The representative., 1900-04-05
A JUMBLED MESS.

bad Way to Do Business.
Some time ago we received a letter
from Mr.. Reiator, of Northcote, Minn.,
to the effect that through his confidence
In the advertisement of +. M. Roberts in
the Representative, he has been treated
most outrageously.
We published the letter and sent a
copy to Mr.. Roberts with a request that
he would explain the matter as we had
no desire to do him an injustice. We
received letter from Mr.. Roberts
thanking us for our kindness, and he
also wrote Mr.. Reiator another letter,
of which the following is a copy:
Minneapolis. Mimi, March 6, 1900.-Mr r.
Reiator, Northcote, Minn., Dear Sir: Your
letter Of the 5th has been handed to us
personally to answer. We have been away
for quite q number of days, and we want
to say to you that we have no desire to
wrong anybody in any manner, shape or
form. The whole matter in a nut shell
is simply that the publishers of these books
that you ordered kept promising us to for
ward to us the ones that you asked for
arrive, and you were written to that on
receipt of them they would be sent to you.
We notice that books were sent to you in
the first place that did not please you. Now
if we had desired to wrong you in the least
we surely would not have made any ship
ment at all.
We know from what we can learn of you
that you don't want anything but what is
right, and we assure you want moth
ing more. II you did not wish the books,
all you had to do was to notify us when
you received our letter stating that we were
expecting them in, and We regreat very
much indeed that you have had cause for
complaint. We also note that bank draft
for the amount>you sent in was sent you
on the 3rd and hope same reached you.
Assuring you that we will do our best
to please you in case you favor us with
any more orders, we are
Yours truly,
T. M. ROBERTS.
We thought that this would be the
end of the matter. We were, however,
quite sick at the time ourself, and ne
elected to look after it as we should
have done. We subsequently received a
letter from Mr.. Reiator, which we now
publish; it tells a very different story:
NOTHCOTE, Kittson County, Mimi,
the Leading Peoples Party of the North
west-Mr. Ignatius Donnelly, Editor-in-
Chief-Dear Sir: i just received your kind
missive Of the 18th inst, and wish to say
that 1 ordered small bill of goods from
Mr.. T. NJ. Roberts, 717-721 Nicollet avenue,
Minneapolis, Mimi, the Sth of December,
1S99 and they sent me package by express.
1t arrived the 18th inst, and 1 paid the ex-
press on same, thinking it all right, and on
examination of same found it altogether
different from what l ordered. packed the
goods up again and returned them to the
express agent to return same back to Mr. T.
M. Roberts on Dec. 20, 1899. He did SO and
wrote to Mr.. Roberts stating that they
sent me something didn't order and could
not use asking them kindly to change it
and return it sseOnr.as possibles' in a. week
l received an answer that they did not get
the returned goods, so l wrote them again,
sending date Of shipment. So I waited an
other week and received the same reply,
and then 1 went to the express agent and
had him write to the express company OF
Minneapolis, and they said the goods were
delivered to Mr.. T. M. Roberts and signed
for on the 21st of December, 1899. The ex-
press agent, Mr.. Sherman, sent the state
| ment to Mr.. T. M. Roberts. In January,
about the 10th, I received a letter from Mr.:
T. NJ Roberts, saying that they had shipped
the goods and if didn't receive same in a
few days to let them know and they would
send a tracer after them. 1 waited about
Two weeks and nothing came. I asked the
express agent who saw all the letters that
received from the same T. M. r. He
said they were acting very strange. Mr.. T.
NJ. Roberts never mentioned they didn't
have the goods, though said to the contrary
that they had shipped them about Jan. 9,
1900. Then l vote to you about them, as
thought right. I gave them ample time to
correct the first mistake as I was sure
they hadn't shipped the order in January,
as they said they did. 1 see by the letter
sent me March IL, 1900, that T. M. r. said
was notified they would I'LL the order as
soon as they received the goods they had
ordered from the manufacturer. They never
mentioned such thing to me until they
received the notice from you. Had they
told me they were out of them l would
have ordered something else. I waited on
them three months and a few days before
they settled with me in full and then they
sent me two drafts on the bank about q
week apart.
For my reference Mr.. Sherman, express
agent Northcote, and Mr.. VIM. Kelso, ele-
vator proprietor and lumberman; Mr.. Nc
Vein. Hallock, cashier in Kelso bank.
Dear Sir: 1 can prove all have said by
Mr. Sherman, express agent, Of Northcote
Mimi, as he read all the letters and what
did Mr.. T. M. r. write to me and tell me
| in January that they had shipped the goods
for. and then wrote me again on Feb. "a,
1900, that they did not have the goods to
ship II they had been honest at first and
| told me that, l would have changed the
| order and got something else They never
| mentioned it till after I wrote you; then
they did not ante up; and for while they
would not answer my letters. Then I start
ed to have it collected through the express
| company and they refused to pay it, stat
| ing >they would ship the goods as soon as
they could get them. I wrote them that
| wouldn't take the goods if they shipped
them. They would pay the express both
ways, / would not have the goods, as
| they had tried to deceive me.
Dear Sir: Please excuse me for this long
letter, though I have stated facts and that
1 can prove, as I have the letters from Mr..
T. M. Roberts yet. t.
| Hoping this explanation will be satisfac-
| tory, and if not please answer and 1 will
satisfy you l am in the right. Yours very
respectfully,
JOHN R. REIATOR,
P. o. Box n, Northcote, Kittson County,
| Mimi.
Our own disposition was to drop the
whole matter, but it seems there are
other and serious complaints against
Mr.. Roberts management. We have
just received the following letter:
MORE COMPLAINT.
Willow City, N. D., March 49, 19OO.-Hon
I. Donnelly, st. Paul, Minn., Dear Sir:
resentative a letter from Mr.. Relation. o]
| Northcote. Minn., who complains of T. M
Roberts as fake concern, which you should
| not advertise.
| Many people whom 1 have met in the
last few weeks think the same Every