The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-06-14
STORY OF LIGHTNING ROD
BARBARA ERHART, A WIDOW. SAYS
SHE WAS IMPOSED UPON.
According TO Her story She Was at
the Mercy of the Men Who Put
Up the Arrester.

The story OF the lightning rod peddler,''
that has been told from nearly every school
platform in the land. is now being recited
in legal form in Judge Leathers's court.
The story is revived in the suit of Eli
Quaintance against Barbara Erhart on a
note for $47. which. with interest, costs and
attorneys fees. brings the total demand up
to SIS This modern story of the lightning
rod is not in verse like the Friday after
noon declaimers committed TO memory. but
is in prose and long sentences connected
with 'whereupons" and with specific al
lusions to 1.-The said" party.
The story. which demonstrates that the
lightning rod business still lives, is told in
an answer to the complaint 1t says that
lone w. n Davis. duly authorized agent
of the plaintiff who seems to be at the
head of the business. called upon Mrs.
Erhart. a widow. and solicited her to give
him an order for protecting her house with
a certain metallic lightning rod or arrest
err" She refused TO enter into negotiations
for the lightning rod. she says. until she
consulted her daughter. who was then away
from home. Davis had with him a blank
contract with her signature, the answer
sets out. and after filling out the blank in
accordance with propositions he had made
lt.
refused. but she says he induced her to sign
the order she had originally signed upon
the promise that she could keep the original
until he returned on a future day In the
meantime she AYERS that he told her she
could discuss the matter with her daugh-
ter and that the contract would not be
binding until he returned for IL and she
consented 10 have the lightning rod put on
her house. If at that time she had made
up her mind that she wanted a lightning
rod he would have the order filled.
Mrs. Erhart AYERS that without her
knowledge Davis made copy of the order
another man, drove up 10 her house with
a wagon load of material and informed
her that he had an order from her for a
lightning rod. She protested that she did
original contract she had signed and in
formed the men that she and her daughter
had talked the matter over and decided
they did not want the lightning rod
Quaintance told her, she says that the order
he had binding even If she did hold
the original. and he and his man unload
ed their wagon and began putting up the
rods over her protest. After the work was
a note for twice the worth OF the lightning
rod and commanded her 10 sign IT. She
refused and then, she says. he threatened
to bring suit against her at once for the
amount OF the note and told her that her
property would be sold Under these
threats she signed the note
She AYERS that all Of the representa-
TORS of the lightning rod men were false
and fraudulent. but that she believed their
statements or she would not have signed
the order and note She says she is a
widow. mot versed in all the technical bus
mess transactions of life, and especially
the technical business transactions and
business methods adopted by persons who
are in the business OF putting up lightning
rods and lightning arresters,' and for that
reason advantage was taken OF her in
securing her signature.