The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-12-31
MAI SCLLS 0HLt-.
W. c. Stephenson Gives His Version of
Deal Leading to Scils's Assault.

Deal Leading to Scils's Assault.
". c. Stephenson who has caused the
arrest Of William Sells for assault says
that the story Of the causes leading az
10 the assault as given by Mr.. Sells arr
misleading ana he desires to give his
version of the sale OF the [ heeteffie4t.4
hotel and the business dealings con +
nected with the transfer = is as for
lows:
Some time during the summer, be-
fore Mr.. Sells went to New York he
came to my office and stated that he
was anxious to make a turn Of some
property and urged me to sell the Ches-
ter1eld hotel as he ssanted to get out
from under a blanket mortgage cover
ing his entire property here and wanted
10 know if I could think of any one
who might probably purchase the hotel.
L told him that there were three people
in this town who had the money il /
could interest them in t. The nafnas
I gave him and wrote them out GA 4
piece cf paper and placed mem on nay
desk so I would not overlook it Thes
were the names Wood bowler
Fred Ross and Mike Thompson. T sup
pose Mr.. Fowler saw my ad in the pa
per Offering the Chesterfield for sale
and came in and wanted to know v nat
would buy it. and I told aim he Driea'
was $4,000 for the hotel and furnitura.
He wanted to know if 1 did hot think
less would buy it. I told him that I
did not know but that he coala make
an offer and I would submit it.
Il tried for weeks to locate Mr..
Sells in New York but could not hear
from him until 1 was shown the arti-
Gle IN one of the Chicago papers of his
escapade with woman and fracturing
a mans skull with a gun. I presume
this is the same gun he used on me.
then saw his wife and she informed
me that he would be home in few
days on his arrival he Immediately
came to my Office and wanted to get
some money, and as I had no money to
his credit he borrowed $25. The next
day he came back and borrowed SIS
more and asked me if 1 had had any
offers on the hotel. l told him that I
had an offer of $4,000 from Wood
Fowler. He said he could hardly take
that price and for me to try to get
Fowler to raise his offer, so I saw Mr..
Fowler and he raised the offer to 49,
GOO Mr.. Sells again refused to take
this amount. but authorized me to say
that he would take $1,000. [ sub
mitted this to Mr. Fowler, but he still
refused to raise his offer. Mr.. Sells
came to my Office afterward and stated
that he had met Mr.. Fowler and had
talked with him about the matter and
Fowler said that one of his friends
was knocking on the deal, saying he
had been offered the property for
$4,000. Sells Immediately told me
this and l asked him if he and this
man We're on friendly terms. and he
said he did not know why they should
not be as he had voted the ----
circus stake drivers at all the pre-
cincts in the city in the interests of this
man. I told him to go and see him
and tell him if he did not want the
hotel at $4,000 that it was not fair
to Sells for him to knock on the deal.
Mr.. Sells came back next day and said
that he had an interview with the man
about the matter and told my stenog-
rapher and me that this friend stuck
him up for $500 to boost the deal,
$500 for himself and 500 for his
partner Billie shrugged his shout
ders and laughed a little about this at
fair So the next thing I heard from
the deal was that Ross & Fowler had
gone to CTalen Mich OILS Office and that
he had drawn up d contract OF pur-
chase, acting as their attorney in the
matter.
..Mr. Sells took the proposition and
they all went over to Hagan's Office to
see if the proposition was in legal form.
There was an option on the purchase
of the furniture in this contract, which
caused considerable contention among
the parties. All this time Mr. Sells
kept me advised every day as to just
how things were going SO I kept my
thumb on the pulse continually and
advised him from time TO time just
what to do and told him to stand pat,
which ne utQ loI seNeIdA uaSss
During this contention the time
eIapsed between October 18th and some
time IN the fore part of November and
the taxes fell upon Mr.. Sells to pay af-
ter November list and this was a new
feature in the case which Hagan. F'0w-
Ter and Ross could not unravel This
was reported to me by Sells. Then at g.
o'clock on the veening Mr. Sells. left
for Denver he called me up at my res
idence and asked me if would not inn
rnediately come to my Office as he
wanted to see me about the closing Of
the hotel deal. On my arrival at the Of
fee we talked this entire matter over
and he wanted to know what was best
for him to do, to close the sale up that
evening IS he must go away. said
to him that I would go across the
street to the drug store and get Mr.