The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-05-02
MONEY LENDERS PLAN
GASES OF UsURY REVEALED IN
 RECORDERS COURT.
Negroes Testified They Paid 40 Fer Cent Month for Loans-P. A. Notes Failed to Pay
 License.

The trial by Recorder Arlington yes- terday afternoon of the case or F. A. Notes, charged with violating city re'e- nue laws. brought to light the fact that exorbitant rates are charged by some Montgomery money lenders whose busi- ness is confined almost exclusively to me- gro patronage.
 One witness, who said he haa peem employed by Montgomery money ienuers five years, declared that the custohary rate of interest charged here was " cents a month for each dollar ioaheu.
 Joint cases were preferred against F; A. Notes and his son, Isaac Mo'ee' ou' the cases were tried separately:
 1t was shown that F. A. Notes hao conducted a loan business in Montgomery since August, 1902, and 1t was aoIhitseu by the defendant that he had not paio a license. The evidence showed that Moees lived at 746 Bell Street, and that ms or flee was at his residence, which IS not within the corporate limits of Mont gomery.
 The city license for money lenders IS $200 a year. Heretofore the payment oi CTS from county taxes. The new revenue code provides a State tax or $lO0 yearly and a county tax of $50 yearly In aooi- ton to the city license.
 It appeared that Notes naa not pa.u any license and he was arrested at the instance of Major R. B. snodgrass, City License Officer.
 City Attorney Bibb Graves assisted Po- lice Chief Gerald in the prosecution or the cases, and Notes. father and son, were represented by a lawyer. There was a numerous and motley array or witnesses who had borrowed money from Notes, and their testimony was strung out un- til after nightfall. Their evidence was an interesting revelation of the methoos of Montgomery money lenders.
 The most important witness TOT the city was T. R. Bryant, a former employe or business partner of Notes, ST. Bry- ant said in August of last year ne made an arrangement with P. A. Notes to lend money. Notes furnished the money, and he, Bryant, solicited customers and loaned the money. He collected the in terest and principal and received half oi the interest for his services He admit a city license. Bryant said he had work ed for various money lenders In Mont. gomery during the past five years and that a number of them had not paio licenses. While working for Notes he said he charged 40 per cent. month in terest on money and took a bill of sale for property owned by the borrower. The notes were made out In the name o P. A. Notes, but Notes knew very little about the transactions. He gave Bryan certain sums or money Ut CeTtdiH tiue' and received in return notes for amounts loaned. Often Bryan said he would lent amounts collected and report to Mote whenever he saw him. He never loaned less than $1 nor more than $15. and h. had a great many customers among | the negroes, both in and out of the cor porate limits of the city. They paid hin Sl 50 month on account.
 | In December Bryant said he severed his connection with P. A. Notes, an' cttannndad i'm | Bryant took Isaac Notes to the home | of his "customers,' most of whom wer his debtors, and told them that Isaa Notes would in future do the collecting
 Georgia Stuart negro woman hvin | on Tallapoosa Street, testified that Bry | ant went to her house and telling he | she had some good furniture, asked he to borrow some money from him. Tn woman said she did not need the none | but when Bryant called the second tim | she borrowed $5 and signed paper. | "I paid $1.60 a month interest for fou months" the woman said. Then pal S6.60 on the principal, and now they sa
 owe them $1 .35.'
 The Stuart woman told about Isaa | Notes succeeded Bryant as collector, an said Isaac Notes threatened to take he furniture unless she paid more money
 Phyllis Cook, an aged negress who live
 on Houston Street, just within the col
 porate limits of the city, told of borrow ing $5 from Bryant. She said the co lectors went to her house each month an
 she gave them $1 50 whenever she had i
 Whenever she failed to pay promptly sh l said the monthly assessment was increas
 ed to $1 50, and compounded.
 How many times did you pay hil
 $1.5O?" Police Chief Gerald asked tn
 old woman.
 q paid i'm six or seven times" replie the old woman regretfully Fly tim he come I paid i'm what I could" | 'sT1nw much dn him n0w1'
 T doan no. sah. tes' pay wheneve
 he comes. He doan' give me no receip
 How do I know?"
 This question from the old woma
 caused laughter in the court room.
 H. R. Chivers, a negro employed in
 Commerce Street store. testified that BrI
 ant went to the store and solicited hil
 to borrow money. Chivers borrowed s
 He signed a waive note pledging himse
 to pay 40 per cent interest each montl
 Chivers did not pay Bryant. The none
 was collected by lawyer.
 Anna Porter negress who lives at 3
 Clay Street, was a regular customer
 of Bryant. She borrowed 8 and paid a of it, including interest, but 30 cent Then she borrowed s. She swore sf made several monthly payments Sl said the Sheriff of West End went
 see her and threatened her and she pa him the $1 .5o: She swore she paid $2. more on the $5 and her last report WI , , that she still owed $6. This woma swore that Bryant told her to tell h.
 husband if the money was not paid would cut his throat.
 Annie Miles. young negro woman
 626 Scott Street, testified that she bo rowed $5 from Bryant in December al
 was to pay him $6.6O. She paid $1.6O month for some time and stopped payin
 Then she said Bryant sent "a sherin
 to see her She swore that Bryant to
 her he loaned money lon the quiet. Lethe Loftin, negro woman who liv on Cobb Street. testified that she bo , rowed $2 from Bryant, paid $2 40 and still due $2.S0.
 Several other negroes testified that the were customers of Bryant, and SC eral constables and collectors were e amined as to methods of collection Recorder Arlington announced that
 would take the case under considerable , announcing his decision Monday