The sun., 1903-02-22
MORE TRICKS OF WARDMEN,
A PAWNBROKER'S ACCOUNT o.
GRATING b. POLICEMEN.
Things . Victim Of Thieves Usually DID
Not Know-Raids by Wardmen on
Pawnbrokers - 4 Setback In One
Case for . Headquartcrs Detective.

Pawnbrokers - 4 Setback In One
Case for . Headquarters Detective.
The p1wnbroker had just finished lun.
cheon. The headline Of an evening papss
attracted his attention. Another Police
Shake-up" Confusion in the Tenderloin,'
he read. He perused the article with ap-
parent satisfaction.
Il tell you. boy he began. 'Greene may
not be the best Chief OF Police the city
ever had, but he certainly seems to know
where tho trouble lies. That one move
of sending the wardmen back to patrol
duty endeared him TO every pawnbroker
in tho city"
.Why." remarked his hearer. Il would
have thought that the relations between
the wardman and the pawnbroker we're
most intimate, and that the misfortunes
OF either would have been the Others desc.
lation."
you're dead right on the intimate end
Of your proposition warmly replied the
pawnbroker, but you're way Of on the
desoation stunt. II there was one class
more than another that felt the necessity OF
keepinR in with the wardman, it was tho
pawnbroker.
.You ask me how? Well. in many differ
ent ways. For instance a man loses his
watch. He goes to the precinct wardman
and promises him handsome present II the
timepiece is recovered. Now your New
York wardman may not be Sherlock
Holmes. but he generally does know where
to lay his hand on anything he is badly in
want Of. In this particular instance. ten To
one he can nnd out just where that ticker
has been hooked. The rest is easy The
pawnbroker has to admit the possession
Of the $50 or 500 watch on which. being
a suspicious individual, he has advanced
$40 or $50 and he learns with regret f.om
the wardman that it's owner is looking for
IT,
.Now right here ie where the fine art Of
workmanship comes in.
s'You don't want to lose anything on
| that ticket, says the sleuth. smiling ingrati-
atinely, no you'd better elevate 1t trife
Make it tss or s7o it'll be all right for both
Of us late -, ,.rnh-o..,.
who are just looking for such chances. ou'
regard for probity. and likes 70 DO business
on the square a. much a. possible But II s
almost useless for man to try to buck
against this game. =,
| The tick I is raised say, tne !,eer cans
with the wardman and after little byplay
the watch is excha nged for some OF Uncle
sans yellow-back ID notes, and the owner
Of the ticket departs joyfully. He gives
the wardman a present. Then the ward
! man goes to the pawnshop. ana you can
take it to heart that he wants % per cent,
| of the net profits OF the transaction FOR
We'll. that was only one Of the wardman's s
| little ways OF making his presence felt,
and incidentally acquiring velvet Tor his
fancy waistcoats. Another favorable plan
inspecting our books and stock. presumably
to look for goods reported stolen.
| 1T wouldn't be long till Mr.. Flycop's
eve would light on some article. such as
| ring, pin or even an expensive overcoat,
which he figured he could use himself. or
disnose of at a profit to some friend. Tho
trick required circumspection, but whe
\ dealer was known to handle shady goods.
| IL generally worked like . charm.
II the broker would not surrender the
! copfederate would walk In with the ward.
man, declare that the ring or overcoat had
been stolen from him. and then the law
would compel it's immediate surrender.
Half the time the pawnbroker Knows ne is
| being done. but the penalty that wouio
| attend a equeal Is too great.
| Il did one OF those fellows nicely Q couple
| of months ago however. and IN still feeling
| rood over IT, He had just been taken into
| the captains confidence and been made Il
wardman and l guess he thought was
as easy as eating mothers pumpkin pie.
sHe dropped into my place the second day
| OF his reign, and. pointing 10 some old
fashioned jewelry in my. show window,
| told me it was stolen goods. ! gave him
the laugh and invited him to guess again.
As II happened those things were my own
personal property. purchased at an auction 4,
and Just kept them in the window for show.
| well, he went Oh. not a bit wiser about
the stun, for just told him z at l thought
| he was mistaken, as the stun came TO me
| from a good customer, who had owned
| Il for years. He didn't feel strong enough
| on his bluff that day. but the very next
! morning a headquarters man stepped in
and announced that he had been put on the
case, and that I'd better show him where
got the stones.
s"Those were stolen over a year ago.
he says, from Mr.. So and Sos house
| 'Now Id Ind couple OF sad a1airs with
/ this particular gent before. and ! don I
think Id have taken thousand dollars to
could have knocked him down with a
| eather when showed him a receipted bill
dated seven years ago, for every item IN
| that lot He mumbled some APOLOGIZE
| and got out. but he went with the ring of
| my laugh In his ears. and I've never seen
him or the wardman since.
Il tell you II was great day for us when
| the Commissioner sent those fellows back
| 10 patrol duty I've slept easier ever since
| and guess every other man who is in my
business for an honest living can say the
| same