The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1897-01-19
TIE ROANOKE TIMES. TUESDAY. JANUARY 10. 1897
IN THE PAWNsHOPs.
QUEER INCIDENTS NOTED BY PRO-
PRIETORS OF LOAN OFFICES.

An Insignia of tho Legion of Honor Often
"Soalted"-Trying to Pawn 81 Glass Eye.
The Secret Which II Few Half Inch
Boards Kept Dark.
Tho pawnbrokcr, the banker of tho
spendthrift and the unfortunate, the
custodian of family skeletons and the
receiving teller of hard luck stories,
runs across deal Of the pathos of life
mixed up with not little that is strik-
ingly ludicrous.
Stories of former opulence and present
need of reckless speculation, of dissipa.
ton, of oppression, are given over to
his safe keeping, along with valued
koepsakes and family heirlooms. Some
of these heirlooms have strange histo-
rieS
In the vaults Of Clark street pawn
broker is Il bit of soilcd ribbon that was
once pinned on tho breast of gallant
general by no less n person than Napo-
leon. Tho ribbon is soiled and crum-
pied, 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
It's first holder and the fields of battle
on which no achieved tho right to wear
1t. 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. y few doors away is
deposited IL belt of fine gold aud silver
interviewer, the last relic of once dis.
tlnguishcd Russian family.
Not long ago Il woman, past the primo
OF life, tall and stately, ard with tho
dark, imperious eyes and naughty hear
ing Of Il Castilian, called on IL Clarl,
street broker She said she was of "a
Spanish family which had been com
PEELED to leave its country for political
causes She would not give her name.
II did, she said, you would be i'll
creuulous. Then she handed the clerk
casEet of jcwcls-tiaras, bracelets,
pendants, all set with gems of the first
water She wanted $40, 0OO-for only
short while, she explained. Not IA cent
less would be of use to her. The Jewels
mad doubtless cost a great deal more
than this sum, hut the broker feared nc
could not realize that amount OH them,
and the woman left and never returned.
A few days ago IL well dressed, digni-
fled man walked into this same ostab-
lishmcnt and said he would like to Sc
cure II loan of few dollars. On being
asked what security he had to offer he
gave the dappcr broker IL fit of nervous
prostration by calmly removing a glass
eye.
This is remarkably fine oyc, p" he ex-
planned, lcisnrely wiping the dislotlgcd
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 OH it l think could get along with
the other for "a day or two"
The broker admitted that he had once
assisted i'll putting pennies OH the eyes
OF deceased relative, but couldn't see
his way clear to place dollars on tho
glass eye of II live man, and the visitor
secured tho address of second hand
clothes dealer, replaced his eye, bowed
stitlly and walked away.
In tho higher class of pawnshops-
those that restrict themselves solely to
diamonds, watches and jewelry--the
place loans are negotiated and goods re-
celved are separated from tho front show
room by PARTITION. TO give greater
privacy to customers there is Il little row
of stalls along counter. These are fitted
with spring doors, giving them the
appearance of line of telephone boxes.
Into one OF these IL person can step and
transact his or her business unseen bv
any save the clerk behind tho counter.
Last summer, about holiday time. "a
fashlonably dressed woman was in one of
these stalls i'll down town brokers' of
flee. She wanted to borrow $40 OH n
ring Its my engagement ring" she
explained, land l wouldn't have nv
husband know for the world"
While this was going OH u man i'll the
compartment next to her was dickering
with another clerk over loan of 500 on
n watch. The owners initials were on
the back of the watch, and as this less
cncd its selling value the clerk hesitated
III advancing so much.
On that's point in your favor"
explained the would be borrower. MY
wife had those put OH there when she
gave 1T to me, and I'll he bound to re-.
deem it shortly, for if she knew was
soaking her present there would be in
somnia III our family till / brought il
home
BY this time the woman in stall No.
had secured her money and departed.
After IL little delay the man did like
wise. When the usual list was made
out for police inspection, it was found
that the names and addresses of the two
tailed, and that they were, in fact.
man and wife. The ring and the watch
have long since been redeemed, and
neither guesses that only IA few half
inch boards stood between two awful
revelations. Chicago. Record.
lilo soa-o4 &C -. -.