Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1886-09-23

A Grocer's Costly Experience-Mo Moving Five
Times in Three Years-Professional Dead
Beats"
Baltimore SUI.
Are you aware that many men in
Brooklyn live wholly by their wits?n
asked an uptown grocer of a reporter.
No? could name a dozen heads of
families who for years have not had
dollar which they could call their own
but yet they live in brown-stone houses
and on the best the land affords. When
say that the class of men / mention
live by their wits. / don't mean that they
are gamblers, or sharpers, as the term
implies. They are men who, having seen
better days and becoming reduced, think
that the world owes them living. 1
have reference to that class who move
yearly, if not oftener, and strike all
tradesmen in their neighborhood for
amounts ranging from S25 to $500
Would you believe that a man could sup
port family of five for six years wholly
on credit? [ know of such a case and
have reason to regret my acquaintance
with the Individual to the tune of S2O0
About q year ago there entered my store
gentleman, well dressed and seemingly
respectable. He bought small bill of
goods, paying cash, and continued to
purchase daily for week Finally one
day he said it was a bore to paw each
time and would I allow him to run
weekly bill? l readily consented TO this
arrangement, and STANCE to saw, at the
end Of the first week everything was set
tied promptly, 1 am now coming to the
interesting part of my story. On send
ing in a bill for the groceries during the
second week [ was asked if I could not
let the account run by the month. Again
1 consented, to oblige my customer. 1
leave my business at certain periods of
the month entirely in the hands of my
clerk, and he knew l had consented to
run monthly account with my respect
able customer he thought nothing of the
fact that the individual had in three
weeks ordered three barrels of flour and
other groceries in proportion. At the
end of the month l presented my bill of
5000, but I was put off from time to
time, and, becoming tired, entered suit
to recover the amount"
''You received a verdict of cOurse?"
eyes, but the execution was returned
My customer owned moth
ing. Every stick of furniture in his ele
gantly appointed house was in the name
of his wife. Two weeks ago I had the
pleasure of seeing two barrels of my
best -four, three or four barrels of po-
tatoes and many other articles which
belonged to me loaded on a
trunk in front of my late customers
house. He had neglected to pay the
landlord four months rent, and was re-
CURED to get out. On inquiry I learned
that the same aged and respectable gen
tlemen had fieeced other tradeSmen in
the vicinity for amounts somewhat small
er than mine. On pursuing the investi-
cation further / learned that my late
customer had moved five times in three
years and had left large bills in each
in which he had lived. [
have only mentioned the case to illustrate
how Systematically the dead beat
works.
us there no way in which tradesmen
can avoid being beaten?''
eyes; but one-the cash system. But
still it is impossible to make everyone
pay cash. Many of my old custsmers
would be highly indignant if their hon
esty was questioned and would lose the |
larger part of my business. Oh, no; the
cash system is i'm practicable, for many
There are. black lists, but when
dead beats change their names what is
man to do? I contend that if man is
dishonest, he will have ample
opportunity to practice his wiles."
care not many honest customer who
pay obliged to suffer for the shortcom-
Ings of dead beats?' said the report
or.
SIN a measure, yes. If everybody
paid I have no doubt that groceries
would be cheaper Grocers must make
up their bad debts some way. and the
honest customer in the end is obliged to
suffer.