Southwest-sentinel. [volume] (Silver City, N.M.) 1883-189?, 1894-04-10
EXPERT In EMBLElIs.
WISE ~ The MATTER or FRATER-
NIFTY PINS AND BADGES.

Incidcn Of His business.
On the Bowcry not far from Brooms
street is a pawnbroker's sale shop, the
proprietor Of which makes a specially
Of dealing in college fraternity pins and
badges. You msy examine every other
pawnshop and sale store on the Bowery
and find not more than FIVE OF six such
emblems in all OF them, but in this
shop, occupying a conspicuous position
in the show window, there Is always a
velvet covered tray on which a dozen OF
more pins OF different secret societies
are displayed. The place Is getting to
be known among college men, and peo-
pie who have lost fraternity badges 90
there as the hrst step to finding them.
Every few weeks tho proprietor of the
place goes on a tour Of the pawnshops
looking for badges. and In his long ex-
p%erience he has picked ny u fund of in
formation about college fIRternities that
would put the average graduate to tho
blush. There Is not much money in that
particular branch, he says, but he has
become interested in Il and made Is a
sort Of study. Not only docs he know
the embloms Of every fraternity In this
part Of the country, but he is a perfect
encyclopedia Of information regarding
their relative size, importance and the
peculiar characteristics Of each society
and Of the colleges in which each has its
chapters. One would be certain that he
himself is a college man but for certain
peculiarities Of speech that proclaim the
east slider and his positive assertion that
he has never boon inside the doors OF a
college and has never even seen any but
the local colleges from the outside.
A reporter In search of a lost badge
which he thought might have found its
way, as many lost articles do, into a
Bowery pawnshop went into this store
to look over the stock of fraternity pins.
He didn't find his badge, but be found
many others. Tbs proprietor had some
interesting things to tell about some OF
his pins.
"There amt many things in this line
that's fun" said he. "A man wouldn't
90 into It for his health. But this secret
society pin business is mighty interest
in. OF course you understand it's only
a side lay-not my regular trade. How
did l get into itl Why, the funny lst-
ters on the pins used to catch me when
l was on the lockout for stuff in tho
hockshops, and l began pickin 'em up.
Then l got interested more by an old
gent from the University club that was
up on that line and used to tell me
things about the badges and their differ
ent organizations. he came into my
shop one day TO look at badge. That's
how 1 got to know him. He used to send
me books aud magazine articles on fra
ternities till / got to know as much
about it as no did, and now l guess they
amt many college societies in this part
Of the country that 1 don't know enough
about to surprise the members if l want
ed to tell it.
"Thoy amt a college fraternity In
the east but what I've handled ono OF
more Of its pins. I'm keepin tab on tho
hockshops I'll tho while, and wheneYot
l find a badge l nail it, Usually l gel
'em cheap, for they amt any demand
for 'em 10 ppeak Of. Occasionally a man
brings in Il pin to me, or l see n on d
} buns coat and buy it, but it's mostly
the pawnshops. How do l s'poso they
get there2 Well, most of 'em are lost,
l think. know enough about EN- tc
know that tho last thing q college
mann hook ia his society pin. When
they do hook 'ein, though, it's dowr
here, and not up town, where they think
other college fellows may go in and eel
'em. They get mighty little on 'em,
. fDw Nha honLahnn nNrn - 6aa1 la0Wu nj
things they don't understand. OF course
the pin itself has a good deal to do witt
It. II it's heavily teweled, a man may
get half its value on 1t. Then pins tina
, are a marked design hook we'll, becaus,
7 they sell we'll. The 7 pin of the Delft
, Psis, and the star and crescent of the AL
pha Delta, and the crosses like the Alphi
Tau Omega or Delta Phi will find
market easier than the plain monogram
: pins or the diamond shaped.
Now, here's a pin, " continued thi
. erudite student of fraternities, taking
small, plain Psi Upsilon pin from tn,
case, that I've had here for 10 months
and not an offer for it.. / got it in
queer way. l was in a hockshop dow
n by Canal street chewin the rag over
! couple of badges that the proprieto
had, when in came a young womaI
. about 80 or go maybe and pretty, too
only she looked kind Of half starved
She unpinned the pin from her dress ant
asked:
= How much will you loan me OF
thisi'
Her voice trembled, but she wa
game and kept a steady face. The ma
offered her 81, and she turned to go out
when l said I'd give her 90 for 1t.
" i don't want to sell II, she said
L want to get 1t back some time
well, I'll keep 1t six months 70
you, / told her and gave her my bust
ness card. She took the money, and sh
kissed the pin before she handed it I
me. l never saw her again. There
nothin on the pin but her name"
The speaker handed the pin to the re
porter, who looked on the back and say
J engraved tho one word Lizzie" II
returned the pin to its place, and it /
probably there now II any Psi u want
to go Bowery hunting for it.-Ne,
York Sun.
~
Il Practical.