Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1895-08-10
WOMEN MONEY LeNoeea
0omo q Then Uaab1e 60 Read-Harl
Terms 20 Borrower.

Tefms 20 Borrowers.
"Perhaps you will be surprised y neo
I tell you that there are such people 20
women money lenders. 40 some Of my
poor parishioners know to their cost"
remarked hard. working London cur.
ate. "These women--there are two In
my parish out. Shylock shyiock. Two
pence 10 the usual charge for the loan
Of q shilling for Q week, or, rather
often, II IL not q week, but for q shil-
ling borrowed any time through week
10 I'd ID expected on the following Sat.
urday. Women are their only custom.
ers, and they make the very few bad
debts, as those who borrow generally
do % without their husbands knowl.
edge, and, consequently, are only too
anxious to repay 40 soon % they are
able. or else the lender would soon
threaten to split to their husbands.
Besides, some Of these people are 20 IN
the habit Of borrowing two or three
shillings every week that they are
afraid, II they did not repay the Dor.
rowed money on the Saturday, their
borrowing powers would be ct an end.
For q sovereign lent o shilling . week
interest II charged until the money 10
oil repaid, and not less than two Shil.
linss . week II taken By way Of In.
stallment toward repayment Of the
loan. II any week the installment ID
missed, the interest must be paid, and
no reduction 10 made In the interest %
the principal 10 reduced. A woman ID
often cajoled into taking some article
Of nnery from the irrepressible tally.
man, thinking she win be able to pay
for the article BY the easy installment
plan, % slibly explained to her. Get.
ting behind for two or three weeks In
her payments, the credit draper threat
ems to summon her husband. TO avoid
this, the woman goes to the money
lender, who 'obliges' her with GOV.
ereign, on condition that she rspays
three shillings Z week FOR ten weeks.
1T 10 not often that these female
usurerS will lend more than Q sovereign
Ut . time. However, In the case Of .
person dying. and pending the benefit
Of insurance money being received,
they will lend three or four pounds to
the bereaved family, frequently Dc.
manding % much - Q pound for the
use Of four for week.
zone Of the money lenders to whom I
refer deals only with female hswkers
and street sellers. Owing to the pre-.
seriousness Of their calling. these PEG.
pie constantly lind themselves without
the wherewithal to purchase their
stock In trade. On Q Friday evening
A. many 40 ten to fifteen women win
borrow sums varying from ave to thirty
shillings In order to make their pur.
chases at the carly markets on the
following morning. On o Saturday
evening, toward midnight. the money
lender makes the rounds Of her clients
stalls, often taking every penny from
the stakeholder, which forces the hawk.
or to trade on Sunday morning.
1T hardly seems credible, but one Of
these money lenders can neither read
nor write, keeping account Of all money
due to her In her head with unfailine
accuracy. This woman Il an unbcliever
In the stability Of banks, and always
carries her stock In trade on her person.
not inconsiderable sum, seeing that
one week, she told me. she had lent 9185
In odd shillings."