Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-02-02
a CONTRAST OF TRICKERY.

| Two cases of getting or attempting
to get something for nothing have de-
veloped at Des Moines within a short
time. One is funny. The other isn't.
One relates the way smooth CRATER
worked the city pawnbrokers and is
of the sort that does not wholly dis
please In the other Judge McHenry
from the bench gives his opinion of
the Preachers Aid Society. its agents
and lawyers and rates them as he
would bunco steerers and monte men.
nected with a complaint that it's owner
has been overreached in pawn brok-
ing DEAL makes Immediately for mirth.
Some fellow has been in Des Moines
pawning false teeth and glass eyes. He
rushes in with as well-appearing set
of chewing apparatus and offers to stick
them up. Now a set of false teeth in
a second hand stock waits long time
for a purchaser and their value as COL
lateral rests more on necessity than in
trinsic and individual salableness. Peo-
pie may change gum easily. They can't
consequence the traffic in second hand
teeth isn't what it otherwise would be-
However. it is natural supposition that
the pawner will come back for the
teeth and glass eye he has soaked and
one may lend say one-fiftl what a new
set would cost with assurance that one
may make his reasonable little profit
of 10 per cent a second on the trans
action. This particular ,paWner fails
to come back. His teeth are gilded and
glass eyes are painted merely for
pawning purposes and he had more in
done starts after Mr.. Levich and his
fellow pawnbrokers see thru the glass
eye darkly what had been done. to
them Then there was gathering in hot
haste, appeals to Father Abraham and
the police magistrates.
There is something funny in this
because when a Hebrew pawnbroker
doesn't get the best of 1t it is the time
to laugh The other case is the reverse
side of trickery and sharp practice Ac-
cording to the picture drawn by the
Judge who tried the case, an old man
Ao3J ~, 1,ao Io1 hnny1
his spiritual advisers into contract to
give up his property to a Preachers
Aid Society, the attorney for the So
ciety had drawn contract of such a
nature that the judge from his bench
declared it violation of all rules of
law :. 1t was a picture of an old. feeble
invalid, fanatically religious, weak and
ready to die. flattered and played upon
and worked up to a state Of mind
wife and his duty to her and give de-
signing men the property which should
keep her from want. That is the way
Judge McHenry saw it and he heard
the evidence When the old man died
the widow sued to recover the estate.
Judge McHenry gave it to her yester-
day along with what he gave the
preachers, the preachers society and
the lawyers for the society.
This case lacks the humor of trick
cry. If matters are as the judge says
they are perhaps this is case for a
decent grand jury and prosecuting
attorney, who knows his business and
is willing to do it. 1t isn't enough to
take back the loot If there is law to
teach a more honest Interpretation Of
christian duty to the preachers in
volved in this transaction.
The affair is the more noticeable be-
cause it is to a large degree unique.
The clergy Is not represented in the
case the clean, sincere body of consci-
entious and christian ministers whom
we all know. However, they all must
suffer bv the acts Of derelict members
of their holy profession, and it would
appear that they should defend them
selves and their order by cleaning
house.