Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1889-08-08
a panrrY STATE or AEFA19s.
The Uuitcd states Funeral pirect-
ing Company i'm H"t Water-tts
Career Probably Ended.


Directing Company, No. l East Eighth,
to satisfy q claim of $50 held by Arthur
j. Thompson. The latter Is funeral
director for the Wilmington department
aud his claim ia for salary. Articles
seizsd were large cafe, several Baskets
and ice boxes, u show case, carpets, q
marble top table and some chairs. W.
| ). TaugGy has a claim for $3.50 and
there are other creditors.
The company's main headquarters are
in Philadelphia, whore il has factory,
at which 30 men were employed. These
emplcyes were not paid off on Saturday
and the failure to pay them, it is be-
iievei, virtual, winds up the concern.
Officers of the company are: President,
Allied L. BLACK, Jr, Camden, N. j.;
Vice. president, DR.. Henry Cook, CAM
den; Secretary, William \. Darnell, Gam
den; Treasurer, George Il. Gather, DR.,
Baltimore. The board of directors ia
composed of the sbove-named officers
end Henry II. Black of Pittsburg, Joseph
F. p. Read OF Camden, Augustus II.
Sichler of Philadelphia and Richard h.
Whitehead and O. Edward Murray OF
Trenton. Besides here there are branch
Offices in Camden, Trenton, Pittsburg
and Brooklyn.
The company was organized about
year ago and Its existence Is due to
Alfred L. Black Jr., o Camden lawyer,
and his CLERK, William s. Darnell. Black
has quite reputation as the originator OF
novel schemes. and has been connected
with numerous defunot enterprises. One
OF Blacks clients told him that certain
Philadelphia undertaken had refused to
inter body until former bill was paid.
Black thereupon conceived means of
helping the poor to secure proper
burial at O moderate cost. A num-
bar of friends were induced to
} join in the enterprise, and in
the course of few weeks the United
States Funeral Directing Company was
incorporated under the laws OF New Jer-
| sey with capital stock of 500 900.
. The par value of the stock was S25, but
! nr. Black found little diffiaulty in
| getting rid OF 100000 worth
at one per cent. The Thousand
dollars received was used in advertising.
: The company selected as motto, The
q best is none to good" When they began
3 business arrangements were made with
undertakers in different cities, but the
undertskers soon dropped cut and this
compelled the company TO employ under
takers and manufacture their own goods.
.. In order to do this more money was re.
quirad, and the capital stock was In
, creased to $4,000 The company pur
n chased several hearses from Newark firm
4 OF 81 500 each, paying $40 down end SIT
d week. SLfea for tbs different Offices
q valued Of $500 each we've bought in Z
n similar manner. Complaint has otter
. been made by the Insurance men of Gam
! hnA no q Ia Fl n
4 the state in not dspositiDg the anoun
q required by law TO ba paid by Insurance.
1t companies. INC company claimsd tha
|, their contracts we're not based on the lif
e OF the applicant, mud that they did merel.
II an iustalInent business.
., John MoEvoy Of Camden, who was e
10 ono time member Of the board of direc
l. tors, was askej On Sunday what b
thought of the concern. He said: 81
10 seemed az il MIR. Black wanted the publ
n 20 believe the thing was booming an
% then unload bis stock at q high price
~ The scheme in itself il nil right, and wit
1s proper men at tho head could ba mad
M success. l was in the instslment hua
he ness and became acquainted with Nj
"a Black through Mr.. Daniel. I WAS ver
he much Interested in the matter and va
u finnlly induced to buy 81 600 worth {
=, stock at l per cent. Bnalness YVES boon
ing then, and few days later Mr. Blac
sold me $1,000 worth at 10 per cent.
was SUPERINTENDENT Of the works for eigl
hs months and never received q penny Il
ge nv ser Woes. l know nothing whatav,
ay about their financial standing at presen
9si bnt when was member of this board
u directors thay often stopped here
as borrow dollar to take the 'dead-wRgo
til across the Delaware"
he F. s. Simmons, ono OF the leadir
Tie undertAssrs Of Camden and president
~ the New Jersey State Funeral Diraotoi
"a Association, SAID: "The company doesl
IA interfere with re, and doubt very mut
lst IL they trouble any oze else II had
to Gliding vote as to whether they should sti
ed II, 'cwu or not 1ould vote in their tsvu
lie for the reason that they have dealin
with class OF people whose trade ia en-
thing but desirable. The company do
,st not belong to the state association,
~ pona hut thoroughly competent men a
-; admitted. Our association was found
- upon the bread principles OF the person
Il, impraye1ns Mt of its members in the wi
=. ct occurring a knowledge of the anaton
- of ths body and how TO handle del
~, bodies. At our last nesting at Trent
~ one OF our members discovered oae
Il, the oonlpany's spoilers concealed in q
n, loft. What he was there for l dor
20 know"
' rs. The company guaranteed those wi
rbo paid f35, payable 80 cents on the signji
III az ths contract and 30 cents each mon
- thereafter until the whole amount W
paid. the proper preparation aud prese
walton OF body for intsrment-ole W!
no. nut coffin, one outside case, oae shrou
IL one door.band, seend one carriap
lev attendance of an undertaken at funeE
on end the opening and filing of a grav
Il These who paid $3.50, payable - so {
the the execution OF a contract and 80 50 ca
ent month thereafter until the whole am1u
nee was paid, were promised the proper prep
tue ration aud preservation OF a body for i
fl g termant, one full mounted cloth .oovere
cry red cedar draped cssket, with extensi
lyH, bar, handles and name plate, tuftsd
fter and lining, one outside cedar case, o
not extra fine shroud, Que door. band a heai
ms and 10 carriages, attendance ofau und,
res, tsher at funeral and the opening a.
fer. filling of grave.
lers About 5000 contracts have been issu
nee in Camden, 1900 In Philadelphia q
ital 8,00Oin other localities. Many poor peol
Viii took out contracts, and after payi
nearly the full amount required beca
disguised with the concern, and fall
to keep up the payments were dropr
from the list.
the According to their statement the CO
to psny's contracts are supposed to CO.
tile all the things necessary for proper
ave torment. They even go beyond this,
and in their circulars they told intended |