Fort Worth Daily Gazette
Fort Worth, Texas
Sunday, June 28, 1885
pg 4

SHERMAN

The Merchants' Protective Association in
Secret Session Blacklists the Dead-Beats.

Special to the Gazette.
Sherman, Tex., June 27. - The Merchants' Protective association of this city held a meeting last night at the office of
Wallace & Co., that contained a fuller representation of Sherman merchants than ever met before since its organization. The object is to report delinquent customers for mutual protection. While all names are suppressed from the prying ears
of the press representatives, we were able to learn enough to say that the hard times have resulted in putting more men on the dead-beat roll than ever was known before. The merchants complain that many persons who have the means to
pay up promptly at the end of every month have become indifferent and will not do so, while the hard times have driven many others to such straits financially that they can not pay. Some names will get out as reported bad in private conference and the consequence is that hard feelings are engendered. A few black eyes may result from last night's proceedings.