Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-06-13

when she returns to this country IL she
does not press down on the tactful pedal
in giving vent to her opinions in England
The Fourth of July has already begun
over here, the celebration OF 1t by the
small boy. that is to say. The town Eas
already been hideous with the noise of
crackers and torpedoes for nearly two
weeks, and the nuisance will continue until
about two weeks after Independence day.
For the police authorities not only look
upon the regulation prohibiting the fring
of explosives on any other day than the
Fourth as a dead letter as regards the be-
ginning of the nuisance about the LIST OF
June, but they close their ears to the ahom-
Unable noises for a good two weeks after
the passing Of the Fourth, too-in order, IL
is said, to permit the fireworks dealers to
get rid of their leftover stocks, and 1t Is
broadly limited that the fireworks people in
New York provide plenty of graft for the
cops.
They Hike Diamonds.
A pair of stylish and eminently respect
able-looking young women have been
cleaning up the swagger jewelry estaO-
lishments of Broadway and 9Th avenue for
thousands OF dollars worth of diamonds
during the past two weeks, and they
haven't been caught yet, either. Their
scheme is the old time, but rarely worked,
"palming dodge" which is not used by the
ordinary run of jewelry thieves on account
of the uncommon dizziness which 1t re
quires.
The young women, who always travel
together, stroll into swell diamond shop
and ask to look at certain sorts of gems.
generally the expensive blue-white variety,
and in different kinds of settings. Putting
aside, say, an expensive solitaire ring after
examining and viewing it for a long time
from different points of view, the young
women tell the proprietor or the man wait
ing on them that they will return later
with a friend to get the friends opinion Of
the jewel. A couple of days later they do
return with the friend" elderly, Sc
date-looking woman, and the three look at
the ring again for a long time 1t is while
they are looking at it that one of the young
women crooks palms the genuine ring and
leaves a paste imitation in it's place. Then
the three hurry from the store, saying that
they desire to obtain expert informa ton
as to the quality of the gem. The edge
which the young women have in working
this game upon jewelers. of experience is
of course, their appearance and manner of
complete responsibility and refinement
which are calculated to throw the most
Watchful gem dealers off their guard
Track Pawnbroker.
Every evening, Immediately after the
close of the races at all of the tracks In the
neighborhood of New York, a black haired
young fellow, carrying a substantial-look-
ing Gladstone bag, steps into a private
coupe at the track gate and is followed in
to the coupe by a couple of ordinary, av-
erage-appearing chaps who do not look as
If they were armed to the teeth, as the
saying is. But they are SO armed The
plack-ha1red young fellow in the race track
pawnbroker, and he is the first man of that
business to get the consent of the racing
officials to ply his vocation on the race
track grounds
coupe are private detectives employed by
the paWnbroker to guard him on his way
10 ana from the race tracks-in the first
instance. with big rolls of yellow bills
WhereW1th to make his loans on the ar
ucleS pledged by the suddenly broke bet
tors on the ponies and, in the second. with
his Gladstone bag filled with the Hash Jew
cry OF the plungers which he has taken
In pleoge Tor his loans The black-haired
young mans only visible sign of his money!
making race track avocation is the little
three-ball pin which he wears in his four
finland scarf. All of the regulars of the
race tracks have come to know him, and
most of them avail themselves of the walls
or bills which he carries about with him
by turning over their portable propertv to
his temporary keeping. He does not issue
tckets IN exchange for the articles he takes
as pledges, nor is he asked TO by the peo-
pie who pawn their things with him on the
tracks. They know that the pawnbroker
Is reliable individual and thew trust him
with their goods just as they trust the
bookmakers with their bets without get
ting anything from the bookmakers in re-
turn TO snow that they have put up their
money. The pawnbroker Simply makes a
memorandum of the amount and the name
or the pawner when he accepts a pledge
he doesn't redeem any articles pledged on
the track-persons wanting to redeem their
pledged jewelry must visit him at his New
York place of business after business hours
there to make their payments be identified
py the paWnbroker, and get their presents
pack. rms young race track pawnbroker
does a tremendous business as NAV he
imagined when 1t is considered that crowds
ranging from 1900 to 10000 people daily
visit the race tracks around New York. and
% wnen II is considered, in addition that the
Dookmakers go through these crowds or
the majority of the component parts there
OF, IN something less than jig-time espe-
cially on the racing holidays
Boes Big Business.
The track pawnbroker is said to have
made more than 10000 in loans on
Brooklyn handicap day alone. and his
average days business mounts well IN
into the thousands. The Jockey Club
has been meditating for years the
project of permitting just one pawn
broker to do business within the track in
closures. in response to the differentiated
suggestion of plungers who have lost ont
on the chance to play good things" that
won because they could not pledge their
valuable Jewelry to get the money where
with to make their bets This black haired
young man got the privilege because he
has been on more or less close business
terms with the racing crowd for wears
owing. to- his connection with one of the
big pawn shops of the Tenderloin, and is
popular with them. There is no question
that he has struck veritable snap" es-
pecially In view of the fact that he will be
the only pawnbroker allowed on the tracks.
Does he ever bet on the horses?
A rare track official put that question to
him one afternoon last week
What for" he replied "when Tn, pot
ting per cent a day on my money!"
He was referring to the fact that the
great bulk of his customers soak, their
valuables with him one day and take them
out the very next day after raising the
wind In town, and the track pawnbroker
charges them for the money they borrow
from him at the rate of 3 per cent month
or for any fraction of month, even If the
fraction is only day.
They are going to try another year of it
without the gamblers up at Saratoga Pre-
dictions are already rife that, in conse-
quence. Saratoga will once again slump
back to the state of inactivity and dullness
which overspread the place during the lean
years when the gamblers were excluded
from the Spa. 1t is a queer commentary
upon the taste of New York's wealthy
summer-outing populace, this fact that SO
lovely and in every way attractive a place
as Saratoga cannot any longer be made to
n yy1~r tp1l