Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1888-08-03
DEBTORS FEEL EASIER,
NOW THAT AN OFFENSIVE METHOD
OF CUNNING is PROHIBITED.
What the Head Of bad Debts" Collect
ing Agency says-The Kind of Envelopes


What the Head OF bad Debts" Collect
ing Agency says-The Kind of Envelopes
He Sent to Delinquent Debtors Various
Tricks.
"rve lost my right bower" said the head
of little collection agency yesterday, land
I've got the postal authorities to thank for it. "
"Hows thatf asked a reporter
By way of reply the professional dun
opened a big drawer, disclosing few thou
sand envelopes, all of which bore in startling
red and black characters of considerable size
the words bad debt" "These | used to
send through the postoffice. he continued. Ito
my delinquent debtors, inclosing a request
to pay up. First I'd call on the man, then if
that failed I'd send an envelope with the tell
tale inscription written small upon one cor.
ner, the next envelope had much larger char
acters, and so on until finally the very worst
kind received postal cards bearing the words
Bad debt in faring colors on one side and
calling the debtor Mr. Dead Beat and other
harsh terms on the reverse side This used
to fetch a great many hard cases who could
be compelled to pay their debts in no other
way There is no man who wants to make
any pretensons to honesty but dislikes to
have such publicity given to his shortcom-
ings as is insured by sending such letters to
him through the public mails. He fancies
everybody sees them and is laughing at him
or thinking little of him, as indeed great
many people must.
KNOCKED OUT.
"But now my pet scheme is knocked on the
head, for a new act of congress was passed
the other day providing that all matter,
otherwise mailable by law upon the envelope
or outside covering of which libel
GUS, scurrilous or threatening delineatlons,
epithets, terms of language, or rejecting pre-
judicially upon the character or conduct of
another, may be written or printed, are de
elared to be non mailable matter, and shall
not be conveyed in the mails, nor delivered
from any postoffice. nor by any letter carrier.
The act further provides. as a penalty for de-
posting such matter in postoffice. a fine OF
from 500 to $500 or Imprisonment at bard
labor from one to ten years, or both never
did see such happy hunting ground for dead
beats as New York is any way. When a man
won't pay his honest debt you can't clap him
into Jail till he does, as you should he able to
do You've got to start supplementary pro-
ceedings and have him examined as to his in
come and what he does with it. The law
here allows every man to retain enough of his
income Tree IRON tUt Vi CIctltOTS W
enable him to live decently, and it's hard
matter to get your knowing man about town,
generally the worst kind of dead beat, to ad-
nit on oath that there are any loose ends of
his income not fully absorbed in purchasing
for him the very necessaries of life"
What will you do nowf said the reporter.
n suppose there are lots of Objectionable
ways of collecting debts are there notf'
TRICKS OF THE TRADE.
There are tricks of the trade, OF course,
such as sending loud mouthed and expert
enced collector to dun clerks within hearing
Of their employers; trying to catch debtors
in public places, surrounded by people whose
good opinion they value, etc, etc, but none
so effective as this one now rendered use
less | think | shall have to introduce the
Chicago method of going round in big
covered wagon, painted bright red and yell
low in most attractive manner, with such
fine notices as Bad debt collector Terror
to dead beats, etc, conspicuously emblaG5ned
on it. Let this stand for an hour dag for q
few days before delinquents house and the
neighbors will get into the way of looking for
it: the small boys and the loafers will form
an admiring circle round it, and stare up into
the house windows, and If the police don't
stop it for some reason or other. guess it
will do almost as well as the postal cards
but it's more expensive
"Who are your best customersf
Small tradesmen and doctors The latter
can't refuse an urgent call because the pay
may be poor, and SO a large proportion Of
their accounts are never collected We used
to do a big business collecting grocers' bills,
but now retail grocers in this city have a
mutual protective and collecting agency of
their own The two work together admir-
ably. A black list is kept of people who
don't pay their grocers' bill. and when a
debtor finds he can't get credit anywhere, it
soon brings him to timen-New York
Tribune