The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-12-27
TO SUE c. b. ROUss.
His Million-Dollar Offer for Eyesight
characterized as Trick.

| New York, Dec. 27.-Dr. George H.
| Cassidy, OF No. 220 West Forty-fifth
| street, will today or tomorrow, through
| his attorney, Myron H. Oppenheim, of
| No. 346 Broadway, begin an action In
| the supreme court against Charles
| Broadway Rouss, the millionaire mer-
chant, to recover 100000 damages for
| injuries alleged to have been done to
| the plaintiffs business as an expert in
/ the treatment Of the blind. The COM
| plant will also ask the court for an
! injunction against ROuSS and his agents
| restraining them from in future send
| ing any letters to persons in reference
| to the mode of treatment for blindness
/ devised by DR.. Cassidy.
| DR.. Cassidy was seen last night at his
| house, where he is confined to his bed
| by a severe attack of the grip. He said
he had been compelled to take some sort
OF action against Mr.. ROusS because the
latter and his confidential man, A. J.
Smith, had persisted in writing letters
warning persons against his course of
treatment for the blind. This had been
done, DR.. Cassidy said, in the face Of
the fact that he had successfully treat
ed Rouss' blind protege, J. F. Martin.
He said that he had put Martin to
severe tests and obtained from him
aff1davits that his blindness was par
TALLY cured, and that on this state of
facts he had sent to Mr.. ROuss notice
that he was morally obligated to take
the treatment himself on the terms of
the agreement he had made with Mar
tin.
This Mr. Rouss refused to do, but in
stead, according to DR.. Cassidy, sent his
confidential man, A. J. Smith, to make
terms with him for a share of his profits
in the business of pushing what the
doctor believes to be a remarkable cure.
DR.. Cassidy refused, he says, to agree
to the terms suggested by Mr. Smith.
Il shall prove" said the doctor last
night, that when Rouss made his offer
of a million dollars to any man who
should cure him of his blindness he was
indulging in nothing but an advertising
bluff. I shall show that when he made
this offer he had been assured by such
expert OculistS as DR.. Knapp and DR..
Mittendorf that his blindness was incur
able. These physicians had told him
that he was suffering from atrophy Of
the optic nerve, which is incurable I
shall show further by his own letters,
the originals of which are in my possess
sion, that he never intended this man
Martin should be cured of his blindness,
but kept him going from doctor to doc
tor for the purpose, as l believe, of
keeping his advertisement alive" DR..
Cassidy exhibited one of these letters
to Martin bearing date of June 30 1896.
1t was written in phonetic style.
4 began to treat Martin on February
5 of this year, and his vision began to
come back the latter part of May sent
to Mr.. ROuss and told him that, on ac-
count of my success with Martin, he
was IN duty bound to take my treat
ment- In reply, he sent to me A. J.
Smith his man of business, and had
three interviews with him, the first on
September t. the second on October IL
and the third and last, on October 20.
In the second of these interviews Smith
uSad the following language to me: AS
I said some time ago, if you are going
to organize and run this thing, would
like to have chance in it. My son,
who is a bright young fellow, would also
like to be in it. There is no doubt there
is money in it. I would not be surprised
If I could induce Mr.. Rouss to use it
Il did not accept Mr. Smiths PROPOSE
ton at that time, nor at the subsequent
interview, which broke up somewhat
heatedly. But Immediately after my
talks with him I learned that he had
sent letters to persons who had inquired
about my remedy, throwing cold water
on it. These letters were sometimes
signed C. B. Rouss,' in what was ap-
parently his own handwriting. and
sometimes with a rubber stamp Of the
signature C. B. Rouss' The day after
he told me that he wanted to go into
business with me because he thought
SO much of my remedy, he wrote to a
lady in Morristown, advising her not to
come to me for treatment, but to wait
until he wrote to her again.
Mr.. Rouss goes to bed every night I'm
mediately after his dinner, and there
fore could not be seen last night. He
lives at No. 632 Fifth avenue.