The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1894-08-16
HE FINDS LOST ARTICLES.
A Man Who Makes a Good Living
Picking up Things
He Calls It Profession, and His Explanation Makes
Look Like One.-Hls He Works,

where most actors do cOngregate.
well, yes " said the officer, and that >;
his business"
Three persons had been engaged in ami
mated conversation on the crosswalk al
Twenty-seventh street OIL the west side OF
Broadway, when this man, who carried
himself erect, and who would ordinarily
be taken for an actor out of an engage
ment, strolled along and suddenly, as he
reached the trio, he stopped, deity pushed
the foot of one of them a little to one side,
picked up silver coin, rubbed it lovingly
on the sleeve of his overcoat and slipped
it into his pocket
yes" continued the officer, "this is
the finders beat for the shopping hours
down as far as Union square. There are
three of them | know of, one quite an cid
Crly man, but this chap is dandy, for
he never gives his business away by his
looks. See, he walks as straight as a ma
jor, and while his eyes are cast down they
are covering the ground over hundred feet
ahead of him. He has wonderfully sharp
| cyesight-an eagle eye, we might say
and he never lets anything get by 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 l am concerned, entirely original
with me, but find there are many in the
same line. | was always a finder. re-
member when | was a kid in dresses |
found one day in front of a neigh boring
drug store in Albany a IS goldpiece.
did not know its value, but took it home,
and my father put it in the bank for me.
My next find of importance was 2
foot, ivory, gold mounted rule, which be-
longed to II big contractor on the new cap
| itol building This my father returned
to its owner, as his name was engraved
upon it, and got another V as a reward
"Then | found a big diamond brooch
belonging to woman of sporting prociv-
ities and she sweled my bank account
with S25 more, My luck kept on until my
| head was sweled with success, and want
ed large field to operate in.
"Then friend of mine said to me, Jim,
you are so good at picking up things, sup
/ pose you try picking out the winners in
the horse races That, | thought, was
lead pipe cinch, and drew my wad from
the savings bank, and we jumped on the
boat for New York My first experience
at picking winners was a failure, and in a
week | was fiat broke.
81 sent back to Albany for money!"
he went on, "but the old gentleman was
not disposed to supplying me heavily
when he found that | was cleaned out
here. However, he sent me $50 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, is precariOus one, but
somehow never get in hole but l pull
out with a big find
"Do ever get into trouble for not re-
turning property to its rightful owners?
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 1856 wears
ago before the kings bench in England,
under these circumstances, which know
by heart:
"a man found pocketbook containing
a sum of money on the floor of butchers
stall. He 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 it was found upon his
premises.
Then the finder sued the butcher, and
it was held in court that the finder was
/ entitled to anything he found, no matter
where or when, against all the world ex-
cept the owner The law in this country is
the same, excepting that owners of hotels,
theaters railroads and steam boats 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 beat? WE'LL that's tell
ing. However, l don't mind saying a
word about the hours and the character of
the beat, Sometimes, if things are slow,
get up early and work the latest fight
OF 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, if they drop cent after buying
paper or looking for fares, dom stop to
pick it 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
stairs Of the l. stations. But they have to
attend to their business, and their ewes
are not nearly as well trained as mine are,
" 10
tiers, halves and occasionally even gold
piece 1t is also the place to pick up peck
etbooks, breastpins, hatpins, gold hair
pms, button and glove hooks, chateaines,
keys, bangles and often bracelets, finger
rings and earrings.
Afternoons see me on Broadway. If it
is Saturday, | am for harvest. This is
the great day for nearly everything, but
gentlemen's watch charms are the main
stay. This is doubly so when it is not
overcoat time. You see, the crowd is SO
dense that men, anxious to get on the in
side, where the ladies passing can see
them, rub up against each other and thus
detach the watch ornaments.
when the crowd is at its height, I get
into sort of space or clearing and try to
keep there. Then l stand show for
good pair OF opera glasses and lot of lace
handkerchels, with an occasional pocket
book.
AT night the best field for operations
is outside of the theaters, and then come
the cutters. Lots of coins are dropped be-
low the curbstone by people getting into
cabs. New York News.
The Need of Caution.
The need of caution in the use of Ger.