The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1894-04-16
FINDERS VOCATION.
A MAN WHO MAKES Hls LIVING PICK
mo Up THINGS.

tie Gale % a Profession. aud IIis I.rpiana.
tion Mskos ~ TOOK Like whore ~.
works st inherent Hours-iiow o.. BE
came o. Professional Hinder.
"Did you notice that fellow pick up that
hHi dollar. asked thc writer OF special
tfhcer on tlo upper kialto of broadway.
whore most actors do congreeatc.
Wei, 1rs, said the officer, and that p
bic busiugs.r
/ Three persons had been engaged in ami.
mated conversation ou the Crassvalk at
/ Twenty y-scveuth street on the west side of
Broadway. when this man, who carried
himself erect and vhD would ordinarily
be- taken FOR au actor out Of sn engage
mcnt, strolled along, aud suddenly. a. be-
reached the trio. be- stopped. deftly pushed
the foot Of one Of them "a little TO one side
picked mp n silver coin, rphbcd h. lovingly
on the sleeve of bis overcoat and slipped
/ Il into his pocket
"Nes." continued the officer, "this l.
! the finders beat for the shopping hours
down as far a. Union square There are
three Of them know Of, one quite an eld
erly man, but this chap is dandy. for
he never gives his business away by his
looks. See he walks as straight as a ma
for, and while his eyes are cast down they
are covering the ground over hundred feet
ahend Of him. He has wonderfully sharp
eyesight-an eagle eye, we might say
and he never lets anything get boy him.
The officers remarks had interested the
writer in the personality Of this man as
well AS In his queer line Of business Lat
er In the evening he was found comparing
notes with a blind beggar in Sixth ave
nue. cigar store.
"My profession, " said he, with decid-
ed infection upon the latter word, "is. as
far as I am concerned, entirely original
with me, but fiud there are many in the
same line. was always finder | re
member when | was kid in dresses |
found one day In front Of "A neigh boring
drug store in Albany e. goldpieoe |
did not know its value, but took It home,
and my father put II in the bank for me.
MY next find OF importance was 2
foot, ivory, gold mounted rule which be-
longed TO big contractor on the new cap
itol building This my father returned
10 It's owner, Rs his name was engraved
upon it, and | got another V as a reward
"Then | found big diamond brooch
belonging to a woman Of sporting procliv-
titles, and she swelled my bank account
with $25 more. My luck kept on until my
head was swelled with success, and want
ed a large field TO operate in.
Then n friend Of mine said to me, Jim,
you are so good at picking up things, sup
pose you try picking out tho winners in
the horse races. That, | thought, was a
lead pipe cinch, and drew my wad from
the savings bank, and we jumped on the
boat for New York. NV first exparience
at picking winners was a failure. and In n
week was fiat broke.
al sent back to Albany for money. -
he went on, "but the old gentleman was
not disposed 10 supplying me heavily
when he found that ! was cleaned out
here. However, be sent me S2O and a tick
| ct home. The latter | sold, for didn't
| intend to show up at home broke. then
took up finding as "A profession, and
have never struck the old man, or, in fact,
anybody else for cent since My bust
ness, know, IL a precarious one, but
somehow never get in hole but | pull
out with "A big find.
"Do ever get into trouble for not re
turning property to its rightful owners'
1 Well, should say not. | have made three
times as much money returning property
AS | have made selling finds. Why, it's
the trick OF my profession. The law Of
finding was established nearly l35 years
\ ago, before the kings bench In England,
under these circumstances, which / know
by heart:
"A man found a pOcketbook containing
"A sum Of money on the floor of butchers
stall lie handed it To the butcher to re
| turn it TO its owner. After three years
waiting the owner had not turned up, and
the finder therefore demanded the money
from the butcher. The latter refused, on
the ground that 1t was found upon his
premises.
"Tben the finder sued the butcher, and
1t was held In court that the finder was
entitled TO anything he found, no matter
where or when, against all the world eN-
cept the owner. The law in this country is
the same, excepting that owners of hotels,
theaters, railroads and steamboats, can
make regulations In regard to property
found on their premises which will bind
their employees, but not the public at
large.
"What is my beati Well, that's tell
ing. However, | don't mind saying
word about the hours and the character OF
the beat. Sometimes, II things are slow,
get up early and work the fattest fight
CT stairs on the Sixth avenue elevated.
This is good for pennies, nickels and
dimes, but not for anything else.
"When the stairs are crowded passen-
gers, II they drop cent after buying
paper or looking for fares, don't stop to
pick IL up
after this work in front of big stores.
Most every carriage door opener In front
of them knows me and hates me, for in
terfere with their incomes as much as
with those Of the porters who sweep the
SN0Ai'S " 'ii' - nNN''''n' A''N ehNs ho'c w
attend TO their business, and their eyes
are not nearly as wen trained as mine are
,ors hnSvos 20 oasjaT,. - 80 m, u,n,es Iun1 ,I
nieca If is also tbe nIsce 20 rict 80 mn ront' s
etbooks' breastpins batpins goId hair.