The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-01-16
ALWAYS HARD UP.
Schemes of Impecunious Individuals to
Stave on Creditors.

From the Boston Traveller.
Nearly every man who was not born to
millions has at different times found HIM
self in the condition of being half broke.
but in most cases this embarrassment is
only temporary. With a good many,
though, the complaint is VIGOROUSLY a
chronic one. and there is occasionally
considerable that is humorous as well as
ingenious about the impromptu shifts to
which they resort in order to raise the
wind in an emergency.
Rather neat was the inspiration of a
man who rented a house in New York,
and found himself threatened by ruin at
the hands of a number of creditors. His
landlord was particularly pressing, and
had given him just "a hours in which to
pay his arrears of rent-a seemingly
hopeless chance, as he knew of no one
of whom he could borrow sufficient to
stave off the immediate disaster. 1t so
happened, however, that that very MORN
ing a lodger had purchased a piano.
which was sent home with the sellers re-
ceipt attached. and to all appearances II
brought luck to the house. At any rate
a few hours later the debtor was smil-
ingly bowling his landlord from the door.
having paid up his rent to the day.
The piano had done the trick. Shortly
after it's arrival he might have been
seen hurrying into the office of a pawn
broker with the statement that, having
just bought a piano he wished to raise
temporary loan upon the same to relieve
a pressing difficulty. AS is customary
when such bulky articles are pledged the
pawnbroker simply sent to satisfy himself
that the instrument was real and had
been paid for, and granted the loan upon
the piano as circumstances permitted. 1t
was a doubtful trick. but the lodger was
neither a loser nor a bit the wiser
An impecunious individual once wanted
TO raise twice much on a gold ring
any, pawnbroker would loan. He was in
the habit of pledging this ring regularly
every week for s., and always at the
same establishment,
He purchased common ring-one of
the brass affairs got up to counterfeit the
genuine article. With this he went to his
pawnbroker's. took it from his finger, as
he habitually did the real one. and re-
quested the customary loan with the ha-
bitual sigh. The pawnbroker knew him
well and did not trouble to inspect 1t, and
the So was handed over. Then he took his
gold ring to a second establishment and
pledged it for a similar amount.
= At an eastern coast resort several years
ago a very curious dodge to raise money
easily and quickly was tried by visitor,
who, having gambled away his resources
at the races. had not even enough left to
pay for a railroad ticket home, much less
to meet his hotel expenses. The case be-
ing desperate, he tried a desperate remedy
and IL won. He walked hurriedly to the
end of one of the piers and threw himself
off in sight of fashionable crowd, feign-
ed drowning. in fact, although he was a
fair swimmer. Being promptly rescued,
as he had calculated upon. he reluctantly
told tale of long-continued reverses of
fortune. so exciting the sympathies of the
crowd that IL not only induced the au-
thorities to let him depart upon his prom
III. h <.fT.K lx..N
subscribed a handsome sum for him on
the spot
But perhaps as unique a design for
raising the wind" i'm an emergency as
could be had was that which suggested
itself to a needy New Yorker at a time
when the chance of his life came. His
fortunes had long been at a very low ebb,
when one day he received a letter from a
relative i'm the west, stating that there
was a snug berth to be had there IL he
could present himself within three days.
In vain he tried to borrow the money nee
essary for an outfit and the journey, and
he had almost abandoned the idea when
he read an instance of a man having
mortgaged his body with a hospital So
ciety for substantial sum of money
He FASTENED to test the matter for him.
self. and a formal agreement was drawn
up by which he bequeathed himself at
death to the society for experimental
purposes for the sum of $50 paid down.
With that in his pocket he hurried of
and captured the coveted position, and
afterwards repaid the $50.