The Wichita city eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1872-1883, 1880-03-18
DRIVE WELLS.

lie followisg letter win explsin Il.
self:
ST.. Paul, MINI, Feb. q, lsoo.
To 2. fessxy, &e1t& ztpska:
Your letter Of the 18th to T. p. vii
son, President, was opened and il pow
answered BY the writer, brother of +.
p. Wilson, and Director IN the Ram-
sey County Anti-Roya atty Association
OF this city. 1t would be impossible to
answer all your questions in one letter,
but may answer some Of them. With
same mail - this We send copy Of oar
Answer" in the Minnesota case. You
VIII then get an idea Of what evidence
We have 10 offer-enough to beat .
dozen patents if we had money enough
to get the testimony-which would cost
about $25 600 to get it al. Our State
ssociation has about sc, 600 on hand
now, enough we think to beat them. To
get at the legal points in the case have
your attorney write to our attorneys-
Messrs. Wilson 4 Gale, Of winona,
Minnesota. A year ago last October
the drive well sharks jumped into our
State, and in = few mouths they collect
ed probabl, $25 600, mainly in five or
SIX counties, where they sued some six
hundred persons. Very few, if any. OF
those sued paid. but our neighbors were
frightened, ana many paid. Organixa-
lions by counties we're started, only to
fail, until amer We had been bIed for
about two months. A State Society
was organized which soon raised about
$4,000. There has not been q man
saed in the State Of Minnesota since the
date OF organizing the State Associa-
ton, and they don't dare sue. 1t would
cost them ten or fifteen dollars per case
and they would get nothing out OF it.
Onr ,nnnfy tRanisey) mae M. s-s,.l.i.a
had no notices sent to them until last
October when they issued four hundred
notices to pay, and If not paid in i've
days suits would commence. They also
put an advertisement In the st. Paul
Press warning all to pay. The Ramsey
County Association held meeting and
put an ''ad'' in the Pres advising
'.Don't be humbugged by the BULLDOG
ing circulars,D and sent word TO the
drive well agent to .'bring up his suits, .
The result was only one man was
frightened into paying, and NOT single
suit was brought. That was the last at.
tempt they made to brighten our peo-
pie, and the owners of the drive wells
now pay no more attention TO the
demands Of the thieves. Should they
sue any one the State Society would inn
Inediately write to the party sued and
ask him to contribute five dollars and
offer to defend the case for him. So
you see they would lose and we gain in
every case, and they know it. Nobody
viii pay without suits, so they are
doing nothing. We have relisblc infor.
nation that they have approached some
of the six hundred sued eighteen
months ago and offered to settle for q
mere nominal amount, which was
promptly declined. Ii is supposed the
test case will be tried next June. which
the writer doubts. They are irving 10
get the case postponed rs long as posi-.
BILE, either because they have no money
to fight i, o. lucy lear defeat, and a
defeat here would put stop to their
extortiOns in your aud other Western
States. Our attorneys will be ready tor
the trial next June and eudeayor to
push them TO q trial. Now few words
as to what is best to be done. Fret
Don't get frightened, and do all posi-.
BILE to keep your neighbors quiet. Don't
allow any one to pay them q dol
lar. Every dollar paid them strength
ems them and weakens the side Of the
people. Their game is simply a game
of "bluff." If you raise few thousand
dollars to fight them with you will have
the whole matter in your own hands
and they are beaten. A county organi.
cation is not strong enough. They
have proved failures here aud every.
where. Get your newspapers to agi.
tate matter, and show up the steal in it,
true shape. Get your people to show
fight. Show them that it won't cost
ene-tenth the money TO fight that il
will to pay, then organize State AssO-
citation made up OF delegates from the
county societies. Here in Minnesota
not being able to raise enough money
among the people because the suits
stopped and the excitement died cut
we appealed to the State Legislature
and they appropriated $500. OF
course ii took some ''.Obbying" to get
this, but we succeeded, and as a c0nse-
quencc the main work Of the Off Gers of
the State Association is over, and the
whole matter placed in the hands of the
attorneys, who are vigorously pushing
the case and express every hope that we
will win. Very truly,
w. e.. WILSON