Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1900-10-19

right here in Kansas, i'll this congresslon-
al district.
TRIED TO DOWN COMPETITOR.
"In 1896 William II. Stevenson of Lex
ington, Mo-, determined to 30 into the
business OF making wire nails. At that
time the net profit on wire nails was ~
per key. and there seemed to be no reason
why Mr.. Stevenson should not make
success of the business. In order to
prosecute the manufacture of wire nails
it was necessary for Mr.. Stevenson to
provide himself with machinery suitable
for the purpose and he found out that
Mr. Samuel kimhall of Lawrence, Kan,
was engaged i'll the business OF manuiact-
uring machines such as are used in max
ing wire nails Mr.. Stevenson made
contract with Kimball for the manfact-
urc of seven machines -one OF when
should be first delivered to Mr.. Steven
son at Kansas City, Mo, and should 1t
prove satisfactory the other SIN were to
follow. Mr. Kimball was an old man
and had been in the foundry business TOR
a long time, and there was no reason why
he should not manufacture machines Tor
ANYBODY who chose to employ him. After
he had completed the first machine he
shipped it to Kansas City over the Santa
Fe railway. BY the time the vice-presi-
dent of the Consolidated Barbed Wire
companv, who still lives in Lawrence,
discovered that Mr.. kimball had manu-
featured the machines for Stevenson
and, inasmuch as the Consolidated Barb
ed Wire company had employed MI
Kimball to manufacture machines tor
them, they made up their minds that
they would not allow him to manutact-
ure machines for anybody else.
THE President of that company was
A. Henley, and the vice prcsident was J.
d. Bowersock, the present Republican
candidate for Congress. That company,
acting through its agents, gave an IN
demnity bond to the Santa Fc Railway
company and requested the agent OF the
railway company not to deliver the ma
chine to Stevenson at Kansas City, Mo
The carin which the machine was shipped
was accordingly side-tracked in the yards
at Argentine, and Mr., Stevenson was
compelled to commence a replevln suit III
the common pleas court OF Wyandotte
county to secure possession OF his ma
chine A Judgment was rendered against
the railway company and the machine
was finally turned over to MIR. Steven
son. He took it over to Kansas City,
Mo-, put it in operation and began the
manufacture of nails.
Then Mr.. Bowersock proceeded to
consult an attorney at Lawrence and
injured if there was any way by which
he could secure possession OF the ma
chine, and the attorney, of course, told
him that there was only one way known
to the law, and that was by beginning a
rcplevin suit So two agents OF the Con
soldated Barbed Wire company were
sent to Kansas City, Mo. They sworc
to the necessary affidavit and gave the
bond required by law, securing posses
sion of the machine, and without giving
MIR. Stevenson time to give rc-delyery
bond, they shipped the machine back to
Lawrence.
COMPANY PART OF a GIGANTIC TRUST
"Mr. Stevenson then employed w. +.
Flynn and X. p. Clark, attorney in Kan
sas CITY, Kan, to bring an action against
the Consolidated Barbcd Wire company
for damages. The attorneys discovered
that the Consolidated Barbcd Wire com
panv was a part of a gigantic trust
known as the Wire Nail ASSOCIATION, do
ing business in nearly every State i'll the
UNION and having its headquarters III
New York City. Mr.. Flynn proceeded to
secure the necessary evidence to prove
that the Consolidated Barbcd Wire COM
|. panv had Joined that association and
was merely branch of that great con
spiracv to control the manufacture and
price of wire nails and barbed wire.
And this the association succeeded IN do
ing in two ways: by limiting the supply