Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-05-08
PHOTOS OF LOVED ONES.
A Fraud That Causes More Heartsuffering
Than Financial Damage-Harrison as
Fisherman-A Story About Big Men
Drinking an Egg With the Shell On.

| DrlnklnS an Egg Win the Shell On.
tFRoM STAFF CORRESPONDENT
Of all the numerous devices for swim
ding confding people that have been ex-
posed from time to time that which prom
lses l1fe-size crayon portrait for nothing
on the receipt of photograph is probably the
| most despicable. A few days ago l received
note from lady of Washington d. c., ask
| ing me to go to the Pacific Crayon Portrait
| House," in the Broadway Theater building
and get photograph that had been sent
that concern in response to its advertise
ment in certain magazines. copy OF ono
containing the advertisement was for
warded. I knew at glance that this was
another of the free-cray -50-cent-s5-frame
schemes, several of which have been broken
up in Brooklyn, Chicago and New York, but
l thought might recover the photograph
The latter was the only portrait of dead
son, and as such was beyoud price. The
seductive advertisement promises to re-
| turn the picture, but this lady had written
repeatedly, inclosing stamps for its return,
and got no reply. afterward found that
was only part of the game.
Under the plea OF getting crayon pro-
cured information enough on the fourth
foor of the Broadway Theater building to
justify call upon Captain Mclaughlin, Of
the Tenderoin precinct, He told me that
he had received two complaints from people
who had claimed to have been swindIed by
this picture con Germ before he had been in
charge of the precinct three days.
"of course they are crooked" !" said he, "but
we can do nothing without a complaint.
These people work the out-of-town racket
they don't swln1le anybody where their
dupes can appear against them at any time.
that ii they will come to this city and prose-
cute I'll raid that place in five minutes. We
can't do anything without complaint and
compla inant."
When went back to the Broadway build
ing three days later the Pacific Crayon Por-
tralt House was packing up. The scowl1ng
young woman in charge permitted me to
search among several Thousand photographs
for the picture of the lady's dead son while
she told me more contradictory stories of
the free crayon business than l could re-
crowded with these pictures packed on end
in boxes. There were thousands of them.
Most OF them We're of loved ones who had
departed this life. The tender inscriptions,
the elaborate instructions about care and
return-the aged parent, the short-lived
1nfant-brother, sister, husband, wife-faces
photographed after death-tintypes, old
cherished ambrotypes in plush velvet cases
forgotten and covered with dust.
If the owners had written as often and
enclosed as many stamps as this one in
quirer whom l happen to know has done,
what a golden harvest these dusty portraits
have yielded! Many of the pictures were in
their mailing covers and these bore the
postmarks of every city in the Union. They
stamps extracted, and, if no order for O free
picture in S. frame had been given, were
chucked away in the dust as many of the
originals have doubtless been years ago.
While was there the letter carrier deliv-
cred mail containing money and stamps
ana the scowling woman scowled more be-
cause the amount was not larger. Verify,
the crop Of tools is perennial, and there is
sucker born every hour.
One Of Harrison's Fishing Exploits.
Judge John A. Holman, of Indiana,
says the only thing he has against Ben Har-
rison is that the latter once beat him on the
weight of fish.
1--WE had been out all day." said the Judge
eat the Bellfontaine reservoir, celebra ted
for its splendid bass fishing. Harrison and
Sheriff Parker were in one boat and couple
of US i'll another. and SO on-quite party al
together. We fshed all day with varying
fortunes. Most of the fish ranged from one
pound to pound and hail. and some got
but few of those. We took in quite a string
of that kind, but just be fore the close of the
day we hooked a magnificent bass weighing
over six pounds. 1t required both OF us to
get him into the boat. When we got that big
fellow we just stopped fishing and pulled for
the rendezvous.
"You may naturally suppose that big bass
stirred up the green-eyed monster and you
are right As one boat after another got in
we regarded it yerv an nxiously, not knowing
but they might have big fish or two, also,
but every man looked used up when he saw
our catch. Finally General Harrison's boat
pulled slowly in among, if not the very last
His partner got out and pulled her nose mp
on the sand while the General got up stif1y
and solemnly and picking up a string of
small fish came ashore. Both men looked
done out and disguised and neither said a
word. OF course, we began to feel excessive
ly elated and showed Off our big fish with
great zest The General looked at it q
moment and turning round to the Sheriff,
said:
"'By the way-I've left my rubber coat in
the Doat'-and the sheriff said, 'Oh, yes |
and he stepped back and took up the coat.
Lying there under the coat was great,
splendid fellow. as near like ours as two |
peas could be alike. 1t just took our breath |
away when the two were placed side by |
side. Everybody shouted, of course. Then |
we all gathered aronnd to see them weighed |
some think king ours was the heaviest, some |
theirs. When they were weighed the |
Generals fish outweighed ours by just one |
ounce"
Freaks OF Some Great Mems Fancies.
Two gentlemen were strolling along |
in the MONDAY sunshine of early |
spring. Their sound minds were in sound |
bodies and their hearts, untrammeled by the |
narrow confines of conventional emotions. |
went out in gladness to the great omniscient |
and omnipresent somebody or something |
who ordained that spring lamb and green |
peas should come in together. They enter
sained no restricted views OF humanity; they |
believed and took pride in spreading their |
belief in nothing orthodox. They knew |
men in the concrete and dealt with humanity |
only in the abstract-as they would open |
Jackpot, playing their hands for what they |
we're worth. The world was their jack pot |
and they had opened it with a pair of aces.
And one was cynic and the other was |
jester-and both were eminent.
They met another, an eminent comedian,
and as the three sauntered along Broadway
the crowd parted on either side to ut the.H
pass, for these were above the common herd
and though in the throng were not of it.
Al d it came to pass that the keen eye of the
cynic CHANGED to fall upon poor, struggling
angle worm, that by some curious coinci-
dence was promenading Broadway at the
same hour in search of friendly shadow or
q bit of moisture, and at once the heart of
tie cynic melted the comedian pulled his
and the jester became serious.
They drew solemnly near and formed a hol
the crowd stood wondering by and whis-
pered breathiessly. And the cynic and the |
lester and the eminent comedian kneeled
down there upon the hard stones of Broad
way and wept that such helpless creature
Of somebody or something should be there
alone and unprotected from the iron heel of
truel man. And the crowd marveled at
their greatness of heart and many men and
women would fain have wept for pure SYM
pathY.
But the cynic carefully examined the un-
happy worm, now nearly exhausted by the
heat of the day, and declared with mighty
bath that while he lived such thing de-
,erting and leaving this poor creature to his
lingering death should never be. The jester
,oDbed another great sob as he also took the
,ath and the eminent comedian swore that
f he were upon such terms with his vile as
would permit him to enter his own home, tho
lear, innocent angleworm should find
permanent asylum. So they tenderly bore
he struggling worm away amid the plaudits
If an enthusiastic populace. And it came
o pass that they met still another great
mind that lives and thrives outside the pale
" orthodox thought-one world-renowned
Vt eloquence and a professional infidel. And