The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-10-20
SELL POLICE COLLECTION.
Some of the Curious Things Gathered
in Big City.

The property clerks office is at police
headquar GERS in Manhattan in the ia
nous old Mulberry street building; in
Brooklyn IN the cually famous old
Smith mansion in Smith street. In Man
haitian almost the entire basement is
occupied as the property clerks store
room. While over on Crosby street, a few
blocks away. he has an annex given
over mainly to the storage Of gambling
paraphernalla. In BROOKLYN this last IS
stored in what must have been the barn
of the old family residence that has in
its old age fallen to police use In both
places it is kept until the accumulation
begins to overflow its assigned quarters
and then broken up as it would be I'M
lawful for the police to sell it. The
wood goes to the kinding pile the
metal, brass and iron to an old metal
heap. which is eventually sold to n link
dealer This is the inglorious end of
the gamblers tools taken in raids in
various parts of the city Judging from
the broken remnants the bulk of the
gambling paraphernalia takes the form
OF slot machines, which on rare occa-
slOns. for the deposit of a nickel yield
dazzling returns. The chances, how
ever, are easily hundred to one against
their yielding anything On the fraS-
ments that remained could be seen
pasted instructions whereby, should the
machine prove too pr0digal. the pro-
prietor could regulate it so that it would
give less to the unwary investor.
Probably the most interesting exhibit
is a group Of Al "spook" pictures con r
fiscated in 1888. when Ann ODelia Diss
de Bar now serving seven year term
in an English prison. was on trial for
sWindling Luther r. Marsh For nearly
fifteen years these pictures have been
accommodating dust in the basement on
Mulberry street, until now they look out
so dlmly from their furnished crumbling
old frames THAT spirit pictures" seems
no mlsnomer- For fifteen years they
have been waiting for court to decide
their ownership. and give orders as to
their final disposition, until the death of
ire old lawyer in Middletown last spring
simplitied matters and they were finally
awarded to the department to be sold
to the highest bidder
on the found property shelves, all
matter wrapped and ticketed. is a va
rlety OF articles which, would IaVishly
equip a country store. or even a reason
ABLY big city store. Half a dozen fam
Ines could be clothed from these shelves
ana half dozen bands furnished with
instruments 1t is curious how rarely
people CLAIM articles there. If anything
IS lost or stolen they advertise general
/ ~ with no questions asked" clause
embodied in the advertisement But it
docs not seem to occur to them that lost
articles frequently are turned over to
ire police, and that, moreover, the po-
nee arc continually arresting persons
having property in their possession not
lHHr own and for whicn no claimant
ever appears. IT is curious, too how
many ueople will make a charge OF
t1elf have a man arrested even push
the charge in court and have the pris-
oner sent up, and yet will never take
the trouble to claim from the property
clerk tire articles they have made such
q russ about.-Brooklyn Eagle.