The Wadsworth dispatch. [volume] (Wadsworth, Nev.) 1892-1899, 1895-11-09

Later, in 1887, Thomas Fallon, a CON
stable, and a lawyer named Danforth,
both of Chicago, were given a legal
right to appraise my stock of goods,
and / had to use the utmost diplomacy
to avoid having these packages opened,
and SO much was annoyed thereby that
/ determined to have them permanently
destroyed, as the death of my medical
friend had precluded the possibility of
their being OF any further use to mo.
This l tried to do by opening the small
er of the packages and placing a portion
of its contents in a large furnace in the
basement of the building. But the odor
arising from my attempt to destroy it
in this way caused me to feel that it
was an unsafe proceeding lit was on ac-
count of this experience that | lately
unhesitatingly told the authorities that
there could have been no cremation of a
body in Detroit without its being known
to the occupants of the surrounding
houses), and l therefore buried the re-
mainder of that package, together with
the parts partially burned, in the base
ment, where it has lately been found.
In 1888, being in need Of some car
penters, there came to me, in answer to
an advertisement for same, a man whom
at first / thought to be q farmer from
the western plains. He told me, how
ever, that he was a carpenter, and that
his name was Benjamin F. Pitezel.
From that time until his death, which
occurred Sept. Q, 1894, he was continu-
ally in my employ, working as a car
penter and builder; as an inventor,
perfecting and patenting several articles
of value, as a real estate dealer and as a
wholesale lumber merchant, buying and
shipping lumber from the south and
west to Chicago and st. Louis, where /
sold the same products.
I think it was in 1889 that / was one
Jay waited upon by two gentlemen, who
wished to sell me a gas machine, by u.s.
ing which I could be forever independ-
emit of the regular city gas company. So
great were the inducements held out
that l later met them at their Office ON
La Sale street, and before leaving
them had bought one of the machines,
which a few days later was arranged in
the basement Of my building, and 1 had
notified the city company that thereafter
/ should cease TO be one of their patrons.
For two days the new machine perform
ed wonders, and l recommended it to
many of my customers and friends. The
third evening, when l was very busy,
my store was suddenly enveloped in
darkness. | was obliged to turn away
my customers and close for the want of
light. From that time until morning /
wrestled with my gas machine, and
when Pitezel came to his days work he
found me still perspiring, and, I fear,
swearing over it.
The machine was to him as q new
toy to q child, although he soon assured
mt that as a gas producer it was an abb
solute failure. That afternoon l in
structed him to temporarily connect it
with the city gas pipe to provide light
for the evening, and next day / would
go to the company and make a new ap-
plication to again become a permanent
customer. AS he finished making the
connection he remarked that he thought
that would be q good permanent ar
rangement without going to the gas
company. His quiet remark resulted III
my having him, the next day, lead the
gas from the oity main to the machine
underground, and in such a way that
it would not be known without a close
inspection, and this / did, not SO much
to defraud the city as to "get even''
with the company who had defrauded
me, and q few evenings thereafter the
president of the company called upon
me, and after quietly studying my new
light for a time spoke to me of it.
! then told him that I had bought his
machine for the purpose of trying a new
gas that for years l had been expert
menting with. Several other visits fol
lowed, and although I was apparently
averse to disposing Of my new discovery
l finally did so. taking in turn, first,
a contract SO skillfully worded that there
could later be no claims brought against
me, and, second, a check for a large sum
of money. Had matters stopped here, as
/ had at first intended, all would have
been we'll, but I neglected disconnecting
from the city supply from day to day,
until finally IN inspector, more energetic
than his fellow workers, became aware
of it, and this resulted in my very will
ingly choosing to pay a $500 gas bill in
preference to being openly written up
and perhaps prosecuted.
/ first met Minnie r. Williams in the
real estate and intelligence office con-
Quoted by Mr.. Campbell, upon Dearborn
street, Chicago, near the Manhattan
building. This meeting took place in