The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-03-24
HAD $25, OWED ss,ooo,Ooo.

| Tne Plight OF Druggists Clerk Who
Obligngly Signed Some Papers.
Ordinarily men see no occasion for
rejoicing in bankruptcy proceedings. Not
so Arnot X. Housekeeper He beams
upon all the customers who come into
| his little drug store, and is probably
the happiest man in Narberth-all be-
| cauee he is a bankrupt. Until recently
Housekeeper was drug clerk in store
at Nineteenth and Parrish streets, and
| had it not been for the bankruptcy pro-
ceedings he might have continued to be
| a clerk for the remainder of his days
With his hands thrust deep in his pock-
cts and little wreaths of smiles sprinkl-
ed over his face, he told the story to
a reported yesterday, interrupting the
narrative OCCASIONALLY to attend to the
wants Of customers.
About thirteen years ago." he began,
"a friend Of mine, who is conveyancer,
came to me and asked me to sign my
name to some mortgage bonds. He SAID
it was a mere matter of formality, and
as / did not think my signature could
create such rumpus as followed I COM
piled with HE request. How many of
the bonds I signed l don't know, but
they kept coming in with great fire.
quency. / have since learned that they
made me what is known as a straw
mana sort of cat's-paw to pull other
peoples cheetnuts out OF the fire. AT
that time was only 22 years old and
hadn't cent in the world except the
salary / made in the drug store.
\ well, it wasn't long before the trou-
BILE began The creditors started to call
upon the straw man to make good, and
] suddenly discovered that owned half
the houses in West Philadelphia, to say
nothing Of four or five hundred proper
ties in small towns up the State. When
] learned what bloated bondholder
and legal scamp I had become. unbe-
known to myself, I was frightened. My
name began to appear in the Sheriff's
advertisements, and I was billed to be
sold out amost every week. For some
reason the sale never took place, prob
ably because they found out beforehand
that there was nothing to sell.
II figured up my, assets one day and
made them 1851, counting a pair of old
trousers and four baded pocket
knife with one blade broken, which I
valued at 10 cents. Then ! added up
my liabilities and they amounted to ST.
S91, 093. 49, Even if my trousers had been
new and the point hadn't been broken
off the knife could not have begun to
satisfy such a thirsty lot of creditors as
these.
II was afraid to buy suit Of clothes,
because I didn't know what minute it
would be attached. I was so nervous
that my fears were magnified beyond |
reason. I imagined that if l were to |
walk downtown dressed in fine clothes |
l would be Get upon Immediately by |
and sent back home in garb |
that would make Adam blush.
You know it's fearful responsibility |
to owe s3,00O,000 1t isn't every man
who can owe so much. Things got |
worse and worse and I was in state
on nervousp rostration. FL
nally I couldn't stand it any longer and
consulted a lawyer who lived across
the street from me. He asked if /
knew who my creditors were and I said
he must think I was human directory
For / owed thousand or two to pretty
nearly every man in Philadelphia. Mr..
gilbert said that, under the circum-
stances, it was no use trying to get. re-
eases from all of them. He suggested
he bankruptcy proceedings and now,
hank heaven, I'm a free man once
more / have this little store and can
wear a silk hat and a frock coat if I
want to. Oh, l tell you it's a bully
hing to be bankrupt"
The door opened and a bevy of pretty
sirls walked in. The man who had
wed 100000 was all business at once
Ks the reported came away he heard
say:
vanilla, chocolate, lemon, orange
,each and raspberry. "-Phiadelphia
Vines.