The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-12-11
From the Kansas City St


| HERE is nothing under the sun \Op that is movable and has any
 value whatever, that may not be pawned. Some men would pawn their clothes, the gold from their teeth, and would even pawn their wives if they could. If they were able to remove leg, an arm or an eye, they'd pawn it, often times for 20 cents, or less''
 An old pawnbroker was talking. He brushed aside a woman's "switch' and a gilt frame which once had held mar riage license. and sat down on the counter.
 "Why, I've had men come in here and want to pawn false teeth" he continued mot once, but dozens of times. One man came with his brothers teeth and I did give him dime on the set. Just wanted to help the poor devil out, you know. He hadn't gotten outside of the place, however, before the brother came to claim his own He got em, too.
 'The family album, the kitchen stove, the parlor carpet, the wife's clothes all are offered. They'll come in with the house cat or dog and want to leave 'em as security for just an hour They'll bring canary birds, pet squirrels and rabbits and want to leave 'em. Violins, guitars, playing cards, dice, table knives, hymn books, Bibles, sheet music, feather beds and things of the like are offered most every day.
 'Frequently a man will come into the shop and try to pawn the shirt he is wearing for the price of drink He is willing to strip it off and go without If he cant realize on his shirt, he'll offer his shoes his coat, his trousers-anything that will bring him money. I tell you everything is offered in a pawnshop. We get the outfits of opium users, the pipes, the alcohol lamp and pill rollers It's queer, too, because the fiends sell their outfits 10 buy opium, when they can't smoke the opium without the outfit guess they go borrow"
 Here, let me show you something"
 The loan man led the way to a back room. All four walls were lined with hooks.
 Nothing there now, you see. But a month from now that room will be filled with overcoats. The pawnshop patrons have not yet bought theirs. Many of them buy overcoats on credit and pawn them before they are paid for. t's an old scheme to raise a little ready cash.
 Family quarrels are brought to us. The husband thinks the wife has been extravagant in the management of the family purse. To get even or to im- press her with the necessity of economy, lac J,aIn pawns it. But women are pawnshop patrons, too. They come here with petti- coats, switches, shoes. sewing machines, bustles and even corsets, and want money on them.
 Occasionally We get a curiosity. A few days ago a man brought in pair of Chi nese spectacles The lenses are as big as saucers. No one knows how old they are. Then we have Chinese violin, a sort of cross between d regular violin and mandolin. Every pawnshop has a stock of old violins. but in over 30 years experenc have failed to make and valu- able finds among them. Meerschaum pipes, real and imitation, find their way to the loan man. Here is where the money lender is often victlmized. Of all the frauds that are worked by sharks the meerschaum pipe fraud is the hardest to detect What looks like a rare antique meerschaum, huge in size. quaint in de- sign and apparently century old. may be only a block of wood. A meerschaum pipe is the only thing I am afraid to trust my judgment upon. l refuse to lend any money upon them. person who