The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-08-07
INDIAN HUNT ON BROADWAY.
The Man Who Wont to Find Out About
Cigar Store Signs.

OAkuE SVoEo SlEnbs
There is not a wooden Indian in Broadway
from Canal street to the Battery. A man who
went on o hunt for Indians is authority for the
statement. II it is true. one reason for it is that
there Is no room for distractions on the side
walks. But the man who made the statement
believed. until he found out otherwise. that
the absence OF the wooden Indian indicated
that. like the live race from which the wooden
man is fashioned, the latter was in a state OF
decline.
The man who interested himself about
wooden Indians walked on Broadway from
Prince street to the Battery and back in the
rain. sometimes asking where he might find
an Indian and occasionally searching a direc-
tory. People who were asked looked at the
man suspiciously. and the directory gave out
no information. But at last, in a store half way
up Broadway. he saw an Indian. The young
man in charge Of the Indian stock was ap-
p~arently familiar with the business. and he
was willing to lmpart his information. although
he knew there was no sale at hand.
Are there many Indians in New York 2" the
hunter asked.
You mean. 1 take 1t. cigar-sfgn Indians2
Not as many as you might suppose. There are
people who believe there is an Indian figure in
into the tobacco business, he buys m Indian
first place. a man can, do business without an
Indian. Some men do. They don't have to
man has lots OF capital when he goes into bust
ness, an Indian is about the last thing. he buys"
where wooden Indians pt1tHs are ! turned imGle On ou ~" A0fA
Very few. In fact, l know of but two. and
t Te6d sFe n PSdi R0Fk HIS q ths reSl 1n Ths day i e tw t6e
Indian he has to Keep it freshened up once or
paid more for paint and varnish than the Indian
cost; , How much do you think a wooden Indian
We'll. one. the size Of that" pointing to a life
it takes to make an Indian, paint and ALP"
0!tcourse the hunter could not say.
Two weeks. And now how many Indiansdo
you think are sold in the United States an
nually -
A kinds; wooden, metal. and paris"
About 800 now then. you can understand
wooden Indians. There Is no money in the
business. That explains it."
What figure is most popular in the bust
"Th Indian. 1haye heard that the Indian
ness, but It is not true. The w" Wooden sSdHa9'fH indian dian,
as l hay have = s Just said fa!9; lis is not not a seiler"nhhe would
taken the place of the. Wooden vtS c one. We sell liza a
half dozen lnd dams where we sell one Of any
So %W6 ms Biro tS iH9 brooklyn hsure'"
We'll. in the catalogue it Is the Indian Chief:
there are $50 OF them in Brooklyn"
The young man wheeled a handsome figure
AThis.S he Hs's said. tSE us the e e onlS w eed a S cigar
sign in our place: It + the head and body Of
taur It's a beauty; But how many men would
pay M; 3 % for that ItoTT h B they can buy an Indian
connection there is between this character and
the tobacco business"
- I'll" oIIa turning opt a wooden Indian. or in
or the Inoulder require q model 2"
."No That is a mistaken idea. | do not
started the business had a model: l don't know
h hT I Tint was iod But at there az are I no models now;
dian; a metal Indian or a live Indian"
not int in the N way iy"y You nD mean 1or S %e h hsafe one
called Capt. Jack. but that is the only one.
1a sRn i stSR eP4Ps was st such locks an any ffn %GIe t ftks q I 5S.
The others are called Indian chief. Indian
maid, Indian squaw and papoose, and 50 on"
Is there not a tendency to adopt other 1lg-
avenue labelled Capt. siSsBeeC.""0 0''D"'u'
It won,,t last That sort Of business is a fad:
After the civil war somebody. got up a bust OF
fancy seeing their heroes used for cigar signs.
There were dude and baseball figures when
the only game We had. But such things are
Ieds and soon run out, Occasionally you find
t aSSF are GF ea @sPF!sh maj" Fh sf indian fs G od 11tflHEs; th Sns
all. There will be Indian cigar signs long
AFTER the last red man has gone to
country. I saw a cigar sign up
Broadway modelled after Johnny Bull. 1t looks
all right for a novelty, but I'd like to bet some
thing that the owner will want to trade 1t for
an Indian some day.
II suppose you will be- surprised to learn
that there are more secondhand Indians sold
than any other kind. 1t Is so. Man In a country
town starts n cigar store: he comes to the city
and knocks about until he finds a secondhand
Indian and gets it cheap. You can buy one at
your own figure. Sometimes when a man il
selling out his tobacco business he throws in
the Indian to make the sale certain"
tobacco signs ~
New York turns out nearly II not quite all.
ihn know know OF no zone one VIII confines himself to
man who caryes wooden Indians caryes a
whole lot Of things. But don't you believe any
dian cigar signs going out Of style. II you are
thinking about making investments In this line.
buy Indians, but don't buy too many"
For AWNTNql