The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1910-04-27
Some Queer Ways of Col
lecting Bad Debts
BY ELG1N RoUGHs

MOT every creditor who is unable to coll
~ lect a bad debt is disposed to pursue
his obvious remedy, that of suing for II
and it has frequently been found by the
creditor impatient OF the laws delay that
a little ingenuity will enable him to dis
pense with legal aid altogether.
one such was Il Chicago dentist. having
on his books Il patient owing II consderable
sum. who was always evading payment on
one plea or another. One day this man
turned up ut the dentists complaining OF
lothersome tooth. After examination the
cssary to take plaster cast OF the Jaw
Having filled the mans mouth with wet
plaster. the dentist waited till the stun was
dry. whereupon he calmly announced that
he would suspend further operations Till MS
bill had been paid The unhappy. patient,
helpless and specchless. had no alternative ~,
account would the relentless dentist break
the hardened plaster and release the Inn
prisoned jaw.
somewhat similar to the above. He mad
finished portrait for rich but tight fist
cd patron, who pretending .nat the . w4 thh
price agreed upon. After much Imagining.
il was finally decided that the matter
should be left for settlement the next time
the patron should call When the subject
of the portrait did come again, the artist
apparently engaged at the moment, politely
begged that his caller take chair he in
sat the stingy patron in the chair prepared
for him To his disnay he suddenly found
himself tightly clasped about the middle
bv two metal arms the artist had arranged
to have released by Il spring concealed III
the chair.
Now. my dear sir, came in suave tones
from the portrait painter, II must ask you
t. pay at once the full stipulated price of
my work.
The patron. of course. raved and fumed
but all to no avail inasmuch as the artist S
only reply threat to leave him so
Imprisoned for an indefinite period, at the
same time pointing out that they We're IN
an attic ut the top of lofty building.
where no one would be likely to Interfere:
lndcr these circumstances the prisoner mad
but one thing to do-pay up
Landlords whose property lies in the low
or quarters of great cities often find much
difficulty in collecting their weekly rents.
one man. owning number of tenements
near the Bowery in New York. who was
once or twice rather roughly handled by his
,lilruy tenants, hit upon the happy eXpedl-
cnt of enlisting the services of an eN-pugi-
list This collector would boldly enter Il
tenement blowing shrill whistle. the
sound of which was usually sufficient to
bring out dellnquentS with thelf rent none!
in hand.
The Turkish government is notorious f"l
dilatory payment of it's officials On the
occasion the pasha of district in Fales.
tine, applying for his salary. was ordered
from Constantinople to collect ii locally in
the shape of a new tax One town. refus-
ing to pay its quota of the sum demanded
the ingenious governor ordered ten DAYS
strict quarantine, on the ground that a case
of cholera had been reported to him A
trade was utterly demoralized. and things
generally in a bad way. when the unhappy
inhabitants finally decided that they must
pay up.