Sunday Washington globe., 1902-04-27

to Collect an Imaginary Debt-A
sample Letter from the Chicago
Black guards and BulldOzers.
The firm of Hs sbrook- Barger < Co. of
Columbus, Ohio, has, through blackguard
firm of Chicago dead beats styled the Con
solidated Adjustment Company, 70 Dear
born street." been trying to blackmail us
for over year into paying an alleged ac-
count of $I57 90 the firm claims is due them.
We originally had dealings with the firm Of
Hasbrook Orr & Byers and our accounts
were closed with that irm OH our sentence
to life imprisonment August 10, 1891. The
firm advertised in the Sunday Capital, of
which we were proprietor and publisher
II was our custom TO run an open account,
which we did with other firms in Columbus,
and not one of whom claims we are in
debted TO them one dollar.
AT the time of our sentence the firm of
Hasbrook Orr x Byers were indebted to us
for advertising space more than the amount
mentioned by their successors. The worthy
son Of a slick sire, Gilbert II. Barger, who
begged us TO be let in on our case, and
agreeing to give his legal service gratis, but
who subsequently, bled US repeatedly dur
ing the trial. bought into this firm of Has
brook, Orr & Byers long after we were
legally dead The father finding us an
easy mark, the on-a chip of the old block
(head) discovering the open account and
ignoring the fact that the firm owed us over
$500 for advertising, bided his time and
on our pardon hired this blackguard arm of
Chicago bulldozers to annoy us monthly
with all kinds of insulting letters mot one
Of which we deigned to answer) in the hope
that we would stand touch" and be bled
as his slick, two faced sire bled us twelve
years ago.
Simply to ascertain from the post.ofice
authorities if letters of the following char
acter do not violate the postal laws and if
these Chicago pirates cannot be crimiually
prosecuted, we insert the last letter re-
ceived, as, of course, the younger Barger
has already learned from his sire that even
if we were indebted to the firm in which he
bought an interest land with some Of our
money which his father bled us for) the
statute of limitations bars it's collection,
leaving out the fact of a conviction which
declared US legally dead.
Here is the letter, and il is masterpiece as
a blackguard dun:
CONSOLIDATED ADJUSTMENT Co. LAW
AND COLLECTIONS, 10 DEARBORN ST.
Chicago, AbyiI II, I907.
VIM J. ELLIOTT, Washington ID. C..
DEAR SIR:-In re No. SS93 Hasbrook-
Bargar Co., Columbus, o., $I57,o6.
Referring 70 the above claim against you,
ia our hands for collection, we beg to say
that unless this claim is paid or a sati isfac-
tory settlement arranged for within fifteen
days from date we shall proceed to ascer-
fatr fTta
owners Of your vicinity as well as from
your social and business intimates if you
are in the habit of ignoring your contracts
and repudiating your honest obligations
and are in fact a hopeless aud notorious
dead beat OF bankrupt before inaugurating
whatever process may be necessary to pro-
tect our clients interests and obtain ulti-
mate tangible results
Trusting that you NAV yet dispose of the
matter amicably, and thanking you in ad-
vance for a prompt and favorable response
or an ultimatum, we beg to remain,
Yours truly,
CONSOLIDATED ADJUSTMENT Co.
Per G. H. LoEHR,
Superintendent 0f -AdiMSiMsNtS.
Having thanked US in advance" for this
favorable" answer, the Chicago law pirates
are now invited to prosecute US criminally
as we are dimlY conscious that they are
libelled to some extent in the said favor
able" answer. If there is any law which
will punish a citizen for exposing such in
sulting and blackguard individuals who
write letters of the above character to honest
citizens without iuquiring into the validity
of the claims fled with them by black
mailing firms we want to find il out quick
to the end that Congress while resting from
its recent pitched battle on Cuban recipro-
city may enact remedial legislation.
The Right Honorable Gilbert II. Barger
can inform his hopeful son that we are the
last person on earth to weaken in black
mailing scheme. II was tried on us in Jail,
with the scaffold in the shadow, and we
stood pat. defying the disreputable legal and
other thugs who sought to frighten or bull
doze rs into purchasing their silence. In
any other city of self-respecting attorneys
Barger would be disbarTed for begging to be
taken in on a case free of expense to the
client and afterward bleeding him for fees
His address to the jury, as stated IN our
prison papers, was mainly responsible for
our conviction, and now reviewing it after
lapse of almost twelve years we are amazed
that the jury did not send us to the electric
chair