Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1899-08-21
CUR|O HUNTING N HAVANA
Incidents of the Hunt for
Mementos in the Cuban
PawnShops.
TOURISTS GET CAUGHT.
How the Shrewd Yankee Sometimes
Overmatches the Equally Snb-
tie Spaniard.


Home in Despair a Rusty Second Hand
Tin Dipper.
Havana pawnshops have irresistible
attractions for American visitors. To
return home without any spoils of the
chase is reflection on ones ability
which the practiced relic-hunter does
not permit. 1t was Washington wo-
man who in outright despair. stopped
at a cheap junk shop and bought a
rusty secondhand tin dipper for a
peseta, which is 20 cents in Spanish
money. Being wise in her knowledge
of human nature, she refused all eX-
plantations beyond a mysterious hint
that the tin dipper might have a his
tory. She was envied, but not initiated,
because a second rusty tin dipper with
a history would be received with sus-
picion.
AT a pawnshop on Compostella street,
collection in which scores of persis-
tent collectors had picked until there
was literally nothing left, had been eX-
amined listlessly and the searcher was
turning away in disappointment. The
owner pulled out from under the show
case an ancient medallion. He offered
1t hesitatingly and with apologies for
the triAe. He thought it might an
swer. Probably it would not have an
swered had not ray OF sunlight hap
pened to strike the face of the medal
lion. The searcher after novelties
was an old hand. He could catalogue
all the pawnshops and like establish
ments in Havana. He betrayed no
surprise. Handling the medallion
,n1, to, III, l., 4
differently, How much? A dollar?"
"No, no, senior. 1t is really curious.
Two centens" GID.
What -
Don't be in a hurry, senior, Seven
dollars and half"
1.-TWO dollars"
"a centen, senor."
'Three dollars and half"
And the bargain was clinched at $3.50
in Spanish silver.
The next day the place and all SINH
lar places We're filled with Americans
and Cubans hunting medallions. The
comprehended it. He had no more me-
dallions, but he had a number of cheap
mosaics. Some of them might have
been worth So. He calmly asked SIS
each for them and got it in two cases
from guileless Americans. So when
the original purchaser strolled in to
buy 5O-Cent shell cameo. the prOprie-
tor was in good humor and offered a
mosaic worth dollar for centens,
with the suggestion that it would be a
small contribution towards equalizing
the previous transaction. He did not
know the history of the medallion and
did not remember how it came into his
hands. If he had remembered, prob
ably the senior Americana would not
have obtained it so cheaply, he casual
ly remarked, in polite Castillian. Prob
ably not. Though its history is un-
known, its like has not been found in
Havana and the purchaser is content.
The lucky finds or bargains are dis
tributed as unevenly as the gifts of the
gods. And they are as rare. The
Spanish merchant, though he may lack
in fertility of invention, knows how to
charge four prices from purchaser
who wants something. In the first
blush of their experience the American
visitors learned to pick out the article
they want and then send a Cuban or a
Spanish friend around to make the pur-
chase. The plan worked well for a
short time. Then the shopkeepers
calmly trebled and quadrupled their
| prices. AN American wants that,
was the only reply they would give
to the indignant and voluble remon-
strances of their Latin customers. And
| the Americans had to pay Yet some
times they were victorious. The wife
of an officer in one of the Illinois vol
unteer regiments discovered among a
| lot of trash in a place on O'Reilly street
a pair Of unique and quaintly-carved
brass stirrups. She, too, was an eX-
| perienced relic hunter. She made two
or three slight purchases and then
pointing to the stirrups, inquired
How much?" six centens, $50" was
the reply. ''Some day I'll give you 81
for them" she said, pleasantly, as she
departed.
The shop had considerable trade
and the presence of American custom
ers was not looked upon as a suspic-
ious circumstance. Those who heard
of the find" and made surreptitious
examinations of the stirrups would
have welcomed the opportunity to have
| paid $50 for them. But the right oil
original discoverer made occasona
visits to the shop, always announcing
that she would take the stirrups when.
ever they were marked down to $5
One day laundering cavalryman from
Texas happened to see them. Give
you 500 for hose stirrups," he said tC
the clerk The cavalryman was no
in the secret and was not, therefore
blameworthy, but his compa aion coulC
have choked him. The rates were
kindly. The clerk called tae proprie
tor. Before the price that had beer
offered could be repeated the shop
keeper shook his head. 1s was very
polite and very sorry, but tse stirrup,
had been promised an Anne rican lady
who was likely to call any dHy. Three
days later the colonels wi'e was re
ceiving the congratulations of the en-
tire staff of Camp Columbia on b
trophies and of the wives and dau-
ters of the entire staff on her bargG
we've often wondered what viii lD
come of the self made man in the fina