The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-02-17
CHINESE MEDICINES.
Scenes at an Auction of an Oriental Drug
Stock.

Scenes at an Auction of an Oriental Drug
| Stock.
There was jam in Hing Yuen Tails
Chinese pharmacy in Dupont street the
| other afternoon
The place had been attached by cred
itors and sold by the sheriff to an auc-
tioneer, who disposed of the stock at
public sale. Nobody but experts would
have given five dollars for the contents
| Of the whole store. A tea-box filed
| with dirt, which was not even fit for
fertilizing purposes, brought thirty
dollars, after a spirited contest between
two highbinders
Then the Chinese auctioneer held up
pill box full of little pinto beans,
and, after explaining that they had
been dipped in the blood of brave
hatchetman and were actually guaran-
teed to cure anything from sore zoe
to cholera infantum, received a bid of
twelve dollars-just one dollar each
and finally knocked them down regret
fully at eighteen dollars to the leader
of the Suey Ong Tong.
A little handful of goose quilts, filed
"AGI hCOCi Va oil AAlCII Oi
and apparently unfit for even Chinese
soap, sold for ten dollars. This, the
auctioneer explained, was a sort of Ce
lestial pepsin that would take the kinks
out of a disordered stomach or a sam
shu head quicker than anything the or
binary druggist could concoct.
The next remedy offered for sale was
GIlaI Il nlzssf Go
which had been stepped in bears gall.
The rheumatism has about as much
show against this com binatiOn as an
Eskimo against the shell game.
Therefore, the box containing the webs
of a dozen ducks sold readily for eight
dollars. A bears gall, fresh from the
mountains Of Sonoma, brought five dol
lars.
Real owl grease went rapidly at high
prices. A handful of desiccated water
melon seeds sold for price that would
buy carload of melons. A small bot
tie of coon grease and pitch, sure and
speedy cure for the earache, was
knocked down at four dollars and fifty
cents. When bidding tagged the auc-
tioneer explained that the price of
plain coon and the value Of pitch should
not be taken into consideration. The
value of the remedy all lay in knowing
how to mix them.
A single curved surgeons needle was
found in the stock. The Chinese were
10th to bid anything for it, as they had
always done their sewing with straight
needles and did not care to experiment
with crooked one.
Huh, him no good" muttered
prospective purchaser. Heap clooked;
stick finger all time 81 want elooked
needle 1 ben it."
'You heap fool No sabe. How docta
sew up bullet hole stlaight needle?
Mus be lound, like hole. How
muchee?" and a broad grin spread over
his countenance as highlander bid
one dollar. It was finally knocked
down for two dollars and half.
Two large tea boxes filled with lot
terry tickets sold for ten dollars; but
just as the purchaser was about to pay
for them the police appeared and carted
them off to the central station The
auctioneer raved and swore IN Chinese
and English. but he could not compel
the purchaser to pay for them.
''Gim me ten dolly" he demanded,
savagely.
Gin me ticket" responded the buy
er, indifferently.
VIVA 70 you no GIN me money?
''Wha' 70 you no GIN me tieket2"
"Pleece take 'em.
"P'leece take money. too, may 6e. re-
sponded the other. That argument
was apparently a fnisher, for after
muttering a few anathemas upon the
police the auetioneer exposed a can full
Of dry mashed potatoes and called for
bid. He volunteered TO pay for any
case of anything on earth that the com-
pound would not cure If properly ap-
piled A tiny vial con taining poison
from the fangs OF some reptile was sold
to another Chinese druggist for fifty
dollars 1t was 10 be used for poison
ing the blades of highbinders knives
All sorts OF curious looking COM
pounds were sold for what seemed
most unconscionable prices There
was what appeared to be extract o.
dried abalone. also mixture O blue
stone and moIasSes, which the white
eurtioaeer pronounced ID be compound
poilywog tinctu-e 81 blue ruin, and IN