The Washington weekly post. (Washington, D.C.) 1878-1916, 1900-01-30
CRASH At A BOGUS AUCTION.
Maybe IL Was an Accident. but a Disap.
pointed Man Was There.

From the Chicago Inter-Ocean-
A hundred people in the auction-room
saw the big teakwood table loaded with
Japanese china fall down with crash,
but only two or three had any idea that
the catastrophe was due to anything save
the sudden and unexpected breaking of
one of the legs. The auction-rOOm wGS
well filled with people expecting TO pick
up Cloisonne vases and bits of china and
enamel ware at plain creckery prices.
The willy auctioneer was, however, get
ting rid Of large quantities OF Satsuma
and other cheap Oriental chinas, on which
there is profit at almost any price.
There was one young man in the auc-
tion-room who seemed to know the value
of things. Whenever good article was
put I'D land the auctioneer occasionally
took a chance with something worth hav-
ing) he got into the bidding with rush.
The regularity with which he was put out
of the bidding by one Of little knot of
men who stood near the auctioneer was
suspicious. When 1t had happened half
a dozen times the young man looked ex-
asperated. He remarked to another nan
that the bidders who So consistently
boosted him must be cappers.
81 don't think the auction is a square
one" he said, "but I'll find out for sure
before l CO."
He bid IS a little later on a Delft tea
set He had started II at s. and had been
raised up to s. by one Of the suspected
bidders. The tea set was cheap at s. and
the young man wanted IL. He thought
he was going to get it. too. but suddenly
the auctioneer glanced down at the group
before him, and a 50-cent raise was the
immediate result. The young man ground
his teeth and refused to make IL 50. The
tea set disappeared behind the auction
eer, but the man who had bid $50 for 1t
didn't move to get II.
Next came pair Of sofa cushions. They
were very fine tapestry cushions, bound
with heavy silk rope. They were easily
worth SO apiece.
IBID on one and take your choice" faid
the auctioneer. "Now, what am / Of
fered?'
Two minutes elapsed without a bid be-
ing made. The auctioneer made an elo-
quent speech, at the end of which small
voice offered 50 cents apiece for the cusr-
IONS The autioDeer ragged and stormed,
as auctioneers will. He begged for 81 bid,
then for a !5-cent bid, and after five min,
utes of this sort OF thing said: will
anybody offer me So cents@'
I'll give you 81 apiece for these cush-
IONS" said the young man.
The effect of this bid was miraculous.
Immediately 8 was, offered by another
man. and still another jumped In with
$3.50 The young man bid 81 and called
cut as he did: 'Tll bet / don't get them
He didn't, for $3.50 was bid by one of the
men who are familiar figures about the
place every day. and the cushions went
at that.
THAT proves that this auction Is a
fake" said the young man in loud voice
whats that?" demanded the auc-
tioneer.
"Oh, simply don't think you're on the
level" said the young man calmly. You
wasted over five minutes trying 10 get
more than 80 cents for those pillows, and
couldn't get scent raise, but just as
soon as ] bid g whole lot of people dis
covered that they wanted them at any
price"
The auctioneer passed the incident over.
It was attracting attention. He put, I'D
some article and had just got bid on IL
when the crash came. The teakwood
table was a large one, round, and fully
at least a hundred pieces of china on it.
The weight IL was sustaining was so
great that a heavy cane had been put
uEder IL as an extra support. The young
man was standing very close TO this cane,
but so were others. May be he kicked the
cane out or may be some one else did;
at any rate, IL was removed, and almost
instantly the big table began 10 rock.
Some one shouted Look outv' and every
one jumped aside. Then the table came
down and there was a mighty smash-Ep
OF fine china. The auctioneer let out a
mighty wall. and three Japs ran oct from
a rear room and wrung their hands as
they gazed on the ruin. Then they picked
up the pieces and carried them away. An
examination of the table showed one OF
the legs snapped OF short. But the cues
ton Il, Would the leg have broken II the
cane had not been kicked out? Only two
or three men entertained the theory that
the smash-up was not an accident. The
auctioneer didn't accuse anybody and the
three men in question couldn't see how II
was I'D TO them TO say anything. They
noticed. however, that when the young
man already mentioned left the place a
few minutes later there was a radiant
smile on his face