Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-12-29

Odd Things TO Re Sold Tomorrow nj H. I'D
quarters.

Odd Things to he sold Tomorrow At Hsad-
quarters.
oescisls at police headq larters are busy to-
day making a catalogue OF the seized
and forfeited articles which are TO be
sold at auction tomorro~. 1t would
be difficult to imagine . more hetero-
geueous collection. One Of the most interest
ing objects which it includes is Chinese knife
more than two feet in length, which WAS cap
tured on the occasion Of a raid on Chinese
opium joint. 1t 10 big enough TO serve fairly
we'll as a sword
There are about a dozen large milk cans
which represent. perhaps, many arrests of
milk thieves. curiosity 10 Q satchel which
once belonged to a member OF the swell
mob. He escaped, and the bag with its con-
tents was retained security for his sub
sequent appearance. Thus far, however, he
has not turned up to claim it, and now it is to
be sold. Half dozen fine linen shirts and two
embroidered nightSowns were found in the
satchel, and they will be disposed of to the
highest bidders.
NONE OF THE THINGS VERY VALUABLE.
Nearly all Of the things which compose this
curious assemblage are worth very little. They
represent what has fallen into the hands of the
police in the shape of lost articles picked
up and never claimed. and others
which have been recovered from thieves,
though never destined to find their owners
All such stuff must by law be kept year, at
the end Of which il is sold. Some gold watches
and other jewelry there are-found in the
streets and in the possession Of criminals This
is the cream Of the collection.
There is big piece of lead pipe stolen from
some house and thrown away by the thief
Likewise beer key with brass spigot, which
some dishonest persons with a taste for lager
got away with from u saloon doubtless drink
ing the contents and afterwerd throw
ing away the receptacle. An oddity 10 q SLOUGH
bat, in a fair state of preservation. which o man
was robbed of . while ago. The case came into
court aud the complainant got so provoked at
the judge that he threw the hat at his honor.
The hat was confiscated and fine was imposed
upon the owner Of it.
SOME VERY OLD CLOTHES.
Quite quantity of clothes there are also, all
of them so very dirty and worn out that it
would be fiattcry to call them shabby.
Among them are several little shirts,
coats and pairs of trousers which have q
pathetic story of their own to tell. Once
on q time they were the property OF suadry
small boys who on various occasions vetured to
battle in the Georgetown canal and in the Po-
tomac taking the dip in natural buff. Police
men coming along inopportunely, they fed,
leaving their garments behind them. The lat
ter were captured by the ruthless .'cops" and
taken to headquarters.
nude bath in the Potomac costs 81 il the
offender is caught at it. The same crime COM
mitted in the Georgetown canal is assessed at
IS. The difference is partly due TO
the fact that Georgetown folks are particularly
modest. The suit of clothes worn on ordinary
days by the average small boy who takes such
surreptitious baths is hardly worth 81 net,
and. as an invariable rule, he prefers to go
home and take the whipping he is sure to get
rather than to fall into the hands of the law.
Nobody ever calls to identify and recover the
clothing thus abandoned.
Two BICYCLES.
1t is astonishing how many bicycles are lost
by careless people in Washington. In the
course Of year scores Of wheels are brought
to headquarters by policemen who have
found them in the streets. Not long ago an
officer discovered q bicycle at midnight
leaning against en- awning post in front of a
shop on street. He watched it for two hours
and half, thinking that the owner
might be around, and finally he took
charge of it week iate- the owner
came to headquarters in great state Of e1-
element and announced that his wheel had
been stolen from his house the night before.
He had not missed it meanwhile. Some
times men go 20 call on girls and come away
in such a happy frame of mind that they
leave their bicycles behind them and walk
home. forgetting them altogether. There are
two vehicles of this sort in the collection that
is to be disposed of tomorrow.
Not infrequently baskets of groceries and
marketing are picked up by officers in the
streets. where they have been forgotten
and left. They are kept as long as possible
for Identification. but perlshable goods OF all
sorts under such circumstances are sold
before they spoil. the money being turned into
the police pension fund. Some months ago
policeman found two big baskets of laundered
clothes on the sidewalk abandoned. and they
were not claimed BY the colored woman who
had lost them until several days had passed.
SOME ODDS AND ENDS.
Among other oddities in the collection are a
waterproof. coal shovel, an electric belt and
a wailet-all of them found in the streets
There is long piece of wire cable,
probably stolen from a vessel. People who
have a weakness for stealing will take any
thing. Recently a colored man caught in
the act of trying to carry off ten-foo: crowbar
belonging to an electric light company, W hich he
could hardly lift Another ticle in the catalogue
is musket with which one man tried to shoot
another. There are wretched-looking UNI
brellas. which have been left behind by prison.
| ers at headquarters, and bottles of beer and
other stimulating beverages seized at raids on
unlicensed gin mills.
The sale Of these queer effects takes place at
headquarters tomorrow Mt 10 am. Junk deal
ers will do most Of the buying. though doubt
less fe W speculatively inclined women will be
Dresent siao