The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1876-10-28
I - he, n haste TO do this because

Twas less in haste to do this becau!
Il I desired the enemy to reach the en-
of its measure of venom, thus enablin
me to make one answer conclusive I
to all these wicked and malicious a
Legations.
will now collate in their order til
charges, and reply to them in tn
same order and connection, verifyin
by oath the truth of every statemen
herein made.
E,m.-I am charged with havin
been a member of the firm of Hill
Anthony & Co., doing business in tn
city of New York, and as such CO
partner obtaining and receiving tn
consignment of goods to be sold o.
commission by the use of misrep
resentation and fraudulent pretense
| am not only charged with these Of
fences, but of pleading guilty to then
under the solemn forms of law.
| In support Of these allegations, anc
as conclusive proof thereof, there ha!
been published what purports to be I
transcript from the records of the cas<
as they now appear on file in the
books of said court, copy of which
said record is hereto attached as pub
lished.
l admit the business association OF
Hill, Anthony & Co., and beg to
brief its history for your information.
The firm as organized in 1860 consist
ed of the following parties, Robert L.
Hill, !. w. Swan, E. S. Whalen, A.
M. Ives and George T. Anthony
Each member of the firm was reputed
solvent, and esteemed by all as per-
sons possessed of means adequate to
the undertaking.
The credit of the firm was ample
and its business large in handling con-
signments of goods upon which ad-
vances were made, as is the custom
in that business. Parties, believed to
be responsible, were allowed to pur-
chase grain at Buffalo and other points,
paying for the same with drafts upon
US, which drafts were accompanied by
bills of lading and policies of insurance
sent to us for acceptance and payment.
In the autumn of 1860 we had ar
ranged to put in store, and did put in
stores in New York, a large amount
of grain so purchased, having an ar
rangement with our banker to hold
the paper of the consignor, with our
endorsement, for a grain market after
the close of navigation, and before its
opening in the following spring.
This business was the same in form
as that common to such transactions
then and now, and involved no I'M
usual hazard to the consignor, except
in an exceptional arrangement of val
ues against which human foresight is
incompetent to guard.
The election of Abraham Lincoln
in November of that year was sudden
ly followed by symptoms of political
which soon ripened into
a public fear of rebellion on the part
of the South. So sudden was this re-
suit, and SO potent in the impairment
Of confidence, that values were sub
lost, and business ruin fol-
lowed to early everyone engaged in
the business of handling produce.
The sale of the grain was mine, and
It's holding a doubtful experiment
where the means and credit of the hold |
er were such as to make holding a
hing possible.
A portion of our firm favored the
ale, and going into immediate liqui-
lation-a course, as the sequel shows,
most wise. The balance of the firm
we're hopeful and determined, insist
ng upon holding for reaction and
ADVANCE which they felt would surely
come to their relief.
The result was that Whalen and
ives retired from the firm, leaving
Hill, Swan and the writer We car
led through the winter, one of the
ew in New York, closing out at Sc
'ere loss, but holding reclamation
:laims against the shippers fully JUS
flying prudent men in continuing
There were no reasons for conceal
ng the true standing of the firm, nor
vas such concealment possible, mas
much as all our transactions were
With banks and bankers jealous for
heir own safety and conversant with
II the varying shades of individual
redit.
At this time, during the spring of
861 Mr.. Isaac N. Halliday, whose
deposition appears as part of said
curt records, was employed on his
representation that he could COM
nand a very large Western trade
lis engagement was for one year.
lis statements as to representations
1ade by me or made by Mr.. Hill as
D the responsibility and capital of the
rm are utterly false in every detail.
he business standing of the firm was ,
OF, SO far l know, questioned by him I
r any one else. By consent of the /,
arties we had single business refer
nee in New York, the President of
he Atlantic Bank, and do not be- ,
eve, Mr.. Halliday was ever referred .
, him, bur was allowed to refer all /,
lippers from whom consignments
ere solicited to this bank.
This place of reference was solely :
ON the fact that our deposits were
here andall our acceptances made pay
Bile there. This bank had stood by us 4