Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-06-05
IN CAST-OFF CLOTHES
BILLS, COINS AND LETTERS
FOUND IN THE LINING.
Experiences Of One Who Buys Discard
ed Garments-Hints to the
Careless.

lone can't buy cast-off clothing for many
years without meeting some queer expert
ences,' remarked an 'old clothes man the
other day as he fumbled through the pock-
cts of suit which he had just purchased
for 80 cents. ''Of course. don't expect TO
find anything-nothing except, maybe some
old letters. But it pays to run through
the pockets and feel the lining. If a man
who let's his wife sell his cast-off clothes
only knew what got lost in the lining of
his coat sometimes he wouldn't feel so easy
about parting with them. A man sticks
important letters in his inside coat pocket
and some day when he wants them they
are not there. He hunts and fumes around.
but the letters don't turn up. Then he
thinks they must have been torn up or
burned, and he forgets the matter.
But important letters don't go that way
generally. They turn up sometimes to ac-
cuse a man. They find their way between
the lining of the coat or vest, and we fell
lows get hold of them. If l wanted to go
into the matchmaking business could make
plenty of money. I've found letters and
papers in cast-off clothing that would make
pretty startling reading for some people.
Love letters? Oh, yes; lots of them.
man isn't half so careful about these ten
der missives he is about checks and
coupons and such valuable documents. But
usually the love letters are signed only by
somebody's first name and addressed to
some dear or darling which won't give
the writer away. OF course. when We get
the clothes by hunting up the address in
the directory we can locate either the
writer or the one receiving 1t.
II don't think that, as a rule Washing
ton women sell their husbands cast-of
clothing any more without going through
all their pockets. Maybe they've got into the
habit of searching them, SO that II becomes
a second nature to them. So 1t is not In
the pockets We find things. It's in the lin
two fhayy haxy md he'll ira a.
ually.
You know how easy 1t is for small coins
to work their way through a hole in the
lining of a vest and snuggle down in the
corner of the cloth. Well, we pick up
quite a number of dimes and nickels in this
way. Usually a vest Is a small silver mine.
Probably the wife of the man feels some
thing there and thinks 1t is only button
or some such thing. or maybe penny, and
she won't bother In trying to fish II out
But pennies don't work down there nearly
as readily as the dimes and nickels do.
I'm the same way a bill will get mixed
up in the lining of the inside pocket and
finally disappear The man probably misses
a five or ten-dollar bill, and thinks he must
ter escapes his mind, the suit is thrown
to one side and some day 1t Is SOLO 10 the
old clothes man. 1t doesn't escape US.
We 20 through every inch of the lining,
and examine the corners and inside care
fully The bills we find in the course of
day will often more than pay us TOT
what we have given for all OF the clothes
MANY Washingtonians are extravagant
in getting rid of their CASTOR clothing.
They have SO many that they become
nuisance to them. Sell them to the first
man who comes along is the easiest way
for them to dispose of their useless belong
ings. If the servants don't take them
away. get fine pick at them. For
from fifty cents to dollar you get
suit that will when brushed. steamed
cleaned and pressed, easily brings three
to five dollars. The clothes are not worn
much, but just soiled and mussed a little.
The trousers are stretched little SO they
will bag at the knees when used a few
days at a time. man with plenty of
money won't stand that. He will order
his wife or valet to sell them.
1.-The greatest amount l ever found in
money in one coat was a ten-dollar bill,
but several times I've found two and five
dollar bills. and one-doilar bills by the
score. Once / found a check for 500,
but as that was no good to me. returned
1t to the owner and received $1.00 reward
for my honesty. The best find, however, ;
was several years ago, when l discovered
a bunch of railroad coupons between the
lining and inside cloth of one of these
fancy vests. I suppose / might have cash
ed the coupons and received sloO TOT
them. but there was some risk TO such
proceeding So I concluded to turn them
over to the owner and trust to his generos- :
ity He gave me 500 In bills and COM
mendeed me for my honesty. He had
missed the coupons and had advertised for
them. Later I found that he had offered
reward of $500 for their return. You can
bet 1 was mad then. that didn't get moro
for returning them.
las for important letters, 1 might say
that they come to US in droves. Generally
we read them and chuck them In the fire.
It's the best way. If man has lost
letter which would incrfminate him he
doesn't like to have 1t turn up. 1t will al
ways worry him a little. but he lives in the
hope that 1t is lost for good. and gradually
forgets It,.
London has a saloon for every 446 inhab-