Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1895-10-25
HER UNIQUE TRADE.
A WOMAN WHO EARNS A LIVING AS
A PROFESSIONAL FINDER.

a WOMAN WHO EARNS A LIVING AS
A PROFESSIONAL FINDER.
Her Field of Work Is The Shopping Dis
trict of a Large City-Her Method Is to
Go Along the Main Street Looking For
Valuables-Her Best Find.
There is a woman in Philadelphia whose
business it is to walk the principal streets
during shopping hours, keeping her eyes
on the pavement for lost articles.
Years ago she used to ply the trade of
professional finder in New York and did
uncommonly well, until competition be-
came too keen. Then she moved to Bos-
ton, where it is said no one ever drops any
thing save an occasional "h, !" the result
of pernicious ~anglomania. From the Hub
she came to Philadelphia, and here she ex-
poets to remain until business becomes
dull.
This is her method. About II o'clock,
by which time women from n%eighboring
towns have reached the city on the hunt
for bargains, Chestnut street is usually a
crowded th%oroughfarc. Nine. de Blanque's
'beat'' is between Eighth and Broad, in.
variably on the south side. Her gait,
while slow, is not sufficiently tagging to
attract attention and her eyes are, meta
phorically, searchlights. If the young
lady in front drops her Trilby locket, Of
no intrinsic value, to be sure, though dear
from association, madame dcftly picks it
up and-walks on. Later, q woma look
ing like a local express, SO laden with
along, intent only upon catching a subur-
han f1pnIn Che 1rorc hnr r,ocl-ofhoo1~i
Empty, most likely, and yet it may con
cain a check, receipt, and half q dozen
minor things of Importance only to the
owner. That, too, finds it's way INTO ma
liame's capacious pocket.
Sometimes it's a bit of jewelry, now and
then a gem of value. Once it happened to
he a new set of teeth in a black silk bag;
another time a bundle of letters, pulsat-
ing billets they were, and the owner paid
we'll for their return. The whole transac-
ton was conducted through the personal
column of a morning paper. A newly
married couple lost not only their money,
Which the bride carried, but their Camden
certificate as well, that had been crowded
into a small compartment of the unfortu-
nate p~ocketbook.
After finding the things the lost and
found columns of the principal dailies are
carefully read, and madame corresponds
with the advertiser, OF, in the event of a
find like the bundle of love letters, madame
advertises to the effect that such a bundle
has been found, and owner may regain
same by paying expenses. AS to charges,
naturally they depend altogether upon the
value of the find.
"For instance" said Nine. De Blanque,
mot many months ago I found q gentle
mans wallet containing two government
bonds, ONT newly bought railroad stock
and several 500 bills. 1t belonged to a
man living up town. He always carried
a large amoun of money about-in fact,
was cranky on the subject of bonds.
"Wel), I answered his ad. He made an
appointment, and after describing the con
tents of the wallet, etc, 1 handed him his
property. He thanked me profusely and
gave me 81 to defray my expenses, he said.
That continued my friend, "was the
meanest customer I ever had.
"My best work financially occurred in
New York. Both parties are dead now, so
l may have no hesitancy in giving the
story for the first time, although of course
I shall mention no names
"1n front Of Brcntano's I noticed n
young woman, handsomely gowned, look
about expectantly, call a hanson, and just
as she was about to step in drop q package.
Mine is a trade of opportunities. The
lady's loss was my transitory gain. A
professional finder never opens anything
on the street. When I reached home that
afternoon, I inspected the package and
judge.of my disappointment to find it con-
tanned a dozen cabinet portraits Of two or
binary people,. q man and woman.
tNI,n ,,ov% <1o1, =, -l---
tised for q bundle lost near Brentano's;
large reward If delivered at once to x,
Studio building Now what could there
be in an ordinary photo of a prosaic mar
ried couple, no doubt, to create such anxi-
city as I could read between the lines of
the ad.?
"That same evening another ad. appear
ed in all the papers, which read: 'One hun
dred dollars, and no questions, will be paid
for bundle lady dropped near Brentano's;
call room As, Park Avenue hotel L wait
ed. Two different people after that bun.
die. Sure enough, more personals ap
peared next morning, and which to answer
was a question. In a case of two evils it is
better to have no election, so I chose both.
My answers were guarded, and I gave the
postoffice address only.
"Just as anticipated, T received two re-
plies, both brief. One said: Bring bundle
to my room at hotel. If it is what I
expect, I will pay you $3.50 cash. If not,
will pay for your trouble, etc. Room 49,
The other read: Bring bundle to room 16,
Studio building. If it is what 1 have lost,
will pay you anything reasonable.
"To make q long story short I called
first at the Studio building. The occu-
pant of room Is was the lady I had seen
drop the package. She grasped my hand
vehemently.
"'You have the pictures with your she
asked feverishly.
Eyes
"'And your pricep'
"sThe other party offered me $780,
! Then I'll double it. And she count
ID out six $50 bills.
"The lady in the photograph had been
indiscreet. Her husband had filed a petit:
ton for absolute divorce" continued
Nine. de Blanque, ''and the photographs
would have been used against her. She
paid we'll to lave even the plate from tho
photographer and naturally was much con-
oerned when both it and the pictures were
lost. Thu case never came to trial, for the
husband died suddenly and his wife fol-
lowed him q wear aftAryyard.