The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1900-09-14
Interest Raetsessa 81: Pawn :! Shops Are
Rather -.High'":.;'
: E0AEl]NSSAT:TEfN, PERCENT ;.EN Z,
-Acrnunt Of: Visit to:Orc of t1'e GlH
49, 'Curiosity Shops OF Mil ,
$50

~>vThrcs, ro'11htteis,, Ur,,'' to ilsS the Ian
gauge ct: English ln'falary:1in t>tolGmon
J.: parlunre. three =olda.i tba lbs. Aforlned Il
part the aE1nuria! bearings Of the Neil
ici family. TO-, -WhNHt 2:hQ,lser: bel0n god
: many OF the, Lombard 1nerchants, and
thest: lcn'eIS OF 7monrA,, adopted, the de-
vitt' as 4 sign 10 indi:ate their calling,
10 ~Eon'ln1i in very early days went Isolne
of these thrifty men Of Luhibardy,i ami
theme hung :oeu: the" three shiHinSl balls
bctYIe >4he first hu,ll1dliccs inc England
= Illus 4alcn ,4run its high ;ostates thiS
11lf:9 'd1G emb1e2, " 4Ye:; Ct; thee7 nruulrSt
1$*T r Il #h Si* % h 1 M" Sty S3dr
tragedies. the plavv that is the last iiSrSort
ct tic poor antE'falehtllcSa: o7~Ah 81
II NGiodm 'f'rbty;Scsss ibynn:-- .,
1t is there that t1h;}:: 'wi;1I ia; 81 Goes and
l.lcdytS her Wedding ring, Is; h1T}y bre;hl
Tor starving little one s1lnrt''} ht> man
, W2Skr ;RaX}ns ArS1 W cha then an'X
>r*s' }iRl f}alf%, RUS IS f pi1Te ,T rs gar
HrstA,ts:: '*'r hHtc 1tfhcc Edm1ltr 1SavIS his
tlaslius diamonds aH'l Shbwy s$raf$s AND
uDtams mollay to once more tempt For
71unH.S wheel. There the antiularian and
nc t -hlbliomaniac and lhc naturalist take
SKIRT 5a :a99 5HS;* IT, Hc"! t.n@
% )" s" f@is5 I'll Pei o sn tom TeH;
by St!rn neceSSsity. to seek the only source
Of relief that IS ;Npe!i to them. ct.
; Tho 'pawnshop is the resort alike of
worthy and. NnWorthy.r*T it. Will so the
deserving poor, naWpins their possessions
one by one, too proud to apply for char
lty until the last pitifur article has gone,
and then perhaps the dread wolf at the
door drives them to ask for aid. ="
Three Balls in NIilwaukcc:
Here il milwaukee, the golden balls
becEon the ullfort11nate to half Il dozen
l'aWnShopS, scattered about en- Grand
avenue. East and West Water streets,
Third street and Market square, easily
s,valable for those who seek them, but
seldom noticed by the casual passerby.
Usually called loan offices or loan banks,
the word puWnbroker seldom. appears.
One or two take only lcwery, which
they. sell in connection with their stock
at cheap tinery, but the reputation pawn
shop contains every thiny under the sun.
and is well worth a visit.
"Icu you all about the pawnhrokins
1usincss?" sa id the proprietor Of one of
these interesting establishments. "Ah.
that would be Il long story: For more than
twenty years I've conducted Il loan Of
lice here, and human nature and human
suffering I've seen, in al! their phases
''rhat pawnbrokers are heartless ,isurers,
charging exorbitant Mlterest and grinding
the faces of the poor. and while that may
be true Of some, it is not my way.
Loans at Ten Per Cent.
The rate Of interest varies. For small
but OH a loan Of several hundred dollars
k}Ss ~ ,sS ft lend ?s: f:t 'n n*
$1,000 @o 6ile PERSON, she Adv, did you
ever stop to think what people would do
if it were Fet for the pNNnshops? Many
IA gone toSb1d to ak Tor'a $500 or $1,000
loan. Some sudden need arises. the banks
are all closed;nssR 1,.44eresneeqn h4E2A ex-.
ccpt to the paw shqsse Innb n X aSfsH the
banks will moth loahes.o rsnsaah felssa BAND
T cn he wo %in be- nsS en Sbsf Of
x wenI% Be IN 2iAf4 h{ + a II TN he
- regaMs prieeee,,' 1|an1khe zH7aNe1a4ou re-
sdteen4 viz properly. I%4ssRut 91 taeg WI
ezst1Op Nle leah bet !asloals, wsl1d Hasslfsts a
chance to get his goods back again.
- "A il fAP Iii act'systenIl'"~
:. ffTlftva dagsYR tne ffmit 81 cir con-
tract WITH the borrower, with tie priv
lege ef-rsItt-s':a .tsye-1aever take inn
Esass@ gfSazs i 5sR1 IN .h hS
If2 iefeS @has a
aef:', XaI aR W. it
1Ia | thi Es,i in this hi S!'StI Xere
lind tbaaahsBledges here "a matter how
long III Wicle has pecn leM here. when
it is ra4YH for we can prodfcc it in less
{ {hnn fTgaYmin"t"s' 50 rxad is our *y*-
."rbca naNl.ro,.;,,,A +.,. =.
1T ,a '|SHsf fS"1 ;S;0. W. :
large rs 9s1If1ssanlnd,> on
diamonds. but there is scarcely an arti-
net nt t tn y$s g4 a Rn X. ing e. do
began 1 touff Of inspection. ''''|'' '">''
:A.poh eenrleesiHt Shop.
,, IL T. c3 {te% E sa Gr fSSllEt fr
attention Of the inuuisitive writrr' VAS ;
:: curious assoitment' of articles. Vio-
Inns and cash registers. boxing gloves
and stuffed birds. guns and Bibles. tom-
bourincs, typeH*riterS: and opera glasses.
watches and tennis, shoes, and hosts Of
other things. arranged to show off to-
.. Within; on one side strcct ched tha SHOW lS
cases filled with .jewelry. some worth
less, some Of value and at the farther
end Of the case, a faded velvet tray With
dozen plain gold rings, some almost
new, some worn pitjfully thin. the we'd
ding rings pawned by women who were
once happy brides, but: whom restitution
had led to the paMnsho p~---------------~-
1 ! axn 4 HedaS of. Love:T.Fti'I
I "Her Nd din3 rim is r4erlqst posses,
ion + vhffa al Ijl46aWn: - 3rok-
est necessity Wir dfiVa Aefs3 tifSt Ss step
and almost invaria blv,theNnre redeemed
Some Of these rings were left here sew.
Ht,ral years: ago.: but TN mot sell them.
r Sone day the poor women viii, gone
Track or-them, and if titey, 1tevtf dd. 1
couldn't sell wonan's wedding ring
On .ths '99thsrh side vas a case with all
,e Tin ely sinl cwith: goldr nuspearl,7a fan
.s~1th. rfdl eately- carved ,stieks .yell6Hed
S&|!&$3 ~ %$$&8gf
spMQQd, Hpad: WITH f9ded osatin, the title
scissors, the! hal&.a,sed .ispbojs efhsiHs, and
tho tiny5 Golden thin,hlo n. 49,.