled in seven-league boots Not even the
ais NnnOleOn e.
lieyes he would be able to cut the same fig
ure in 1891 as he did during the first 10 years
of the century. Fight againstitas we may the
feeling of common place grows on us usurp-
ing sentiment more and more from year to
year so that the use of the water OF the River
Jordan for baptismal purposes is more like
of pious alteration. People reason that dur
ing the last l,s5O years the waters
of the Jordan have been SO frequently
evaporated and waited IN vapor around the
globe that the water in which Jesus was
baptized is as like that found in the muddy
Mississippi to-day as in any stream in Pales-
tine, and they are tempted to ask with
Saaman the syrian; are hos bettar tban ali
the waters of israel.
There are, however, some unique tranSac-
tions at times in these pawnshops-mostlyi in
past times-people Offering the most unex-
pected articles as pledges, but they seldom
get anything on them worth talking of, and
in the higher class shops such pledges are
iron crown of Lombardy would secure much
more of an advance than the lid of an old
cook stove as it would not be valued much
above other old iron.
Museums Take All the Curios.
The pawnbrokers say that they could not
get curios if they wanted them, which they
do not without losing money on them, as
they can be rented to museums for more
money or secured by gatherers of relics and
Itra ,fsrn tn
history and authorization thereof than
pawnbroker could give as people who in
tend to redeem an article do not cOnfide its
history to him. If they are really lard up,
little notoriety regarding the hypotheca-
ton as possible and if they are never
able to redeem, the story of the pawn is gen
orally lost. In the high class shops nothing
is now taken except iewelry, watches, pis-
tolls, etc. on which the brokers can realize
at any time after forfeiture without abso-
Lutte loss, and it would be something very
rare that would answer as an advertisement
that would be acceptable, had it no ordi-
nary commercial everyday value.
Sometimes, however, as stated above,
Smithfield street broker who did bust
ness on Penn avenue previous to
ls70, had ha 3 call call one day yso,1r% from pm ia
took off his coat and detached an artificial
arm near the shoulder and. handing it over
to the broker, asked him for the loan of 81
on 1t for daV or Two, lnC1naC1ng Gnat 1t was
matter of great Importance that he should
get the money at once. Thinking that no
man would sacrifice piece of property, at
that time worth nearly 800, the 50 was forth
coming at once.
Soaked His Artificial Arm.
The owner took his redemption ticket
and walked out and never returned. After
a. half score or more years the
pawnbroker succeeded in disposing
of the arm for sum that barely covered
cost and ordinary-not pawnbrokers'-
interest.
A soldier soon after the late war ended
pawned an artificial leg in house on Smith
field street for a small sum. 1t hung in the
window for some years, and after the broker
had given up all hope of the return of the
the far West asking how much would be
necessary for redemption and adding the
that the Pledge would do well
to be reasonable in his demands, as the
pledger knew the leg would not fit anyone
but himself and was not worth anything to
anyone else. A sum was agreed upon and
paid and the leg was shipped to the owner
by express.
Not long since a simulated cowboy, or
some other sort Of tramp, called at the Smith
field street shop and wanted to pawn the
wreck of an old saddle which, he said, had
noted Indian chief Sitting Bull. The broker
had his doubts and refused to give anything
ON the relic Some time later he had occa-
sion to visit a museum in this city and there
saw the old saddle hanging on a nail and
by u morbidiy curious crowd,
who were refreshing their memory in the
history of Territorial warfare. 1t is supposed
the would-be pawner did much better by
selling or renting the ''relic" to the museum
than by pawning it.