Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1885-05-30

Crittenden and Phillips counties,
Ark, are overrun with grasshoppers.
They are fast destroying the wheat.
The Apaches are on the war path in
New Mexico, and have already made a
bloody trail.
The Middle in the Coal Company.
The very liberal distribution of 3 circular
which we print elsewhere. signed by L. 8.
Hayes, president of the Lexington Coal Mln-
ing Company, deposing Mr.. j. {. McGrew
as general manager of the company, caused a
good deal of talk on our streets last Saturday
evening and for Il day or two thereafter.
There were all sorts of rumOrs regarding the
matter, one of them being that the coal COM
pany had sued Mr.. McGrew for y very large
sum of money supposed to be due it. On
Monday, at rs early an hour rs possible.
Mr.. McGrew had distributed u counterfeit
cular, which will also be fround printed In
another column.
1t will be seen by reading the circulars that
the coal company on the one hand claim to
have appointed Mr.. r. NJ. Mcdowell, gener-
al manager of the coal company, and that
they have notified the employees to be govern
ed by him and have given the public notice of
the change. Per contra Mr.. McGrew claims
that by a contract made with the coal cOmpa-
ny be was made manager for a term of years,
which have not expired and that, IN conse-
quence, he cannot be legally displaced from
the position, and he orders all employees to
obey his orders only, and notifies the compa.
ny and public that he will not give up con.
troll of the property except upon legal COM
| pulsion so to do.
Mr.. H. T. Lemist, of St. Louis, %vlce.presi-
dent of the Lexington coal company was in
the city Thursday, and submitted to be inter-
viewed by the Intelligencer. Mr.. Lemist
says that the officers Of the coal company
are, r. S. Hayes. of st. Louis. president; H.
7. Lemist, vice-president; r. NJ. Mcdonald,
manager. He says these officers were elected
at a meeting of The board of directors in St.
Louis, on May Is, 1885, that being the regular
annual meeting. That all the officers were
then elected as they have been elected at
every recurring annual meeting, for one
year. The company, he says, exercised its
i ihSh " c ahoLuCl BCullCu1hu III MT,
McGrew's place, just rs it did its right to
elect Mr.. McGrew at the previous meetings.
Mr.. Lemist says that the co mpany has no
knowledge Of any such contract as that allud-
ed to by Mr.. McGrew giving him the position
of general manager for a term of years. On
the contrary, Mr.. Lemist asserts that the
records show that Mr.. McGrew was elected
from year to year as the other officers were.
The coal company's board of directors passed
a resolution directing Mr.. McGrew to turn
over all its property, real and personal, in
Guiding the book, papers, office, etc., to Mr..
Mcdowell, and 1t was especially to make
this demand, formally, that Mr.. Lemist was
in this city Thursday. He made the demand ,
but Mr.. McGrew refused to comply with
it. Upon being Intercepted regarding the
rumOrs above alluded to Mr.. Lemlst said that
it was not true that the coal company had
brought suit against Mr.. McGrew for the re-
covery OF money due. He stated that the
displacement of Mr.. McGrew was the result
of a settled policy of the company, the con-
trolling interest of which was identical with
that of other mines, to reduce expenses. Mr..
Mcdowell was now the general manager OF
the mines at Rich Hill, at Atoka, Kan, at
Gordon, Texas, and would be at Lexington.
This course would save the large expense of
having a high priced general manager at each
one Of the mines, and would enable them to
be conducted more economically and harmo-
ntOusly. 1t was for this reason that the
change in managers had been nude, and not
because of any money troubles between the
company and Mr.. McGrew, as the former
was satisfied with Mr.. McGrew's man
agement. Mr.. Lemist said that Mr..
Hayys had particularly instructed him
to endeavor to disabu the minds of
the people here of the idea that either the
railroad company or the coal company were
hostile to the mines at this point, and that
the change in management would lessen the
amount Of work or initiate In any way
against the Lexington mines. Mr.. LemIst
says, as the sales agent of the coal of all the
mines above mentioned, that he and Mr..
Mcdowell are instructed to, and are already
engaged in pertecting plans to largely IN
crease the sales of Lexington coal. He
states that 1t is the intention of the company
to work the mines here on a much larger
scale than ever before, to put in more men
and get out more coal.
In order to place the matter fairly and i'm
partially before the public the Intelligencer
also interviewed Mr.. McGrew. That gentle
man states that he has a written contract,
made with the Lexington Coal Mining Co.
as to his management of the cOmpany's bust
ness, and with the Missouri Pacific Railroad
| Comnany as tn the amount of GOAL than yoro
to take, the contract being for five years,
which time has not yet expired. This con.
tract, he says, was signed officially, by the
proper officers, and at the proper time will
be produced. Mr.. McGrew proposes to re-
tam possession of the cOmpany's property, as
he claims he has the right to do under the
contract, until he is dispossessed by law.
He says that while IL may seem strange that
the company alleges that it has no remem-
brance of so important a thing as the con-
tract made with him, Mr.. Lemist was also
surprised to find the almost unlimited letter
OF credit which the company had duly and
lawfully executed in his favor with the Lex
ingtOn Savings Bank, and which is still there,
Mr.. McGrew owns $l9, 800 of the 500, O00
stock Of the company. The Missouri Pacific
railroad company own the controlling in
terest.
From other sources we learn that the coal
company has been quite successful and made
a great deal of money, and hat the Intention
; of the Gould interest, which controls It, Is to
work things as closely as possibly, even to
reduce its profits in order to furnish cheal
fuel to the railroad company, and thereby en-,
nance the value of the railroad stock. These
statements are given for what they are worth
as they can only be conjecture. The inter.
views with Messrs. Lemist and McGrew give
the situation as fully as it is possible to depic,
it. The outcome can, of course, be but two
things-a lawsuit to test the value of Mr.
McGrew's contract, or a settlement with him
for his interest in the companyon terms agreed
upon. The public interest in the matter is
that there shall be a speedy settlement of the
controversy in order that the mines may be
worked.