The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-04-16
QUAINT RELICS IN A LOFT.
Pannshop Pledges of Many Years
Ago Brought TO Light.

| NEW YORK, April 15.-Quaint relies OF
old New York were brought to light yes
terday in the opening of the big wooden
boxes in Reeber's second hand lumber
yard, at the foot of East 10Th Street,
They told many a story of days long gone
| by, when Henry Hart. the father Of the
| Third Avenue Railroad was a pawnbroker
| down in Chatham Street.
When he gave up money loanng to be-
| come the president OF the horse railway
| that in later years developed into great
| electric system Mr. Hart packed up all the
| unredeemed pledges in his shop. some
| $4,000 in number, and in time they were
| stored in the car house at Sixty-siXth
Street. up in the cock loft, back of the
| old clock" There they lay for years while
Henry Hart ran his railway from an Office
in the same building. When the road
was wrested from the old mans graSp in
Wall Street this spring he took away his
safe and his desk. but left the seventy
nine boxes full Of pawnbroker's pledges
in the loft.
The new owners OF the road the other
day sent word to Mr.. Hart that they
wanted the things cleared out. The Old
man was greatly troubled as to what to do
with his treasures, but his relatives pur-
suaded him to give them TO some of his
old employees. As he had loaned $4,000 on
these pledges Mr.. Hart thought that he
ought to get at least half that for them,
but the best bargain they could make was
20 sell the whole lot for SEQ to the second
hand house. Mr.. Hart. one OF his family
told me, did not receive a cent from the
sale.
One by one the boxes are opened up ard
odd discoveries are made-o.d towing
pieces. fint!ock and muzzle loading per-
cussion guns by the score. some so rusty
that they fell apart like Rip Van Wrinkles
famous piece; mems and women's wearing
apparel of antiquated fashion. camel's hair
shawls, masked ball costumes. Wellington
boots, carpetbags. tightftting doeskin trou-
sers. English cloth coats, brass wind in
struments. children's dresses. pistols, Gag
gers. swords, furs. clocks. tools. looking
glasses. paintings. and thousands OF other
articles, a yeritable picture of life before
the war
Much of the property from the pawnship
has disappeared. In 1886 the year OF the
Third Avenue strike. when guards slept in
the ear house. many of the old mans
treasures were taken away. Oil PAINTINGS
were cut from their frames. among them
a valuable picture OF st. Cecilia. aud from
time to time vandals who have known of
the treasures or the loft have rummaged
about in the place and taken away many
articles of value When the things were
first stored in the pawnshop, after the
business was closed, there were about one
hundred and fifty boxes. One by one they
have disappeared
Each article has pinned to ii the pawn
ticket and the dates of these tickets run
from 1911 to 1851. One box contained some
fifty theatrical costumes and a complete
outfit for the performance of Richard
Ill" The ticket bore the date 1871 In
one of the boxes was a collection of fancy
silk waistcoats. one bearing the inscription
in the lining Presented to Mr.. Des Rock
ers, August 5, 1871, by the Hanover
Verein."
A crowd of curious ones hung about the
lumber yard all day watching the unpack-
ing of the boxes. In their minds eye they
were carried back to the delightful old
stage days of New York.