Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-07-25
DEBTORS FEEL EASIER,
NOW THAT AN OFFENSIVE METHOD
 OF CUNNING, IS PROHIBITED.

What the Head of a Bad Debts" Collect |
 ing Agency says-Thc Kind of Envelopes
 He Sent to Delinquent Debtors--various
 Tricks.
 "Tve lost my right bower" said the head of little collection agency yesterday, "and I've got the postal authorities to thank for it"
 "How's thata" asked a reporter.
 By way of reply the professional dun opened a big drawer, disclosing few thou red and black characters of considerable size the words Bad debt" "These I used to send through the postofice," :" 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; she 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 iaring colors on one side and
 calling the debtor Mir. 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 pretensions 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
 everyb body sees them and is laughing at him
 or thinking little of him, as indeed 8 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 hbel-y
 Ln1S epithets, terms of language, or refecting pre-
 judicially upon the character or conduct of another, may be written or printed, are de- clared to be non- -mailabls matter, and shall not be conveyed in the mails, nor delivered from any poStoffice, nor by any letter carrier The act further provides, as & penalty for de- positing such matter in postofice, fine of from $1O0 to $5 ,0O0, or imprisonment at hard 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 man won't pay his honest debt you can't clap him into jail till he does as you should be 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 1t. The law here allows every man to retain enough of his income free from the claims of creditors to 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- init on oath that there are any loose ends of l his income not fully absorbed in purchasing ! for him the very necessaries of life"
 What will you do nowF' said the reporter. II suppose there are lots of objectionable ways of collecting debts are there notT ! TRICKS OF THE TRADE.
 "There are tricks of the trade, of course, ! such as sending loud mouthed and experi- enced collector to dun clerks within hearing of their employers; trying to catch debtors l in public places, surrounded by people whose good opinion they value, etc, etc, but mono l so effective as this one now rendered use | less I think shall have to introduce the ! Chicago method of going round ill a big 1 covered wagon, painted bright red and yell l low ill most attractive manner, with such l fine notices as Bad debt collector Terror l to dead beats, etc, conspicuously smblazoned | on it. Let this stand for an hour day for a | few days before & delinquents house and the
 neighbors will get into the way of looking for 1 it; the small boys and the loafers will form an admiring circle round it, and stare up into l the house windows, and if the police don't stop it for some reason or other, guess it | will do almost as we'll as the postal cards, l but it's more expensive"
 "Who are your best customersf'
 Small tradesmen and doctors. Tho 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 big business collecting grocers' bills,
 but now retail grocers in this city have . l mutual protective and collecting agency of l their own. The two work together, admir- | ably. A black list is kept of people who
 don't pay their grocers' bill, and when c
 debtor finds he can't get credit anywhere, 1t
 soon brings him to time. e."-New York l Tribune.