QUEER WAYS OF PAYING DEBTS.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXII, Issue XIV, 8 April 1899, Page 464

QUEER WAYS OF PAYING DEBTS.

Manifold and amusing are the methods employed to liquidate longstanding liabilities, showing that some humorous souls can invest even the prosaic duty of debt paying with a spice of originality. One droll debtor who, through misfortune, more than fault, found himself deeply involved, promised to pay his creditors their full accounts if they only gave him a year or two of grace. Then he worked hard and lived the same, his sole fare being boiled parsnips, which he partook of twice every day, with water for dessert. Once every quarter this facetious fellow invited his creditors to dinner, regaling them solely on the same fare as himself—boiled parsnips! But, as a solace to their feelings, under each plate was placed a cheque in part payment of debts due. In this droll manner the self-denying man finally had the satisfaction of freeing himself from all liability. Another amusing debtor, of a pious turn of mind, had a peculiar and perplexing way of inviting his creditors to tea, over which he treated them gratuitously to a grave homily on the evils of debt, presented them with a tract on the subject, and then paid them a proportion of the debt owing. This cheerful scheme he religiously repeated until his debts were fully discharged. A Yorkeshireman, deeply in debt, when able at length to satisfy his creditors, conceived the malicious idea of paying them in sacks of farthings, which irregular method they reluctantly accepted, knowing their man, and fearing lest refusal might further delay settlement.

A Manchester creditor- once received a parcel by rail, on which he had to pay seven shillings, owing to its enormous weight. Investigation proved it. to be a block of wood, scaling nearly a half-hundred-weight. A note enclosed, from one of his customers, read: — ‘Please find in the centre of this block a sovereign, and mark same off my account.' The money was found and acknowledges. Five other blocks came in the same way at varying periods; so a debt of £5 was slowly settled. Then the creditor sued for expenses, and got them.