The Washington herald., 1916-05-13
SEEN AND HEARD
BY GEORGE MINER
SPeral Correspondent of The Wash
thEtOn Herald.
'o'p9nsnI L%. b. the Mcclure NepspspsT
sysnoSs-y

New York. May ll.-CircunstsntisI
evidence has hung many an innocent
man II has also been the cause OF
many other innocent men getting into
olinculties that had no connection with
the hsngman.
A case in point happened here in
New York the other DAY. The victim
Is Mighty reputable and rather prom
lnent business man and at the pres
HI "Fiung he is madder than a wet
1t will take him months and perhaps
years to overcome the damage done
his business reputation by a biz on
unfortunate cirCumstantial evidence
Nhlch he manufactured for himself
oy trying TO do a good deed.
OF course I am not at liberty TO
give his real name. That would be
rubbing it in. He has been injured
enough already. So I'll call him Clfn-
ton. 1t all came about through Mrs.
Clinton having friends who met re
verses and were hard I'D. They had
a lot Of diamonds, however Which
they did not wish to sell outright or
TO pawn as the interest would be so
heavy. They asked Mrs. Clinton II
she would give $500 for the Jewels
ana allow them TO buy them back
within two years at the same price.
Mrs. Clinton wanted the jewels and
wanted TO help here friends. so she
put IL up TO Mr.. Clinton. with a strong
salesmanship talk.
Mr Clinton is from Missouri and he
said: show me, What are thev
WORTH don't know a diamond
from sugar. Dated pill and want
expert opinion"
So they gave him the Jewels 10
I'd ne out ana get expert valuation. He
said TO himself that the surest wav TO
ilnd out the real value Of the things
was TO learn what they would pawn
for. Mr.. Clinton's office is near Herald
Square and on Herald square is the
well-known pawn shop Of the Mac
alean Brothers, the only Irish pawn
brokers in the city.
So to Macalean's went the a5veD-
turoUs Clinton, that being his first
visit to hoCkshop. Feeling a little
embarrassment in going in such a
place, he went in the side door. where
there are private booths in which the
pawner and pawnee can transact their
business unObserved.
The most that the pawnbroker would
advance on the jewels was $4,000 So
Mr.. Clinton took them back to his
wife and told her to offer S2.5OO for
them
That amount was gladly accented
and Mrs. Clinton began wearing the
jewels and Clinton felt that he had
done an act OF charity and a good
stroke Of business at the same time.
Right Under the Guns
Then the trouble came. Directly
across the street from the side en-
trance to the pswnshop is a bank with
which Clinton has a good deal Of
business.
The cashier saw him 20 into tb.
private entrance in a furttve manner,
as though he were snesking in. After
he had come out, the cashier dropped
over to the pawnshop and made in
quiries OF Nj. Mscalesn, whom he had
known for years.
Yes" said that gentleman, the
man you describe was In here a few
minutes ago with some ladies' jewelry.
Said he wanted 20 raise S3.BoO on II.
I wouldn't 60 any more than $4,000
and so he took the stuff away"
That came pretty near torpedoinE
Mr.. ClInton's business reputation. In
less than two days the story was all
around that he was in money diff
Culties as he was pawning his wife's
Jewels.
Clinton began to find coIdness in
business dealings which he couldn't
understand II was a week before he
heard the story and then some one
let drop a remark at his club which
let the cat out Of the bag.
When the light broke on him Clin-
ton began to rave and he has been
mad ever since at diamonds and every
body who wears them. I suspect that
if he met Diamond Jim" Brady on the
street he would assault him out Of
pure spite.
Mr.. Clinton has a few words TO
say about circumstAntisl evidence also.
but won't quote them in full. The
mildest OF them can only be eXpoUnd-
ed as follows: