The Arizona sentinel., 1886-10-23
CITY DEAD BEATS.
How They Manage to Live Elegantly on
 Nothing a Year.

Nothing Year.
 ''Are you aware that many men in
 Brooklyn live wholly by their wits?'
 asked an uptown grocer of a reporter.
 "No? I could name dozen heads of families who for years have not had a dollar which they could call their own,
 but yet they live in brown stone houses and on the best the land affords. When I say that the class of men l mention live by their wits, I don't mean that they are gamblers or sharpers, as the term implies. They are men who, hay ing seen better days and becoming re- duced, think that the|fyorld owes them a living, and mean to get it. 1 have reference to that class who move year. lv, if not oftener, and strike all trades men in their neighborhood for amounts ranging from twenty-five to three hun dred dollars. Would you belir e that man could support a family ot five for six years wholly on credit? 1 know such case and have reason to regret my acquaintance with the individual to the tune of two hundred dollars. About a year ago there entered my store gen. tleman, well dressed and seemingly re- spectabe. lie bought a small bill of goods, paying cash, and continued to purchase daily for a week. Finally, one day he said it was bore to pay each time, and would I allow him to run a weekly bill? I readily consented to this arrangement, and, strange to say, at the end of the first week every thing was settled promptly. am now coming to the interesting part of my story. On sending in a bill for the groceries furnished during the second week I was asked if could not let the account run by the month. Again I consented, to obGge my GUS toner. I leave my business at certain periods of the month entirly in the hands of my clerk, and as he knew 1 had consented to run amonthly account with my respectable customer he thought nothing of the fact that that in- dividual had in three weeks ordered three barrels of flour and other gro- ceries in proportion. At the end of the month I presented my bill of two hun dred dollars, but was put off from time 
 suit to recover the amount. "
 ''You received a verdict, of course?"
 ''Yes; but the execution was returned unsatisfied. My customer owned nothing. Every stick of furniture in his elegantly appointed house was in the name of his wife. Two weeks ago l had the pleasure of seeing two barrels of my best flour, three or four barrels of potatoes and many other articles which originally belonged to me loaded on 8 truck in front of my late custom CTS house. He had neglected to pay the landlord four months rent, and was required to get out. On inquiry 1 learned that the same aged and respect able gentleman had fleeced other trades men in the vicinity for amounts some what smaller than mine. On pursuing the investigation further l learned that my late customer had moved five times in three years and had left large bills in each neighborhood in which he had lived. I have only mentioned the case to illustrate how systematically the dead beat works"
 ''Is there no way in which tradesmen can avoid being beaten?" was asked.
 ''Yes; but one-the cash system. But still it is impossible to make every one pay cash. Many of my old customers would be highly indignantif their honesty was questioned and I would lose the larger part of my business. Oh, no; the cash system is impracticable, for many reasons. There are black lists, but when dead beats change their names what is a man to dop contend that if a man is thoroughly dishonest he will have ample opportunity to practice his wiles."
 Are not many honest customers who pay obliged to suffer for the shortcom- ings of dead beats?'
 ''In measure, yes. If everybody l paid l have no doubt but that groceries would be cheaper. Grocers must make up their bad debts in some way, and the honest customer in the end is obliged to suffer. ."-Rrooblyfs Eagle.