DEBTS OF THE POOR

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLVI, Issue 26, 30 December 1925, Page 15

DEBTS OF THE POOR

MAN WHO FORGAVE THEM. A STOREKEEPER’S GENEROSITY. Treasured in many a humble adobe house in the mountains of Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, is a little soiled and wrinkled slip of paper. On it appears in Spanish: “Juan Sanchez (or whatever the name may be), to ; Felix Garcia, Dr.” Then an itemised list of purchases of chili, coffee, sugar, flour, beans, and at tlio bottom tlio indorsement: “Paid in full by God.” It is the tnlo of tlie country merchant, who died a rich man despite tho fact that ho never pressed a debtor for payment, crossed the obligations of poor people off his books, and left among his papers bills receivable and promissory notes amounting to more than £20,000. Garcia, onco a nominee of tho Democratic Party for Governor of New Mexico, died from a bullet accidentally discharged. Few men in New Mexico were more widely or sincerely mourned. The esteem in which lie was held was based entirely' on his honesty and humanity. He was not a brilliant man, but was gifted with sound business judgment. A typical small Spanish-American merchandise store was established by Garcia. Ho made a little money and acquired a number of small ranch properties. But tho poor people did not contribute to his increasing fortune. If a customer fell sick or had bad luck on his little mountain farm, or was out of work, Garcia promptly hunted up his account and sent him the bill marked “paid in full by God.” Garcia ran two stores in the little village of Lumbertqn; ono a cash store, tho other a “credit store” where lie let his needy patrons run accounts as long as they wished. It is not on record that iiis generosity was often taken advantage of by those able to pay, and the bulk of tlio £20,000 left unpaid on his books really represented charity to the poor.