The age-herald., 1898-09-13
THINGS DONE,
 HEARD AND SEEN

The money lenders ana SnylockS or Blr-
 mingham have no love for the bankruptcy
 law which recently went into effect They
 are the losers and a few enterprising att torneys are the winners in little three- handed game which was opened a feW weeks ago. There are hundreds of negroes and white laborers as well, in Birmingham who are indebted to these thrifty individ-
 uals for various amounts Struggling along
 from week to week they manage to pay an exorbitant interest, while the principal re-
 mains untouched. They knew little of the
 bankruptcy law when it was first written about in the papers, but there are num- Der of lawyers who did, and here enters the
 sorrowful chapter from the money lenders
 point of view With a glowing story and
 the hope of prospective client they sallied
 forth, and the result is quite a number of
 petitions in court pleading exemption under the bankruptcy act. Among this number
 were men who were indebted for amounts
 ranging as low as $50. In almost every case
 little or no collateral was put up, the shy
 lock taking waive notes. The clients pay
 lawyer possibly $5 or $10. the bill is rushed
 through and they are free to start in the
 world again. This has caused consterna-
 tion and the shylocks are meeting in clans
 to devise some scheme to offset this move
 ment.
 Tt is surprising" said a gentleman yes-
 terday. that this class of debtors should
 have taken advantage of the law. Accord ing to my understanding it was passed for
 the benefit of men who were irretrlevably in debt and had no means of getting out.
 This class of men do not blame, and then I mi f1ao otI I1,,ti ;. Dr;s. ing that the latter class should ever have caught on to the scheme.' While the wave of patriotism has washed from one shore to the other the children have not been entirely immune. They have been quick to catch the prevalent inspira- tion and many and comical are the ways they have employed in demonstrating it. There is a summer school in Birmingham which was visited by a party of visitors few weeks ago. A boy was chasing a humble bee across the street, among the weeds on a vacant lot. The director called to him to let 1t alone.
 "No, m'm," came the quick reply "He's
 Spanish bug and got ter git him. See
 them yaler stripes.''
 In another minute the bee was captive
 and had buried its sting in the boys hand.
 In howl of pain he released his prisoner and shouted back: You bet he wuz a
 Spaniard He just sticked his stiletter into me-"
 The feeling of patriotism was as intense among the girls as the boys On a Sunday school picnic during the summer the girls
 all wore a badge and every class wore diff ferent color, but all positively refused to wear yellow.
 ''We ain't no Spaniards," one little tot said, with a scornful whiff at her teacher, who wore a bright piece of yellow ribbon. There was little girl on the train going off with her mother to spend a few weeks at a summer resort. Talking to her elder sister, she said:
 "Now don't you let my pussy cat get away, and don't you let the Spaniards get her"
 Birmingham does not see much of tene-
 ment house life. That is, in the light viewed in larger cities. There are, however, some tenement house scenes both pathetic and ridiculous Not long ago there was an old woman, with her daughter and son-in-law, living in one of the big buildings in the heart of the city which shelters the disso- | lute, the poverty-stricken and all classes. l They occupied but one room, with but one bed, The old woman slept on a pallet made down on the greasy floor. The room | does not open on the street. and there is | not light sufficient even in daytime to read. On a stove in one corner the meals, always scanty, were prepared, and were served on dry goods box, which answered | for a table, The girl was not more than 14 | years of age. yet married to tough who | had seen the interior of jail more than | once. He was brutal, his wife submissive, l and the mother-in-law antagonistic. There | was trouble-plenty of 1t, and at all hours. | One time the head of the family would | transform his girl-wife's face into crazy l quilt, and at other times his mother-in-law l would show up with black eye. Matters reached a crisis one day. The brute said l he would go, and after cleaning out the establishment he did go. Of course the | foolish girl followed him. They invariably l do. He compelled his wife to renounce her
 mother, and the old woman, crying and | wringing her hands, was left alone and desolate in the equally desolate-appearing | room. Pretty soon she walked into the room of a neighbor.
 1 q am @ stranger to you,' she said, "but I want to borrow dime"
 l It was given to her. She threw pocket l knife down on the table security. "Now, do you know what I am going to | do with this?"
 l "No," was the reply.
 l "K-i-ll myself" she half screamed, as | she took up melodramatic attitude. l "All right" came the complacent re- l sponse.
 l "When I am dead" she went on, take
 this ring and give it to my daughter l "All right-with pleasure" was again tine l cool reply and the woman walked out She | visited every room in the building, and the l act was repeated to each individual she | met.
 She was seen going out, and pretty soon | she returned and entered her room, barred l the door, and nothing more was heard.