University of Virginia Library

OF THE STREET-SALE OF BACK NUMBERS.

This trade is carried on by the same class of
patterers as work race-cards, second editions, &c.
The collectors of waste-paper frequently find
back numbers of periodicals in "a lot" they
may have purchased at a coffee-shop. These
they sell to warehousemen who serve the street-
sellers. The largest lot ever sold at one time
was some six or seven years ago, of the Pictorial
Times, at least a ton weight. A dealer states —

"I lost the use of this arm ever since I was
three months old. My mother died when I
was ten years of age, and after that my father
took up with an Irishwoman, and turned me
and my youngest sister (she was two years
younger than me) out into the streets. My
youngest sister got employment at my father's
trade, but I couldn't get no work because of
my crippled arm. I walked about, till I fell
down in the streets for want. At last, a man,
who had a sweetmeat-shop, took pity on me.
His wife made the sweetmeats, and minded

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the shop while he went out a juggling in the
streets, in the Ramo Samee line. He told me
as how, if I would go round the country with
him and sell a few prints while he was a jug-
gling in the public-houses, he'd find me in
wittles, and pay my lodging. I joined him,
and stopped with him two or three year.
After that I went to work for a werry
large waste -paper dealer. He used to buy
up all the old back numbers of the cheap
periodicals and penny publications, and send
me out with them to sell at a farden' a piece.
He used to give me 4d. out of every shilling,
and I done very well with that, till the periodi-
cals came so low, and so many on 'em, that they
wouldn't sell at all. Sometimes I could make
15s. on a Saturday night and a Sunday morn-
ing, a-selling the odd numbers of periodicals, —
such as tales; `Tales of the Wars,' `Lives of the
Pirates,' `Lives of the Highwaymen,' &c. I've
often sold as many as 2,000 numbers on a
Saturday night in the New-cut, and the most
of them was works about thieves, and highway-
men, and pirates. Besides me, there was three
others at the same business. Altogether, I dare
say my master alone used to get rid of 10,000
copies of such works on a Saturday night and a
Sunday morning. Our principal customers was
young men. My master made a good bit of
money at it. He had been about eighteen
years in the business, and had begun with 2s. 6d.
I was with him fifteen year, on and off, and at
the best time. I used to earn my 30s. a week
full at that time. But then I was foolish, and
didn't take care of my money. When I was at
the `odd number business,' I bought a peep-
show, and left the trade to go into that line."