The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-01-07
HAPPY IN JUNK SHOP HOME,
AISY AND CHATSY ARE Old RON
INSON AND HIS WIFE.
4 Born bargain Hunter she; Rut Every Dol
lar She spent Was Her Own-Nrs I.
q. shcarman calls on Old Friends-sIan
III Alters Days In Cell Police Obstinate


In their fiat full Of odds and ends at 21o
West Nineteenth street where detectives
went last Saturday night and arrested
them on a charge Of burglary, old Thomas
Robinson and his queer little wife Hannah
sal all day yesterday. talking to people
VINO called TO cheer them up bit and say
what a shame they thought 1t was that
the old couple had to spend five days and
nights in Jail
Rummagng about trying to get evidence
that the old woman was a thief and shop
litter, the detectives had turned the place
topsy tirvy. Strange IA it looked before
trouble came, it was nothing less than
weird when the old pair went back to it
after Magistrate Moss had discharged
them Thursday evening in Jefferson Market
court II a pawnbroker should lose his
mind and run amuck in his own shop the
result would be less amazing than was the
appearance OF the Robinson homo after
the detectives got through with it. Old
Thomas and the wife had managed to clear
up the mess enough 10 give room for place
10 sleep Thursday night and a few feet OF
space 10 cook and eat in but their visitors
Yesterday stumbled over bird ca ges, boxes
Of crackers, rolls of cloth. barrels packed
with junk shirts and dolls. and tried vainy
to find room 10 sit.
The old pair were pretty much shaken
by their troubles. Old Thomas sat in a
broken down chair before the kitchen stove
Every time he tried to talk his voice quay
erod and broke lie was i'll and the five
days imprisonment had unstrung his old
nerves. With his round face, that 81 years
hadn't been able to steal all the color from
and the fringe OF white whskers under
the jaw. his blue eyes and a sort Of open
ness and franlSness in his glance. he looked
very much like old Nat in Shore Acres"
Hannah, whose passion for bargain hint-
ing brought SO dismal New Year on them
both sat by his side most of the time, hold
ing his hand and scoldng him when he cried
But every now and then the tears would
come. and her voice would break. too.
You see I've never done a wrong thing
in my life, said she, and when the police
hammered on my door late at night and
came in here and threw all my nice things
around and told me ! was a thief, why 1t
upset me. so that l couldn't defend myself.
u don't feel hard toward any one, she
went on, but II does make me mad to think
that a red faced, fat detective wouldn't
give me time to put on my hat when he
burst in here and told father and me we
were under arrest. had to 90 all the
way to the police station with bare head.
and the only hat had all week was a white |
faScinator that the police matron lent me-"
Tell me about how you got together |
such queer lot of things said one of the |
callers.
III tell YOU said the old man, shaking |
his brown hand in the air She gets the |
idea in her head that she wants something |
and she just goes and buys II when she |
hasn't any more use for it than cat has for |
a pickle
Well II was this way, said Mrs Robin |
son, . do like TO buy things cheap, and !
when ! go along the street and see some
thing in Il store window that's marked way
down just must haveit, because know that |
before long the price will go up and might /
have TO pay double for 1t when needed it.
Course don't need lots OF things that 1 |
have bought but how do ! know that the
time won't come when | will want them
lad. They've made lots Of fun of me be-
cause there were dolls in the house. Well
] got those dolls TO give to children know
IN houses where ! work as nurse.
4 began TO buy things when 1 was girl,
as soon as got to this country from Biz
mingham England, where was born.
II was my way of getting fun out of life
to buy things that / wanted. Stead OF
spending the money earned by going 10
theatres and buying bats and things l
went and looked for bargains Anyway IL
was my own money, and | never stole n
cents worth of stun in my life
The old couple had another visitor at that
moment. 1t was Mrs. Thomas G.. Sherman,
widow of the attorney who was one of
Henry Ward Boecher's counsel in the
Beecher-Iiton trial. and in his time one of
New ork's great lawyers Mrs. Shearman
came in and put her arms around the old
woman.
Poor Hannah she said. 4 think 1t
was g. shame and a disgrace for the police
t. treat you and your husband the way they
did II Mr. Shearman had been alive
You wuuldn't have lacked for defender
Both the old people broke down then and
cried like children.
know that. said Mrs. Robinson MIR
Slearman always was good friend of
mine. You never knew no bad OF me-
di YOU Mrs Shearman?-
Never, said Mrs. Sherman. Il have
sno~n YOU and your husband for fifty
y 'ars and more. and it would be impossible
Tor either one Of YOU 70 take anything that
ifnt belong 10 YOU.
Why. Mrs. Robinson was girlhood
Trend of rhine, size continued, -and in
recent years since her work has been the
e-nrort Of her and the old man, she has
nur-ed some OF my friends and their chill
dren as well as being received at my own
house In Brooklyn often. | simply can't
Understand how the police made such
dmkeys Of themselves
oid lhomas got out of his chair and started
70 put on his hat and coat.
think viii 20 up to the Masonic Temple
fnd see II they viii let me 90 TO work again
.'' wv ill7lFdIilg / am alfsOn ana
they've always been good to ne but maybe
q better see about my place.
lou'll do no such thing said Mrs. Shear
man You children have no business
running around IN the streets On such a
dreadful day
Well ought TO 20 up to Harlem to Liv- 4
lhs 'on Lodge tonight, insisted the old
man The boys are going to have a big
u"e aud they softer want me to come
You'll stay where you are and put your
l'et 10 70 bucket OF hot water, said his
wife with such sternness as she could
Eui into hey voice You've got bad cold,
Tommy
Pm going to have my things back that )
t1o pl.ice have got, she added presently, {
lhey rc mine and | want them. 1t took
me- years and year, TO get them things
When the visitors rose to go Mrs. Robin
son said TO them: -
Be aisy and chaisy. Aisy on our ac-
count and chaisy for yourselves Don't !
you know what ohaisy is; Why, chaisy >
means being cheerful. That's what l am
arrays even when the police do say | am
u mel and drag me TO a prison and keep
me there five daysT
Mother the old man nor the wife would
nave 10 work very much If they didn't I
want 90. An aunt who died in Birming CHAM