The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1906-09-17
CREELMAN'S CASE
Continued from First Page.)
he has nrlntel


The statement made in the editorial
III question, that the Alabama saw
mills have been without any material
care from anyone Is not rue. These
mills and all the other property have
been in the direct charge of men
whom ! believe were competent in
every way for that duty.
The statement that one creditor bid
S3T 900 fer the lumber in the Cairo
yard is also untrue. he highest bid
made was S34,250 filed a petitalon in
court asking authority to accept the
bulk bid because | BELOVED it meant
more to the estate than any of the
bids upon grades which were received.
My petition remained on file for about
TWO weeks before IL was acted upon
and the creditors had ample opportun.
| ity to investigate the bid and the
| lumber. There was one creditor who
seemed to think the bid was not high
enough, and for awhile he thought of
! Offering $4,000 for the lumber, but he
did not examine The lumber and never
made the offer. Before asking the
courts permission TO accept the bid
Of S34,250 cash, | consulted with sew.
eral disinterested lumbermen in Cairo
and without exception they advised
acceptance of this o1er The estate
made good profit on this sale. and
ne price was more than the ap-
praised value. The appraisers made
their figures on the mmber o. b.
cars Cairo. The bid accepted was for
the lumber as ii stood in the yard.
price fixed by the appraisers Mr..
Creelman stated thar this lumber was
worth $4,000. Nobody else ever mad
such a wild fieure-eXcept the Ameri
can Lumberman. C!eelman ha. not
put foot in the Cairo yard for two or
three years. He knew nothing about
what il contained, except that from
large part of the lumber the higher !
grades had all been sorted ont before |
the lumber was shipped from his !
Southern mills The men who had |
charge of The Cairo office and yard,
and who knew all about this lumber.
advised unhesitatingly the acoeptance
OF the $34250 offer No creditor SO
far as | know, has ever taken eXcep
non to thi, sale. The purchaser Of
his lumber viii probably make
profit on it, but it will be MANY months
before the entire stock IS disposed Of.
and whatever profit is made will no
loub be we'll earned. TO say that the
will make $4,000 is non.
sense.
Ihe Creelman company had a con
ract with T. A. Rutledge and asso-
eiates to furnish ties, piing, bridge
'mbers and lumber in connection
With the construction of the Opelou
as, Gulf & Northwestern railroad.
which is 10 run from Melville 10 Crow
ey La. Mr. Creelman claimed. as !
sual that there were large profits TO ?
e made on this work Others also }
hought that something could be made q
N the contract, The railroad people
'ere threatening 10 present a large I
lain If the work did not proceed. y
liter an ,tigation | decided to s
SIX the courts permission TO under q
axe TO fill this contract. | was direct u
! TO proceed with it, am not a lum. L
eiman. and, of course. could only p
nrform such contract as this
trough men experienced in saw mill d
3 and logging, The man put in direct at
large of this work was the man m
nom Creelman himself had selected 81
y IT, ! had the assistance of other Gu
so who We're capable men. The con. e.
act did not, however. prove profit -
'l3. We have probably lost a little y
oney on il, but the amount is far ha
ON the $4,000 stated by the Amer.
"A Lumberman. II vas simply like all III
e rest of Creelman's numerous big IN
ais which no one could carry To a 10
ccessful conclusion who was com. II
lied TO work with the material and ca
upment we had To use. with pencil an
d paper Creelman figured very large tir
offs were TO be made on tni. rail lie
I'D contract. but these were the in alb
uments which he always used to co
lie l1fits which afterwards were SIC
yer realized With pencil and paper cr'
.ew years ago he demonstrated thai tai
would make a tremendous profit he
Of his connection with the Tucker me
mber company but before that deal SO
me TO an en1 he had lost from $40. not
10 $4,000 He figured millions OF SIS
p cottonw cd stumpage to run fol DIRE
us mill which he es abli- he'd near thii
rganza. La but the venture in two tor
r- shows loss OF over $4,000 A he
J established by him on the obi
nifty river in Texas. oceasioned a he
OF over $4,000. although he a. mel
al. figured big profits in this enter this
g. Instead o making a large /
punt of money by his operations in MAJ
bama. covering a period Of about mel
+ years, his own books. with all real
d items charged of. will show clai
Of about si50.0G0. Numerous other pan
ances Of like character could be of q
d. but time anG space forbid my stat
lg so. II should be stated how divi
r. that nearly all Of thee losses bec'
p incurred prior 20 the date the viii
Creelman Lumber & Mfg. Co. edg'
organized. wise
he editorial says that ] was offered any
lIN for thi- railroad contract. and mad