Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1899-08-22
A TELEPHONE SUIT.
Former Stockholders Of ottumwa
Company Suing.
THEY CLAIM FRAUDULENT SALE.
Ask Courts to Declare 1t Null and Void
They Allege That II. e. FarweII,
the Present Owner, Knew the
Condition Of Affairs.
[From SATURDAYS Daily.

From Saturdays Daily,]
j. o., Hunnel et.al. vs.. the Ottumwa
Long Distance Telephone Co. ct al, is.
the title of petitionsin equity, filed in
the dictrict court today, charging that
the recent sale OF the plant of the OF
tumwa Long Distance Telephone COM
pany to Hart +. Farwell was fraudu-
lent, and asks that the sale be set
aside and that a receiver be appointed
at once to take charge of the property.
The plaintiff also prays for general re-
lief. The charges set forth in the Pc
tition are that the property. including
the plant of the Long Distance Tele-
phone company, franchises and large,
Quantity of material for erecting lines;
instruments, ETC., was sold without
the knowledge and consent of the
stockholders, who are named as the
plaintiffs in the above petition. The
petition AYERS that in September, 1898.
the corporation was organized under
the laws of iowa. That each and all of
the stockholders in the said corpora
ton owned zone share of stock at the
par value of 500, excepting w. +. Bald
win. who owns one and one-half
shares: W. A. Duckworth, who owns
three shares, S. w. Manning, who owns
two shares; w. S. Manning, who owns
one and one-half shares, and Meek
Bros. who own two shares. That the
officers and directors of said company
have been j. G.. Goddard, president;
I. Il. Wilcox, vice president, and r. III.
Hardin, secretary. and treasurer; aud
that said company Owned all toll lines
extending from Otttlmwa to Chilli
Gothic, Kirkville, Abba, Mcravia, Agen-
cy, Eldon. Floris, Douds, Leando, Pitts
burg Cantril, Milton, Pulaski, Bloom
field. Keosauaua,s Bentonsport, Bona
parte, Pennington and Mt. Sterling.
The aforesaid officers are charged
with aspiring to cheat and defraud the
plaintiffs, by rendering the stock in
question wholly yalueless, and to that
end they caused fraudulent shares to
be issued to themselves, the extent Of
which is not stated in the petition, but
which the plaintiffs estimate a. $4,000
1t is claimed by the plaintiffs that the
officers of the company made a fraudu-
lent call for meeting of the stock
holders on the afternoon of July 90.
for the purpose of taking some action
upon proposition to mortgage. or sell
Inc company's property, rights and
franchises \ resolution to sell, they
aver, was adopted at that meeting, and
~. c. Goddard and R. L. Hardin exc
cuted conveyance to the defendant,
H. +. Farwell, the, consideration being
I$11,5OO. and Immediately took posses
sion. The petitions aver that MIR. Far
well knew about the fraud, and assist
ed in it, and that he now holds prop-
erty in secret trust for himself and
three co-conspirators the officers of
the company, j. c. Goddard, L. Il. VIII
cox and r. HI. Hardin.
| The following is list of the stock
holders named in the petition: j. o..
Hunnell, W. G. Crow. j. r. Kane, U.
1 f.. Reed, ID. McHaffy, ID. a.. Jay, r. b.
Ramsey, w. L. Baldwin, j, n. Morton,
james w. Lapsley, Kelley d Behrns,
lWm. Goodin,J. w, Miller, w. Il. There,
Stirling 3Woolen Mills Co., L.. Il. Sum
mers, Milton Hardware Co., Jolley g.
Washburn, Citizens Bank OF Milton,
B. J. Stong. j. n. Morton. j. c. Stuck
Ilipg, w. A. Duckworth, S. w. Manning,
IW. s. Manning. Irish d Sloan, Frank
| Vincent. Wherry & Walker. Meek
liros., j. w. Whitley, w. j. Boyle,
Farmers d Travellers Bank of Bona
parte, j. L. Marriott, and Bierce &
Trott. The attorneys for the plain
ltiffs are Mitchell q Hunter, of this
city. and Wherry & Walker, of Keo-
sauqua.