The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1904-06-03
CASTOFF CLOTHING.
IT PAYS TO SEARCH THE POCKETS
AND THE Innings.

niiis, Coins and Letters Have n Why
OF Hiding Themselves-Experie
OF Man Who Buys Discarded Gar
ments-Iiints to the Careless.
"One can't buy castoff clothing for
many years without meeting some
queer experiences" remarked an "old
clothes man" the other day as he FUN
Pied through the pockets of q suit
which he had just purchased for 80
cents. "Of course I don't expect to
find nything-nothing except maybe
some old letters. But it pays to run
through the pockets and feel the lin
ing. If man who let's his wife sell
his CASTOR clothes only knew what
got lost in the lining of his coat some
times he wouldn't feel so easy about
parting with them. A man sticks i'm
portant letters in his inside coat pock-
ct, 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 60 that
way generally. They turn up some
times to accuse man. They find their
way between the lining of the coat or
vest, and we fellows get hold of them.
If l wanted to go into the blackmail-
ing business l could make plenty Of
money. I've found letters and papers
in CASTOR clothing that would make
pretty startling reading for some PEG.
pie. OF course when we get the clothes
by hunting up the address in the d.
rectory we can locate either the writer
or the one receiving it.
II don't think that, as a rule, women
sell their husbands castoff clothing
any more without going through all
their pockets. Maybe they've got into
the habit of searching them so that it
becomes second nature to them. So
1t is not in the pockets we find things.
It's in the lining, where they have
found their way gradually.
"You know how easy it is for small
coins to work their way through hole
in the lining of vest and snuggle
down in the corner Of the cloth. Well,
we pick up quite q number of dimes
and nickels in this way. Usually
vest is q small silver mine. Probably
the wife of q man feels something
there and thinks it is only button or
some such thing, or maybe penny,
and she won't bother in trying to fish
it out. But pennies don't work down
there nearly as readily as the dimes do.
'In the same way bill will get mix
ed up in the lining of the inside pocket
and finally disappear. The man prob
ably misses q five or ten dollar bill
and thinks he must have lost it or
spent it foolishly. The matter escapes
his mind, the suit is thrown to one side
and some day it is sold to the old
clothes man. 1t doesn't escape us.
We go through every inch Of the lining
and examine the corners and inside
carefully. The bills we find in the
course Of day will often more than
pay us for what we have given for all
Of the clothes.
"Many mea are eXtravagant in get
ting rid of their castoff clothing. They
have so many that they become nui-
sance to them. Sell them to the first
man who comes along is the easiest
way for them to dispose of their use
less belongings. If the servants don't
take them, we get fine pick at them.
For from so cents to a dollar you get
a suit that will when brushed, steam
ed, cleaned and pressed easily bring
SO to So. The clothes are not worn
much, but just soiled and mussed lit
tie. The trousers are stretched little
so they will bag ut the knees when
used few days at q time. man
with plenty of money won't stand that
He will order his wife or valet to sell
them.
1.-THE greatest amount / 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 dollar bills
by the score. Once l found check
for 500, but as that was no good to
me returned it to the owner and re-
ceived a dollar reward for my honesty
The best find. however. was several
years ago. when | discovered a bunch
Of railroad coupons between the lining
and inside cloth of one Of these fancy
vests. | suppose | might have cashed
the coupons and received $1,000 for
them, but there was some risk to such
proceeding. SO l concluded to turn
them over to the owner and trust to
his generosity. He gave me 500 In
bills and commended me for my hon.
esty. He had missed the coupons and
had advertised for them. Later l
found that he had offered a reward OF
$500 for their return. You can bet l
was mad then that I didn't get more
for returning them.
"As for important letters, / might
say that they come to us In droves.
Generally we read them and chuck
them in the fire. It's the best way. II
q man has lost letter which would
incriminate him he doesn't like to have
it turn up. 1t will always worry him
little, but he lives In the hope that 1t Is
lost for good and gradually forgets it."
Washington Star.