Evening journal., 1897-01-30
In THE PAWNSHOPS.
,UEER INCIDENTS NOTED BY PRO-
PRiETORS OF LOAN OFFICES.

'soaked"-Trying 60 Pawn a Glass Eye.
The secret which a Few Hair Inch
Boards Kept Dark.
The pawnbrokcr, the banker of the
~pendthrift and the unfortunate, the |
custodian of family skeletons and the |
4 receiving teller of hard luck stories,
'uns across deal Of the pathos of life
mixed mp with not "a little that is strik
<ngly ludicrous.
Stories Of form sr opulence and present |
of reckless speculation, Of dissipa.
n ion, of oppression, are given over to
Fhis safe keeping, along with valued |
3 5keepsakes and family heirlooms. Some
Hof these heirlooms have strange histo-
B ries.
In the vaults of Clark street pawn
broker is bit Of soiled ribbon that was
once pinned on the breast Of a gallant
y general by no less a person than Napo-
leon. The ribbon is soiled and crum-
Hpled, but from the bottom Of it, bright
as the day it was first worn, hangs the
insignia Of the Legion of Honor. Along
with it are papers giving the name of
its first holder and the fields of battle
on which he achieved the right to wear
it. How it made its way to Chicago is
unknown history, but time and again
has it found its way into the vaults Of
+ the broker only to be redeemed again
and brought back. A few doors away is
deposited belt of fine gold and silver
interviewer, the last relic Of once dis
tinguished Russian family.
Not long ago woman past the prime
8 of life, tall and stately, and with the
& dark, imperious eyes and naughty hear
& ing of Castilian, called on q Clark
street broker She said she was of a
Spanish family which had been COM
s PEELED to leave its country for political
causes. She would not give her name.
IF did, she said, you would be in
credulous. Then she handed the clerk
casket Of jewels-tiaras, bracelets,
4 pendants. all set with gems of the flrst
& water. She wanted $50, 000-for only
short while, she explained. Not a cent
B less would be of use to her. The jewels
mad doubtless cost great deal more
than this sum, but the broker feared he
could not realize that amount on them,
and the woman left and never returned.
A few days ago a we'll dressed, digni-
fed man walked into this same estab-
lishment and said he would like to se-
cure loan of few dollars. On being
asked what security he had to offer he
gave the dapper broker fit of nervous
& prostration by calmly removing glass
eye.
This is remarkably fine eye, " he ex-
planned, leisurely wiping the dislodged
E optic on his handkerchief II have been
told it becomes me better than my own,
but if you would let me have a few dol
lars on it l think could get along with
the other for day or two"
The broker admitted that he had once
assisted in putting pennies on the eyes
Of deceased relative, but couldn't see
his way clea- to place dollars on the
glass eye Of live man, and the visitor
secured the address of a second hand
clothes dealer, replaced his eye, bowed
stifily and walked away.
In the higher class Of pawnshops-
those that restrict themselves solely to
\ diamonds, watches and jewelry-the
place loans are negotiated and goods re-
ceived are separated from the front show
room by a partition. To give greater
privacy to customers there is little row
of stalls along a counter These are fitted
with spring doors, giving them the
appearance of a line of telephone boxes.
Into one Of these person can step and
transact his or her business unseen by
any save the clerk behind the counter.
Last summer, about holiday time, a
fashionably dressed woman was in one of
these stalls in a down town brokers Of
fee. She wanted to borrow $50 on q
ring. ''It's my engagement ring, she
explained, land / wouldn't have my
husband know for the world.
While this was going on a man in the
compartment next to her was dickerine
with another clerk over loan of $50 Oh
watch. The owners initials were or
the back of the watch, and as this less
ened its selling value the clerk hesitatec
in advancing so much.
''Oh, that's point in your favor, y
explained the would be borrower. "My
wife had those put on there when she
gave it to me, and I'll be bound to re
deem it shortly, for if she knew l wa
soaking her present there would be in
somnia in our family till 1 brought i
home.
BY this time the woman in stall No
had secured her money and departed
After a little delay the man did like
wise. When the usual list was mad
out for police inspection, it was foun,
that the names and addresses of the twl
Tailed, and that they were, in fact
man and wife. The ring and the watcl
have long since been redeemed, AM
neither guesses that only a few hal
inch boards stood between two awfu
revelations. Chicago Record.