Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1853-09-02
EBENSBUBG, FREDlF, SEPTEMBER 2, 1853.

then entering note in q memorandum e56ok.-
And watched them until began to think that
they might be unhappy insolvents, place. inthis
Basinghall Street Penitentiary, to eXpiate certain
offences against the commercial code by Inc con-
temptation of ponderous loads of debt which they
were unable to bear. Then wondered whether
the Sybilline Books could have been alything
like those they shaving at for if tig here,
didn't wonder at the Roman king not lling the
look of them.
In the midst of these re9eries was ards d by
mild voice at my side requesting to iliitS lsf
pleasure. An elderly, placid-loolling man Was
before me clad in black, with waistcoat buttdned
close to his chin. 4 single glance convinced ne
that he was the person l wanted and | wis
right. He was the principal establishment;
the Recorder. My GRAND was soon told, aid as
readily apprehended; for, when l limited tlat
thought the affair had came about would0cca-
sion some difficult and troublesome inquiris, he
smiled, and assured me that he had dozps of
inquiries far more complicated than mine, almost
daily, since his registry was first opened orty
odd years ago.
Had he been so long engaged in that. palicu-
lar occupation ! Yes, he commenced his egis-
try Office 50 long since as the year one thosand
eight hundred and ten, when business ws not
conducted to a 1.-THE the extent it is now and
when there not nearly the same necessity
for protection to the honest trader against syind
lers and reckless dealers; for that was the d9pct
of his institution.
Leading me inside the railing and within the
long range of tables and desks, he assurd me
that, so perfect were all the arrangement con-
nected with his business, that not a single bank-
ruptcy, insolvency, or composition with crditors
occurred not a single commercial fiaut had
been committed, nor one isolated case of syind-
ling since one thousand eight hundred an ten,
which was not to be found duly recorded AID in
dexed with all particulars in his book.
Were those the records ofmislortune andraud!
pointed to a vast collection OF ponderous ONES
spread along three or four massive tables. . no!
those thirty-fve huge volumes, ola thousa1 pa
ges each, formed simply the Index to Mr.. Eerry's
general sets of books.
To give me some idea ofthe extent and s-stem
of his business, he flung open one of thesesigan-
tic volumes. 1t yawned, and creaked, apdgroan-
ed, as ifit had been bankrupt taken n execu-
ton. Such an array of Jones and Browns and
Smiths as were digested within / neve before
witnessed. The Post office Directory is the me-
rest child's spelling book beside these prvligious
alphabets. Page after page contained iothing
but William Browns and George Greens, and as
for the Smiths, [ thought the man nevsr would
leave off turning the pages Of Smiths oyel There
were upwards offfve hundred John Smiths more
than three hundred William Smiths, lost of
George Smiths, to say nothing of Alfred Smiths,
Benjamin Smiths, Charles Smiths, David Smiths,
Edward Smiths, Francis Smiths, Henry Smiths,
and armies of more Smiths, whose Christian
names were initiated by every other letter il the
alphabet. Then came the Smiths with a differ
ence Ia good many of them aIascs) sue, as
Smithes, Smyths, and Smythcs. | felt quite be-
wildered amidst all this crowd Of names, andwas
at once impressed with the wonderful power of
this one man by the aid ofhis enormous books.
He need not have told me that those imdices
were never removed from their tables; for not
only was there no room on any shclfto receive
them, but 1 could see no machinery by which
such masses of hide and paper could be lifted to
any distance as to the clerks attempting to shift
any fthem, that simply absurd. L could
but wonder what would become of them in the
event of a fire, and began to reckon how many of
Hickford's largest wagons would have been requi-
red to remove them at two tons to the load.
In the strange excitement of the moment, en-
tirely forgot the business which brought me to
his office and, absorbed in the bewilderment of
ledgers, gazettes, and police reports, L followed
my informant to another part Of the room. He
;, ao;,.
IN IN rn,nr,l@t@ cot of the Imperial GaZettes be-
ginning with the first mum Der as nr;,,+ad - ~,
ford during the Great Plague Further on were
perfect sets of all tbs Post Office, London and
Provincial Directories that had ever been publish
ed Every city in the United Kingdom that pub
lishes a periodical list of its nha btants was there
as well as many Of the continental
capitals. On several tables at the remote end of
the room, beyond the abandoned old orchestra,
were ranged books more enormous than any had
yet seen-voluminous monstrosities They were
old newspapers strongly bound, and used as day
books of peculiar description for particular
purpose. On the right hand side Of each of the
wide leaves of these volumes was pasted day by
day, every police case involving a fraud on
tradesmen or a malpractice connected, in any
way with trade. The immense collection L there
saw was a proof of the enormous extent of cur
rent swindling, even in these days ofvigilant po-
lice.
To satisfy my curiosity, Mr.. Perry pointed out,
on the face of each Of these cases, number, which
indicated the volume and folio where every one of
Them were posted up into his criminal ledger with
Is much regularity as bankers cash book. And
mere he begged me to observe that, although it
formed his duty to obtain and classify information
throughout the country, regarding trading and
,ther defaulters for the purpose of protecting the