Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1900-06-02
HAD s25, OWED So 600 noo
Plight of Druggists Clerk Who o.,,
ingly Signed Some Pane,a 'ng

Flight of DrugRist's Clerk Who ~.
ingly Signed Some Papers
Ordinarily men see no occasion o.
joicing in bankruptcy proceedings r
SO Arnot K. Housekeeper, says ;S
Philadelphia Times. Until raco,r ue
Housekeeper was drug clerk. ana
1t not been for the bankruptcy procoos
ings he might have continued to ~
clerk for the remainder of his da
With his hands thrust deep in his Ms
cts and little wreaths of smiles snria
Killed. over his face, he told the story :.
reporter, interrupting the narratro
occasionally to attend to the wants 80
customers.
About thirteen years ago" ha h
gan, "a friend OF mine, who is a con.
veyancer, came to me and asked mo -
sign my name to some mortgage bonds
He said 1t was mere matter Of fo,
mality, and as l did not think nv sic
nature could create such a rumnus .,
followed l complied with his request
How many of the bonds l signed
don't know, but they kept COMING IN
with great frequency. l have sinco
learned that they made me what 10
known as straw mana sort of CATS.
paw to pull other peoples chestnuts
out of the fire. At that time was only
% years old, and hadn't cent in tha
world except the salary made in tha
drug store.
"Well, it wasn't long before the
trouble began. The creditors started
to call upon the straw man to make
good, and | suddenly discovered that
owned half the houses in West Phila.
delphia, to say nothing Of four or five
hundred properties in small towns up
the State. When l learned what a
bloated bondholder and legal scamp I
had become, unbeknown to myself. I
was frightened. My name began to
appear in the sheriff's advertisements.
and l was billed to be sold out almost
every week. For some reason the sale
never took place, probably because
they found out beforehand that there
was nothing to sell.
Il figured up my assets one day and
made them $2537, counting a pair of
old trousers and a four-bladed pocket
knife with one blade broken, which I
valued at 13 cents. Then l added I'D
my liabilities and they amounted to
1881 ,093.43. Even If the trousers had
been new and the point hadn't been
broken off the knife, could not have
begun to satisfy such u thirsty lot of
creditors as these.
II was afraid to buy a suit Of clothes,
because l didn't know what minute it
would be attached. l was so nervous
that my fears were magnlfied beyond
reason. l imagined that if l We're to
walk down town dressed in fine clothes
would be set upon Immediately by
creditors and sent back home in garb
that would make Adam blush.
you know it's fearful responsible
ity to owe $3,00O0OO. 1t isn't every
man who can owe so much. Things
got worse and worse, and l was in
state bordering on nervous prosrration.
Finally | couldn't stand it any longer,
and consulted q lawyer who lived
across the street from me. He asked If
| knew who my creditors were, and
said he must think l was a human d.
rectory, for l owed n thousand or two
to pretty nearly every man In Phila!
delphia. Mr.. Culbert said that, under
the circumstances, 1t was no use try
ing to get releases from all of them.
He suggested the bankruptcy proceed
ings, and now, thank heaven, I'm free
man once more. have this little store
and can wear a silk hat and a frock
coat if l want to. Oh, l tell you It's
bully thing to be bankrupt"