The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-10-20
IN PAWN SHOPS.
How the Business Is Conducted
Here.
Timid and Frightened and Bold
Customers.
WEALTHY COME, TOO.
They Get Money to Tide Them
Over.
Thieves Are Usually known by
the Lenders.


A chat with one of the local pawn
brokers brought out some interesting
facts connected with his business and
the class of people with whom he has
to deal.
..AlI kinds Of people come in here"
he said. THE heart-broken woman,
whose husband has left her, to pro-
vide bread for her starving children,
comes IN to pawn her wedding fnery;
the gambler who wants a sum to tide
him over a spell of bad luck, come in
to soak his diamond stud until
once more the cards shall turn his
way.
'sThe young fellows who are trying
to make a big show with the girls are
among my patrons. They come IN to
pawn their oVercoats and then ny
away to show the fair lady what great
boys they are.
aYes, we have all kinds of men, from
those who come to get a dollar to
shoot craps to those who want the
same sum to buy bread for their fam
lilies.
1T is amusing to see the different
ones come in Some have never
pawned anything before and they look
carefully UP and down the street and
then make a wild dash for the door in
a panic for fear of being seen by some
accustomed to pawning his things trips
in as jauntily as if going to a party
Just about this time in came a pawn
broker who does business in Mime
apolis, and he joined in the converse
ton The Minneapolis man did not
take in anything but jewelry. He said
that many of his patrons were people
of means, some being worth hun
dred thousand or more This class Of
ten borrowed money to tide them over
hr-a1 III /
their large bank accounts Many
would prefer to borrowing the money
than to break into their savings.
The Minneapolis pawnbroker sud
denly smiled and said: Some people
do not know how my business is con-
Quoted One day a young girl came in
with a friend and when she saw the
friend get some money. she exclaimed,
How nice and easy to get money like
that
"A short time afterward the girl
came in and wanted to borrow ten dol
lars She never offered me any secur-
ity. as she did not know it was re-
quired. I loaned her the money, told
her to pay it in thirty days. and she
was prompt to g minute. She never
offered me any interest and she SEEM
ed to be so pleased with this conven-
lent little way of borrowing money that
did not have the heart to wake her
up from her happy dream"
DO thieves ever succeed in selling
you stolen goods ~ was asked.
Not very often" replied the Topeka
pawnbroker with a smile 1--WE have
to learn to tell them. When we catch
a fellow with stolen goods on him we
notify the police and in mat way help
to catch the thieves"
THAT reminds me of a way I found
out that watch was stolen" piped up
the out-of-town pawnbroker. lone
day a man brought in a watch called
the Howard watch. The movement
was rather old fashioned, but had once
cost over a hundred dollars. The man
said he wanted ten dollars and another
watch for it When I asked him what
kind of another watch he wanted he
said that he did not care just so it was
a watch. That put me on my guard
at once. I picked up the watch and
examined it carefully. Across the face
of it was the name of the maker, How
ard. Is that your name, I asked to
catch the fellow2
No he replied, That is my faith
er's name.
Then I told him that he could Just
leave the watch and my brother would
go with him to the city building.
They started for the building, and
before they had reached it the man
ran away and never came back after
the watch. It was later identified by
the party it had been stolen from.
~ es we do have to be careful not
to get caught" concluded the pawn
broker. but 1t is an interesting bust
ness and one that does not require a
great deal Of capital to get started