Democratic Sentinel, Volume 15, Number 52, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 January 1892 — A QUEER BUSINESS. [ARTICLE]

A QUEER BUSINESS.

A MAN WHO SELLS SECOND-HAND FURNITURE. His Method to Attend a Sale, Bny in Goods, Then Repawn—After That he Floats the Tickets With his Friends. Dobson is a queer little man, who lives in a queer little room, in a certain queer little street on the cast side,who has some queer friends and who follows a queer little business. Dobson is a pawnticket broker.

Did you ever hear of the like before ? There are. of course, any end of brokers, good, bad and indifferent, in big New York. They deal in oil, in wool, in tallow, in leather, in peanuts, in watermelons, in real estate, in ships and in almost everything under the sun. Hut who ever before heard of a man who deals in second-hand pawntickets? That man is Dobson. He said to mo the other day, with a shrewd twinkle m his eyes, that, now the dull summer is gone, “business would be lively again.” “Dobson,” I rejoined, “with every mark of honor, sir (for in your dealings your friends say you are the pink of courtesy and the soul of integrity), with every honor, sir, let mo attend you for a day and see how you handle the tickets.” “With pleasure,” said the little man; “come right along now; I am on the trail of several good things.” We went over to a pawnbroker's placo in the Bowery where a sale of forfeited chattels had been announced in the World, the bargains to bo offered without reserve. There was a denso jam in the looms. The sale had begun before we arrived. It was the usual unloadingof the thousand and one effects left in an every-day pawn shop. The auctioneer offere l several watches, then put up a diamond ring. Dobson examined the ring with his littlo microscope and then cautiously bid throe dollars.

“Five,” said a voice in the corner. “Five twenty-five,” repeated Dobson. “Seventy-five.” “Six.” “Ten.” “Twelve.” “Fako it, Mr. Dobson,” said the auctioneer. Then the broker bid in two gold watches at $lO each, and a chip diamond for $2 more. A cake busket was then offered. Some ono bid 40 cents. Dobson made 50, then GO, then 70, then sl,then a quarter moro, then a half, then threequarters, and And Mr.Dobson shrewdly dropped out, for, as ho said uftorwards, some ono was only leading him on in the interest of the house. In half an hour Mr.Dobson,the broker, had invested about SSO, and in turn had received four watches, two rings, a gold j brooch, three razors, a pair of second- j hund trousers, a rusty set of surgical instruments and a violin. Mr. Dobson then withdrew' from tho sale. Later in tho day he attended another ! foreclosure and purchased fivo moro j watches, throe rings, two gold chains, a ! marine glass, a dress suit and u set of | boxing gloves and foils. He packed all j his goods in two satchels and started for home, as it was now too late to do any business that day. Bright and early next morning I went ; by appointment to Mr. Dobson’s room, \ and, assisting him with ono of tho j satchels, we started out, Mr. Dobson to ply his strango calling. We trudged along over towards the Bowery. “ What will you give me for this fine hunting-caso watch '! ” asked Mr. Dobson ; pf a pawnbroker friend near Chatham Square. Felix eyed it critically, appliod a bit of acid, gluncod at the works, but said nothing. “What do you want on it?” he finally ventured. “ Thirty dollars.” “I’ll givo you twelve.” “Take it.” Felix made out a check for tne watch. “ You’ll havo to redoem it in thirty days,” he said, “or there’ll bednterest to pay-’’ “All right,” said the genial broker, “ I)in good for it.” He offered Felix two rings and a chain, and after some bargaining tho deal was made. In each case tickots were given. We then passed on to half a dozon pawnshops. In one we sold tho dress suit for $7, the boxing gloves and foils went for $2 moro. two more rings were j disposed of at $5.10. Tickets were ob- j tniued in oach instance. In the next half hour we had sold three j more watches, tho marine glass, the i razors, the clothes —and all that remained j was the set of surgical instruments. These proved difficult to dispose of to any advantage, but finally Mr. Dobson let them pass at a close sacrifice. Mr. Dobson, his goods all placed, disposed of tho two satchels at a fair figure, and was now ready for his business proper ns a broker in pawntickets. He eyed them narrowly, wondering how much profit there was in them. We counted over the tickets and found that they were sixteon in number and aggregated about $75, face value. It was now about G o’clock. “Come with me,” said Mr. Dobson, loading the way into a tenemont ili Hester street. “ What for? ” “ I have a customer up here.” “ Jake,” said Mr. Dobson to a young: man upstairs, "are you still going with Hannah ?” " Why ? ” “ Well, it’s nearly time that you bought her a present. Do you want a chance ? ” “ Have you a bargain, Mr. Dobson ? ” “ Look at this: Hero is a ticket for a lady's gold watch, twelve carats fine, good machine movement,enamelled cases, stem-winder. I saw the watch myself. It is a beauty. This ticket will redeem it for $7. Give me s.'s for tho bargain, Jake, and you can make Hannah happy ? ” Jake hesitated. “ It’s only $lO, and T tell you it, is a Teul bargain.” The deal was closed and Mr. Dobson and I went away. Next the pawnticket broker led me to a saloon where he was known. There was a large crowd at the tables. Mr. Dobson was gone about half an hour, during which time I saw him offer ticket after ticket, here and there, tothemonat tho tables, all the while explaining in a low tone tho value of his goods. When we went out he had sold five tickets, making something on each, the net profit being $7.50. As we passed along the genial broker never missed his opportunity to greet a friend and offer tickets. In an hour he had sold two more. Then business became somewhat depressed. In the next two hours only one ticket was sold. Mr. Dobson then visited in quick suc-

cession half a dozen saloons where ho was known favorably. By 11 o’clock that night he had disposed of the entire sixteen tickets at a profit of $24.30. I could not but marvel. “ It is a phase of human nature,” said the shrewd broker, to try to get something for nothing. Each .man is after a big bargain and is willing to pay a dollar | or two to secure the coveted opportunitv. j All amounts over and above full values are, of courso, mv commissions.” " You live in this way ? ” “ Yes, live well, year by year.”—[New Y'ork World.