The San Francisco call., 1896-01-21
He Represented the Wheeler &
Wilson Sewing Machine
Company.
CREDITORS ASKING FOR HIM
No Reason Assigned for His Departure.
His Debts Known to Amount
to $40, 900.

Unless Alvin D. Ayres, general Pacific
Coast agent of the Wheeler and Wilson
Sewing Machine Company and Reece
Button Hole Machine Company, turns up
Unexpectedly to-day with $4,000 TO settle
the claims of clamoring creditors, the
Sheriff's big locks will be seen on his esta6"
lishment at 1908 Market street and also on
the Stockton-street branch store.
However, it is not probable that Mr..
Ayres will appear, for his usual haunts
have known him not for several weeks
past and many anxious inquiries as to his
whereabouts have been met with the state-
ment that he has "gone East on business"
Ayres has been the Pacific Coast repre-
sentative of the Wheeler & Wilson con-
Germ, whose manufacturing plant is at
Bridgeport, Conn.,, for several years past,
and was generally considere to be man
OF ample means.
AS matter of fact he was an agent in
name only, being regular wholesale buyer
OF machines having an inside price that
enabled him to sell machines to smaller
dealers at good profit. He lived in style,
sometimes at the Palace Hotel and some.
times in fashionable apartment-houses and
conducted his business on generous plan.
For some years past he mas been heavily
in the debt of the company, but the cor
poration did not press him owing to the
difficulty he had in collecting his outa
standing accounts. Most of his machines
were sold on the installment plan at small
payments per month, and money came IN
slowly.
Recently his indebtedness to the com>
pany increased to such an extent that he
was asked to iquidate portion OF IT, and,
falling to do this, the Bridgeport concern
began to press him. He put them off on
various pretextS for some time, but his
creditors finally became impatient, and
threatened a suit. Then Mr.. Ayres sud-
denly went East, and up to last night had
failed to show up and satisfy the demands
for payment.
Not being satisfied with the state Of
affairs, representatives of the Wheeler q
Wilson Company within the past few days
consulted the law firm of Page, Eells & Nc
Cutcheon, and determination to bring
suit was the result. The claims of the
company amount to $19,900 which with
interest brings the amount to something
over $4,000. The complaint Will be filed
to-day unless something IS heard from Mr.,
Ayres IN the meantime.
Mrs. Ayres, who was a member of the
swell set and we'll known in society circles,
accompanied her husband when he de-
parted. Attorney Eels, who prepared
the papers in the suit that will
be filed to-day, said last evening
that he knew very little of the reason for
Ay1Co SuQuSu departure OF the causes OF
his financial difficulties.
ut appears" he said, "that Ayres' ac-
count with the Wheeler & Wilson Sewing
Machine Company is of long standing and
that he was totally unable to meet his
liabilities. 1t seems strange, from the
circumstances with which we are now
acquainted, that he should be unwilling
to face his creditors, for, as far as we
know, there has been no crooSedness of
any, kind. He simply got behind, was
unable to pay up and had to be sued.
From all that we can learn the stocks
contained in the Market and Stockton
street stores will not realize the amount Of
our attachment by considerable, but thus
far we have not learned of any other
property on which we can levy. We have
heard that he had some East, but no one
seems to be able to tell just where he is at
present.
81 believe that he will turn up all right
after while and explain his affairs to the
satisfaction of his creditors, for it would
appear to be very short-sighted policy to
leave a business he had spent years in
building up and not attempt to save it
from going to ruin. AS far as l know he
has always been well thought of in the
business community
1t is not known whether Mr.. Ayres was
in debt further than his account with the
Wheeler & Wilson Company, but it is
believed that the Reece Buttonhole Ma.
chine Company have been carrying him to
q greater or less extent.