The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1909-04-18
THE LOAN SHARK

Having read Mr.. Stokes's recent
exposures OF the loan sharks of Pen
Sacola, and possessing, as ] do, some
personal, fiTst-hand knowledge of the
loan business am its high handed,
Ubiquitous metnods, / am constrained
by public duty to add my loan shark
testimony TO the testimony of Mr.
Stokes, TO the end that the public may
pc enlightened, and that an enlight-
ened public sentiment may rid society
of this insidious evil.
On an adventurous occasion several
summers ago, in the city of Birming-
ham, finding myself encountered with
neither scrip nor purse, nor other IN
necessary eQuipage, l set out to do
something for my country in the mod
Bst way of earning a support for my
self, thus relieving the state of the
care of my support and maintenance.
Having been for a while attached 10
one Of the city dailies in an humble
repOTtOTial sort of way, which did not
satisfy my bread and-butter ambi-
tions, and being possessed of a boyish
Spirit of adventure, l began an in
austTious search for a business whose
profits were of the 'mOney-frOm-
home" ease of northumberland
Ing, on the come easy, go-eaSy"
principle that / would stand a better
bhapce of Harvesting some of the
laid profits. / found what / was
looking for in the loan business.
Moreover, the job was forthcoming
For a month or more, in my mex
perienced, mOral-scTupled way, / as
sisted those ShyIocks in extracting
money from the gUllible public after
the fashion of the sO-called pain
less process" Becoming at last con-
WINGED that the rules of the game
were not exactly fair, and fOreseeing
that my moral principles were in dan
ger of extinction, l quit the business
with suddenness that did credit 10
both my judgment and conscience |
This being the manner, and these the |
causes of my connection with the loan |
business, it gives me no embarrass-
ment to make this admission.
What / shall say or this Birming- /
ham loan company will apply, per |
h2pS, with more or less eXactneSs, 10 /
the loan business in general
For convenience, l shall call this /
Birmingham company the Investment |
Company, and its manager, Mr.. Shark. /
The Investment Company's business /
spread like huge nec over the en- !
tire city and its suburbs, including in
its repertoire all manner OF loans.
real estate transactions, bargains,
sales, etc. and embracing among its
victims creatures of all cOloTs, creeds
and circumstances. This latter dis |
closure may surprise some; never
theless, it is a fact that the Invest
ment COmpany'S Office was sometimes,
though rarely, fTeqUented by persons
of means and comparative wealth
who came to borrow
Before proceeding ,uTUneT, let us
take a look at Mr.. Shark. and, dis
cover, if we may. Wat manner OF
public leech he is-or was Entering
the loan business after attaining TO
years of manhood, and\ starting with
meager capital. he had\ become by
means of his dollars and cunning, a
leading citizen" of his city\a factor
Of no mean importance in its bust
ness and its politics. Silent, yetsaffa
bic on OCCASION; shTewdly intelh-
gent, vet affecting ignorance when
ever he thought that ignorance would
further his selfish interests: crafty,
cunning, sChcming, his whole thought
was centereu on his avaTiciOuS trade.
Deception was with him a speciality,
a speciality wniCu he never failed to
practice to a douDie- breasted, copper
rivctCd fare you-well. At lying he |
was an artist-not in the common,
every day sense, but an artist in the
narrower sense of one who works &C
cording to the constructive principles
lf art-that is, aTtiStically. In his