The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-10-02
FILE Their CLAIMS
Creditors of G. j. DevIin Meet
This Morning.
They File Their Claims In Uni-
ted States Court.
ONLY A FEW ARE IN.
Nearly All Are Banks in Topeka
and Elsewhere.
w. E. Thomas Not Present and
Examination Is Deferred.

The opening gun into the entangled
neshes of the Devlin failure. to see
what can be cleared from the wreckage
and placed into the salvage column,
was fired this morning in the United
States district court. before N. H.
Loomis, presiding as referee.
William E. Thomas, Of Leavenworth,
was proceeded against sometime ago
with an Involuntary bankruptcy petit
ton. His failure was. directly due to
the Devlin collapse He was the sole
owner of the Southwestern Fuel COM
pany of Topeka, against which concern
also an Involuntary proceeding has been
filed. With c. J. Devlin he was half
owner of the Kansas City Coal and
Coke company.
So this morning his creditors met to
file their claims at the federal build
ing. Thomas himself was unable to be
present A trustee was not elected.
postponement on that point being ta-
ken until October Is, at which time
some more claims are also to be filed.
The claims presented this morning
are as follows
Empire Trust Co, of New York, $50, 900
State Savings bank of Leaven-
MoI u n - ;-'..- o'ooO
First National bank of Toluca.
H. .............. ............... 1, 800
iS;Ii Spring valley. ale III '-oia- .,..... IAN 1000
Receiver of the First National
bank of Topeka ................ 100000
Central National bank of To-
peka --.-.....-.. -...----.-..-.. o,1oe
National Shoe and Leather bank
of New York................. $4,000
Mr. Thomas was absent and as a re-
suit no examination Of him could be
made and nothing towards arriving at
the assets could be determined lie
will probably attend the meeting on
October 18 at which time further claims
are to be presented, and the trustee
elected.
It is understood that Mr.. Thomas
owns some valuable real estate in kan
sas City close to the proposed site of
the new union depot. It's value has been
greatly enhanced of late years and
should naturally net q material sum-
Mr.. Thomas and Mr.. Devlin had much
business with each other. They dealt
extensively in a good many things and
went security for one another.
On Tuesday morning, October 3, the
second of a series of Investigations into
the Devlin affairs takes place when the
Southwestern Fuel company's creditors
file their claims before Referee Sion
ecker. Mr.. Thomas connections with this
concern are so close that naturally the
result of tOday's meeting and the result
of Tuesdays will link very closely to-
The fling of the creditors claims
against these various companies will
give little information to the general
public, but they will begin a general
clearing of the mass of detail through
which the receivers, the courts and the
referee are trying to blaze a way.
After Mr.. Devlin's failure. Clifford
Histed, his attorney, filed a petition in
voluntary bankruptcy IN the United
Staes district court This was not reg
ular according to the attorneys, yet 1t
nassed the entire matter, and kept it
clear of more entangling legal proceed
ings, until a. general campaign could
be hatched out.
It was consequently decided to file
involutary petitions against a number
of the various Devlin companies. This
has been done in the last six weeks.
Adjudication in bankruptcy has tax
en- place in all of the different cases
with the exception of the Kansas City
Coal and Coke company and the Mar
celine Mercantile company. They will
come uD- shortly. The transfer of two
of the cases to the Topeka court is an
ticipated. Some little opposition is ex-
| pected to arise in them both.