Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-09-08
THAT $40 ORGAN SUIT.
Fred Brown, of Grundy County, Makes
Statement.

of a communication in relation 10 an
article regarding suit begun in the
Grundy county court over the pos
session of an organ. The original ar
ticle was written by our regular cor
respondent, who has always been
trustworthy The facts as he gave
them are not materially different from
thsoe given by Mr.. Brown in his COM
munication which follows:
Editor Times Republican:
Grundy Center Sept. S.-Facts in the
$40 organ; big suit 1t is small" The
article in Sundays issue in regard to
the organ case" was correct in so far
as it related to the organization of the
Sunday school and the purchase of the
organ in district No. 4. Paterson town
ship Aside from this the wSiter was
either ignorant of the facts III the case
or wifully msrepresented them. He
failed to state that the organ has been
used continuously by the day school.
with the entire approval of those who
purchased it, with never a thought OF
its being removed.
On Feb. 26 III. c. PLACER, one of the
defendants. called Il telephone meeting
and said the only business before the
meeting was repairing the line. At the
close of the meeting PLACER proposed to
sell the Sunday school property, and
some one suggested that PLACER and
l.. h. DeSeelhorst act as a committee
to sell it. PLACER proceeded at once
to auction off a shed which had been
placed on the grounds for the purpose
OF sheltering the minister's horse. The
ch nod Ettlp t,on than half IT.
value. Mr.. PLACER then began the sale
OF the organ. Up to this time Mr..
Brown, the plaintiff, had taken no part
in the discussion He put no bids on
the shed. as he failed to see that Mr..
PLACER had right to sell IT, When the
organ was mentioned. Brown asked
what they considered the organ was
worth. PLACER replied that the boys,
Rob, CHS son), would give $40 for 1t,
as he had a place for II at the Baptist
church in Grundy Center. Brown said
he thought the district would keep the
organ in the school house, as he con>
sidered they had at least half inter-
est in it. and had more right to say
what should be done with it than any
one outside the district. He asked that
the matter be left till the meeting for
the election of sub-director, one week
from that night, and he would cali
their attention to the matter at that
time. AT the meeting on the following
Monday Brown said rather than have
the organ taken out of the school house
ne would give the IS and keep it to
still use in the school, where it was
doing more good than it would any.
VIII al H. all ~.
school offered to help Brown pay the
five dollars.
L. B. DeSeelhorst, George Breasted,
F. c. Schmidt and Alex Campbell each
said he would give 81, that making
it equal for the five. At the tele-
phone meeting only five families were
represented who We're interested in
the organ. AT the directors meeting
three of the five voted to give 81 each
and keep the organ, the other two do
not live in the township.
The action of the directors meeting
being satisfactory SO far as was
known at the time, the organ was to
remain in the school house.
On April End, Robert and Lewis
PLACER went to the school house, put
the organ and singing books in their
wagon and started home with them. AS
they were passing Mr.. Browns farm.
he asked them what right they had
house. They said they had bought
it Of the Sunday school. He told them
he was part of the Sunday school and
he had not sold it to them and asked
them to return it to the school house
and leave it there until those who
were interested should have chance
to say what should be done with it.
This they refused to do. The state
ment that the PLACER boys here of
fered to sell the organ to Brown is
false. Mr.. Brown was neither buy
ing or taking $40 S. S. organs. He was
merely paying share Of the IS to
keep the organ in the school house
for the people who put it there. ca
great many of them at this time did
not know there was thought of taxi
ing it away and satisfy the Players.
who seemed to think they had lions
share in it. The day the PLACER boys
took the organ Lewis PLACER said he
would take the organ home and cali
a meeting of the Sunday school and
whatever they decided to do with it
that he would do. He did not call a
meeting After waiting more than a
month and half Brown put a notice
in each of the Grundy Center papers
calling a meeting on May 10Th. About
twenty-five attended this meeting and
the role was unanimous to have all
the Sunday school property returned to
the school house and remain there.
Players took ND notice of this meeting.
Later a petition has been circulated
and signed by about twenty-five Of
Browns neighbors authorizing him to
bring action for the return of the or
gan. Not the value of the organ, but
the lack of principle in taking it with
out their consent, has prompted the
people to take this action. One MEM
Der of the Sunday school who gave
as literally as any to place the organ
in the school house, offered Mr..
PLACER $40 out of his own pocket to
return the organ. This he refused to
do.
If there have been rows" or
the threshing affected in the neigh
borhood, Mr.. Brown is not aware of 1t,
as he was rendered more help in
threshing by his neighbors than he
needed. Fixed BROWN.
chamberIain's Cough Remedy Acts on
Natures Plan.
The most successful medicines are