, 1880-04-11
LEATHER,

F1tCRs inc SlIpp0T31uaAeIS AoaFE9 11Ao
Creditors in the Lurch-The Mort
gagee Takes His Stock.
Some half-dozen trusting leather-dea1ers in
this city and, perhaps, in Milwaukee have
found too late that one of their customers
has betrayed them and left them in the lurch.
The name Of the individual who has gone
forth without settling up his accounts in the
orthodox way is one
CHARLES 4. FITCH,
lately manufacturer Of slippers at the cor
ner of Washington and Franklin streets, and
the manner Of his deceiytng and the way
OF his going seem to be something in this
fashion:
Before the now absent Fitch came promi-
nently into notice as slipper-builder he was
acting In the capacity Of salesman for the
firm of Houston, Wilson & Eldridge. In
February, 1879, Houston and Wilson retired
from the business, and Eldridge s. Fitch
for the plant, stock. goodwill and whatever
else may have been thrown in. Fitch put
in some s., 500 cash.. which came to him In
the shape Of windfall left him by his
father For the rest Of the slooo9 tht the neW "
April this year Fitch bought Eldridge out
or claimed he did when last seen,-pay-
ing him in notes. About, the 7th
or 9Th OF y. this !, mo month he a be began ~
egg aegpang ngsh5e11 T F. aa Gos xs SF oan ns on cons ms
Quoted the. negotiation SO successfully that
some time last Wednesday afternoon he OBJ
tanned from Cole the sum of $50 through
the medium of q chattel-nortgage on his
of the slipper-maker. The creditors, having
occasion thereafter to hunt for him diligent-
ly and with strange, husiness-lke exclama-
tions slightly tingcd with profanity, say, so,
and they surely ought to know. Some time
Friday Iy nigt the morteaGec who eli claims st that =;
taking to themselves Fitch's goods in
payment Of their back pay, took
therein here NV vas by virtue 81 t lis moartsage mo-
the stuff down by the elevator to truck
waiting iii the street below, which conveyed
several successive loads OF it to place un-
known save to the mortgagce. Laphanl,.
Fitcl's creditors, got out attachments yester,:
day, and the Mrits were put into The hands OF
Deputy-SheriH Stacy to serve. At last ac--
counts Mr.. Stacy had given it up as a. bad
job. The shop was shut and locked, the loca.
ton Of the removed goods was unknown, and
Smibert s. Co. and Mr. Aibrecht rather more
than intfmatcd yesterday that the mortgage
scheme was, not to put it too strongly. a put
up 91 and sacara that any 6esreS On Goef
"S4S 1Ao0 tsso o44AS1AN <s9 lAA1J
however, there is 10 proof. Walker, Oakley
& Co., who are stuck for something
like LOO, weren't disposed to throw good
money after bad in an attempt to recover
something, and were evidently inclined to
make an entry on the wrong side Of the profit
and loss account, and say no more about it.
The liabilities are estimated all the way from
$500 to S15,0 900, though thaformer figure is
supposed to be nearly correct Fitch has
been buying of late in Milwaukee, and the
supposition is that he had succeeded in es-
tablishfng credit there, though what it may
have amounted to nobody here is able
to say. Before departing, the careful Fitch
took occasion to dispose Of his horse and
buggy,-too slow a means OF loconotfon,
presumably, for his purpose. Previous to
this little "eccentrlcity," bfr. Fitch stood
well in the eyes of the business community.
ANOTHER LEATHER-a1AN
has also done something which his creditors
wish he hadn't done, although the affair
doesn't rise into sufficient dignity to be put
on a plane with Fitch's operations. The
other man Is one William Koopman, Mar
ket street dealer in leather and shoe ind-
tngs. L suit was begun against him few
days ago by an, Eastern creditor for s3,o 900,
whereupon he turned around and sold his
assets out to q Hloney-loaner named Cline:
Hoopman is still In possession, however, and
claims to be transacting business for Cline,
while graciously promising to settle with
his creditors as best he can.