Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-03-14
SUIT FOR CONSPIRACY
Brought Against a Well-Known Law
yer and Wealthy Gentleman.
A COUPLE OF CURIOUS CLAIMS
Made by the Plaintiff, Who Says he Traded
Patents for Farm.
CIVIL ACTION TO BE ENTERED TO-DAY

A suit for conspiracy was yesterday en-
tered before Squire Milliken, of Mansfield,
against John II. Stevenson, the well-known
attorney and real estate agent of this city,
and John r. Krebs, wealthy and re-
spected citizen of Verona. The defendants
waived hearing and sent the case to court
for trial.
The suit was entered by John Israel, of
Mansfield. and formerly of Missouri. The
latter has a number of patents on burglar
alarms, and tried to sell them to MIR. Krebs.
Mr. Krebs offered to trade farm in Kan
sas worth 81, 900 and $500 in cash for the ex-
elusive right to use the patents in half
dozen States. Mr.. Stevenson acted as the
agent in the transaction-being patent at
torney-and meeting was arranged be-
tween Krebs and Israel at Stevenson's office.
A dickertwas made. and the deed for the
land was drawn up Dy Mr.. Stevenson.
Krebs paid the $500 to Israel, and placed
the deed in a letter addressed to his attor-
neys in Kansas. He started to the postoffice
to mail the letter and made an appointment
to go to the Office of novelty company, on
Wood street, after he dropped the letter in
the postofice.
LOOKING FOR A MAN.
After dropping the letter Krebs went to
the place of appointment, but, it is said,
Israel did not appear. As the visit to the
novelty company was important to Krebs,
he started Mr.. Stevenson to look up Israel.
After looking about town, they went to his
boarding house, on Sixth avenue, but he
was not there, and the folks at the house did
l. l. L.
Krebs then became suspicious that some
thing was wrong, and hurried back to the
postoffice. He caught the letter before it was
started West, and held it. Not finding
Israel afterward, he destroyed the letter.
Some time later Krebs met Israel and the
latter made excuses for his inability to keep
the appointment. The former asked for his
$500, but 1t is stated Israel asked for time to
paw it over. He wanted 80 days and pledged
the patents to Krebs for that length of time
Krebs extended the time to 80 days to suit
Israel and all the time expected to get his
money back.
The land in Kansas was encountered with
a mortgage. and it is said an argument was
made that if a clear title was not given to
Israel the patents were to be decided back
to him, with the exception OF the right in
Illinois, which Krebs was to keep.
THE CURIOUS PART OF IT.
The curious part of the transaction came
in later. 1t is stated that Israel tried to sell
the land to a third party but when the
papers were forwarded to Kansas of course
there was no record of any sale to Israel.
The latter claims the transaction was all
right, and that Stevenson lifted the letter
out OF the postofice, in order that the
records could not show any transfer of the
land to Israel. Israel claims that Stevenson
and Krebs conspired to cheat him, and says
he will enter civil suit to-day, for the re-
coverv of the patents.
Another curious circumstance is that the
land has since been traded by Krebs to G.
w. Stevenson, of Fort Scott, Kan. Although
he bears the sams name, he is no relation to
the Pittsburg attorney. The latter was seen
at his residence last night, and to a DIS
PATCH reporter said:
81 was given the power of attorney in the
matter by Mr.. Krebs and it is a straight
business transaction. The reason we lifted
the letter out of the postoffice is because we
were suspicious of Israel. We know that
he and three others have entered into a con-
spiracy to squeeze Krebs. One of his part
ners is a Pittsburg man and the othertwo
are residents of Lakewood. They offered to
settle the matter for $1,000, but Krebs re-
fused to pay a cent of the money. His suit
against Mr.. Krebs and myself is absurd and
we will explain in court what we know
about Mr.. Israel. 1t is one of those cases
where two men make an agreement, break
ing 1t of, and then making new one"