A creditor whose claim is secured by collateral is entitled to return of the collateral upon default.  Upon default, the creditor is entitled to obtain possession of tangible personal property through self-help as long as doing so does not constitute a breach of the peace.  Walker-Thomas Furniture could therefore have sent its representative to the Williams house and requested that she surrender the property, but entering the house without consent of the occupant would breach the peace.   Alternatively, the creditor, upon an appropriate showing, may obtain possession through use of the judicial process.  The creditor will file a complaint pleading a cause of action for replevin, an action to recover possession of personal property.   After judgment for the creditor, or even before trial upon a sufficient showing, a court will order issuance of a Writ of Replevin (which may go by different names in different jurisdictions).  Once ordered, the court clerk issues the Writ and the creditor delivers the Writ, with instructions and an appropriate fee, to a levying officer (e.g. a sheriff, or in the District of Columbia a United States marshall) who will then seize the property pursuant to the Writ.

     The Writ served on Mrs. Williams by the United States Marshall called for seizure of the following items:  "1 wallet, 2 pairs of draperies, 1 apron set, 1 pot holder set, 1 set of rugs, 1 pair of draperies, 1 2 x 6 folding bed, 1 chest, 1 9 x 12 linoleum rug, 2 pairs of curtains, 4 sheets, 1 WS20 portable fan, 2 pairs of curtains, 1 Royal portable typewriter, 2 gun and holster sets (presumably toys), 1 metal bed, 1 inner spring mattress, 4 chrome kitchen chairs, 1 bath mat set, shower curtains, 1 Speed Queen washing machine and 1 Admiral Stereo."   P Dostert, Appellate Restatement of Unconscionability: Civil Legal Aid at Work, 54 ABA Journal 1183 (1968).  The trial court mentions the following items as having been seized pursuant to the Writ: a bed, chest of drawers, washing machine, and the stereo set.  Williams v. Walker-Thomas Furniture Co., 198 A.2d 914 (D.C. Ct. App. 1964).  Mrs. Williams owed $12.60 or less for each of two of the items seized other than the stereo.