Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1902-04-12

Organization of the. Merchants Mutual
Company Seems to be Matter Of
& Wide Interest.
The organization of the Merchants
Mutual Insurance company ontinues to
be among the star attractions on the
boards in western North Dakota. The
Dickinson Press whose editor INDUCED
in personal alteration with Merry at
the latter's instance day or two ago,
comes out with banning headlines, in
which Merry is called "scoundrel and
a coWardly brute" The Press claims
that Merry has been claiming to act
as agent for the Redfeld, S. D.; insur-
ance company, a reliable concern, even
after his license was taken from him,
and has been victimizing business men
by COLLECTING insurance premiums from
them. Complaints from these men are
coming in, and one Of them is published
in the columns Of the Press written by
the secretary of the Redfield company
to Fred Ddchtenmuller of Hebron, as
follows: 3s5
ago stating that you had paid Mr.. Merry
the premium on your policy and in
answer will state that Mr.. Merry has
never remitted to us and in fact has
no authority to do this kind of business
and we shall be Obliged to cancel off
this policy for on-payment Of pre-
mium We have found Mr. Merry to
be very crooked and he has been doing
considerable of this kind of work en-,
tirely unknown to us and without any
authority. / am in receipt of a letter
today from a firm at Anamoose who
claim that they paid Mr.. Merry S74.74
for a policy in our company. Mr. Merry
has not been in our employ from any
orders from us since the fore part Of
January, and my advice to you would
be to have Mr.. Merry arrested for en-
bezzlement which would probably
bring him to time
The Press adds: 5 Ss5s
This Office also has several letters
from merchants themselves saying that
Merry has sWindled them. Further
than this, an auth horized representativ
OF the Redield company met with the
insurance committee of the retail gro
GERS at their meeting in Grand Forks
during February and told the commit
tee that e. :. Merry's authority had
been revoked and that he had large
sum OF money belonging to the COM
pany which they could not get. 4 .35
The officers of the Commercial Mu-
tual company, at Grand Forks, also
Eseem to be getting busy, and the Grand
Forks Herald says: Il: :ly3
Charles, p. Berg, secretary of the
Commercial Mutual Fire Insurance
company OF this city, which has an
application now in the hands Of the
insura nee commissioner Of the state to
be granted license to do business ia the
y.
state Of North Dakota, came up from
Fargo yesterday and is stirring up
trouble for G. +. Merry, who Berg
claims has organized the Mrchants Mu-
tuaI Fire Insurance company, and ap-
piled for q charter also, through repre-
sentafion to those whom he has In
lterested that the Merchants Mutual is
the concern that was endorsed at the
last annual meeting of the State
I IGpcers association in Grand Forks,
land the meeting OF the State Hardware
Mems association at Fargo.
Mr.. Berg yesterday saw M. III. Me-
Gowan, who IS named as one Of the di-
rectors OF the Merry company, and re-
ports that Mr. MCGOWAN stated that he
supposed Merry was representing the
other concern which had been endorsed
by the retail grocers. r.. b, Grifith,
president Of the Commercial Mutual
! Fire Insurance company, of this city
yesterday wired the commissioner of in
|surance that Merry was not represent
ling his company, and it is evident thai
the last named concern will put up q
vigorous fight against Merry, who they
all claim has been doing a land office
business in getting signers, who were
i laboring under the belief that Merry's
company was the one suggested and en-
dorsed BY the grocers ana hardware
4 men Of the state at their last annual
meeting
In the Light Of past history It Il
somewhat surprising that Merry die
not find some difficulty IL interesting
the business men Of the state in the
l organization Of q concern Of that kind
as m the past his reputation as an o.