The Logan County banner. [volume] (Logan, W. Va.) 1889-1903, 1892-03-31

one time Ia Chicago a concern engaged
In pursuing backward creditors dressed
its agents in distinctive costumes and
the latter drove around In vehicles on
which big siyi was painted feading:
| Agency t r the Collection of Bad
Debts 1t was not please It to have q
wagon OF TINS 50. t standing In front Of
ones door ! havs known du1 here
in Wasbi lgt,n TO sit upon the front
steps Of a house on the reception day of
the mistress an make some remark
about his little claim to every guest
who came in. Another instance was
t I'D of by the victim. where collector
actually INTRODUCED himself to pri-
vate residence on such occasions, took
cup OF team the drawing room. and,
after some conversation with the puz-
zled hostess. drew out bill and pre-
sented it to her.
There is more dignifie kind Of
dun than-any oft those have mem
| Toned He does not come to you, but
| you are expected TO go to him. You
receive a letter from firm OF Saw
| yers' asking you t,ecall and see en-
respecting matter of Importance. II
you have been caught that way two or
tlree times before you are likely to do
the wise thing and fail to respond. At
most you will send a line in reply, re-
questing to know what the business is.
or course, If they have anything of
moment to communicate it is prop
erly their affair to say what it is
about But in forty-nine cases out
of fifty the recipient OF such a
communication falls into the trap. The
unexplanatory character of the missive
makes him nervous, and he considers
that for all he knows there may be
some thing to his advantage in it, So
he visits the lawyers and then they
have him. The, know that debtor
can be much more effectively bullied
in their own office than any where else.
pmetimes they will so phrase their
letter as to indicate that they have "a
claim against tx person TO whom it is
addressed, not mentioning what claim
| Thus his anxiety is aroused. 1t is all
| play on human nature. They are apt
| to say, call and avoid trouble 1t is
wonderful how solicitous these fellows
always are lest their victims be put to
| trouble.
"Dunning letters usually brighten the
ansophisticatsd. That is what they are
intended to do. But experienced cred--
itors simply tear them up and think no
more about them They are mere
| formulas as a rue. and the threats
they convex are .verbiage and nothing
more. In fact they are. to be justly re-
| garded as cheering evidence on the
part of the creditor, since appeals by
mail only cost the writer postage
stamps and need not injuriously affect
the recipient. As rule, they are not
even read.
Once upon a time, when / was par
ticularly DESTROYS of avoiding two or
three persistent duns, / gave notice in
the reception-room of the office where
was employed to the effect that
any unknown person who called
should be informed that I was
out. In this way / managed to
stand them off for some time. but not
witaout arousing sheir. spicion some
what This / was given to understand
by letters which they wrote me, but
did not thoroughly comprehend until it
came to my knowledge that the boy in
| the reception room, whenever he denied
me to a caller, was invariably so over
come by his sense ofSthe ludicrous in
the situation as to imSn ediately turn a
number Of handsprings. in the presence
of the stranger. This was naturally
calculated to excite incredulity.
I Finally hit upon desperate expe-
dent. l bribed the Office boy, and the
result was that when the next dun
called the ingenious youth shook his
head solemnly in response to request
ITO see me.
Did you give Mr.. Noodles my card
yesterdays? asked the creditor.
EYES, SIR
"'What did he say"
+'sIe said to tell you that he was
| dead, sir
"'bead?'
ayes, sir. And what's more, he's
going to stay dead until you quit COM
ing here
| "'Did he say what he died of?'
eyes, sir. lie mentioned your name,
sir
"'Thank your said the dun, and he
walked out. / never saw him after
ward. Washington Star.
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