DIAMOND BROKERS.
The best class of pawnbrokers lend money only on such securities as jewels. These are known as diamond brokers, and of course are patronized only by the upper classes, both respectable and disreputable.
'The tricks in trade,' practiced in connection with gems and precious stones, are almost infinite in variety, and the shifts of individuals, who are as extravagant personally as they are needy pecuniarily, to obtain them, are really wonderful in ingenuity and impudence.
To illustrate by a case in point: A diamond broker, whose office is located on the central portion of Broadway, was recently visited by a remarkably handsome and elegantly attired young lady, who at once entered upon business in a straightforward style, which greatly impressed the broker in her favor, he being a thorough business man himself. She wished to negotiate for a loan upon some diamonds in the possession, at that moment, of 'a Safe Deposit Co.,' where he could obtain a view of them, if the 'preliminaries' to this step were satisfactorily arranged. These 'preliminaries' consisted in information as to the amount of money the broker could at once advance, what rate of interest he would charge, how and when payments were to be made, etc., etc. These matters were pleasantly and precisely settled by a conversation of some ten minutes, during which the lady looked at and examined, merely with a natural feminine curiosity, a number of precious stones, pearls, etc., which were displayed in the broker's cases for sale or show purposes. At last the lady rose to depart, appointing the hour of eleven the next morning as the time for their next meeting, when the lady would exhibit to the broker her diamonds, upon which, if they were as valuable as she represented, she was to obtain the agreed upon amount of money, on the terms already arranged.
As she rose to leave, however, the quick eye of the broker noticed that a valuable pearl was missing, and at once he 'made up his mind' as to the true character of his fair visitor, and the whereabouts of the missing pearl. He rushed to the door, barred the 'lady's' exit, and said, quietly but firmly, 'You have a pearl about your person which does not belong to you—restore it.' The lady assumed the looks and attitudes of the most virtuous and violent indignation, but in vain. The broker was inexorable and still barred the door of departure. 'You have been too light-fingered for me, I confess, madam. You are an accomplished woman, and have thrown me off my guard, but I must have my pearl, nevertheless.'
The lady still protested; the broker still persisted; finally the former, with a mingled aspect of wounded modesty and triumphant innocence, said: 'Sir, you may search my person if you like, and convince yourself of your gross mistake, but remember that you shall bitterly atone this outrage to which I am now forced to submit.' Without further parley the broker took the lady at her word, and searched her person—delicately or indelicately as you are disposed to regard it—but thoroughly, certainly. No pearl was found, and the lady, imagining her innocence to be hereby established, expected to find the broker overwhelmed with confusion; but, on the contrary, the gentleman referred to simply handed the woman a bottle, and coolly and firmly commanded her to drink therefrom. 'And wherefore should I drink?' asked the astonished woman. 'Because it is an emetic,' was the broker's reply. 'And what has the fact of this bottle containing an emetic to do with my swallowing its contents?' inquired the lady. 'Why, everything, answered her involuntary host, quietly; 'you have swallowed my pearl, and this, being a powerful emetic, will compel you to disgorge it. Come now, no nonsense, madam,' (still more quietly and still more firmly,) 'or you will compel me to communicate with the police.' The word police, that magically terrible word to the evil- doer, terminated the dialogue. The woman (who proved to be an adventuress of the most 'fashionable' order, whose very professional existence depended upon the 'secresy' in which she 'operated,') was alarmed by the threat of publicity, and the criminal court, swallowed the emetic, and—need we say more than that the broker recovered his pearl, and the 'lady' left New York for a period.