The Lafayette advertiser. [volume] (Vermilionville [i.e. Lafayette], La.) 1865-19??, 1907-04-03
A Motor
Conflict
By Hugh Pendexfer
Copyright, by Joseph b. Bowles.)

4 want them sued, %enjoineG. re-
strained and estopped and made to
ear every kind of a hamper and hop
pie the legal market affords. And |
want big damages,
You know, l have just launched the
Peerless Gear Manufacturing Com
oany, Ltd, and believed ] was about
20 reap my reward for improvements
IN the steering apparatus. For the
success OF the new car we are turn
,ng out depends entirely on my device.
1t revolutionizes the methods of steer
,ng motor wagons and is more deli
cate and sensitive than the daintiest
Dit of mechanism put on the market,
outside of a watch. And yet it is SO
simple any one can repair and read
Just it, if through any mischance it
gets out of order, But those fellows
are running me-"
"Who?'
THE Auto Superba people"
How"
We'll. that's what l want you to
find out" be groaned. Ever since
placing the machine on the market
and after repeated, successful trials,
every machine sold has me- with an
accident. We only put out a few at
first, fortunately. But each sale has
oeen q boomerang"
Whom and for what am l to sue?'
asked Mr.. Butterworth, growing G. bit
interested. shall we prove that the
purchasers are in sympathy with your
rivals. and are guilty of a composite
conspiracy, if l may use the tarm?"
Il doubt if that would hold" sighed
the manufacturer. You see, two of
the compliments are old %acquaint-
ances. and. until they bought my au-
tOmobiles, they were friends of mine.
No; they wouldn't knowingly abet the
Superba people in anything unwhole-
some
But l can't sue, unless there's some
thing to Il for" demonstrated Mr..
Butterworth. You must show me
something tangible"
Plad, ST., looked at the old lawyer
in dismay. Then he broke out: y
know they are at the bottom of all
this trouble, and are inspiring a det-
rimental publicity. If / had last
weeks papers"
"Jethuel," broke in Mr.. Butterworth,
bring last weeks file" Almost i'm
mediately the file was placed on the
desk and the manufacturer with fur
ried fingers, turned to the first sheet
and pushed his trembling, fat digit
through several columns before he ex-
claimed:
Here you have it. Read that. Ma.
chine not under control They in
spired it."
Mr.. Butterworth brushed his spec
tacles into place and mechanically re-
peated a portion of the item aloud.
obviously the chauffeur did not un-
derstand the working principles of the
new steering gear. He escaped death
by q miracle. 1t was also by the
merest chance some injury was not
inflicted on a group of street must
clans. who were standing near whec
the machine turned turtle. HIM. Well,
where's the next? Nothing libelous
in that. unless the chauffeur has a
complaint. You're not to blame If
he didn't und erstand the gear"
Hang it. man! it's so simple a
child a work it. My seven-year-old
daughter a take one of the cars
anywhere If the automatic safety |
clutch is on.
The other items were very similar. |
Each was short, and so far as / could
see displayed no more bias than the
average newspaper shows when re-
counting the dangers of a careiessTy
driven automobile.
Mr.. Pfad sent this in, SIR in
formed Jethuel, as he handed him an
envelope the next morning.
DIR. Bunin, eh?" unused the chief.
Bought a $4,000 a yesterday after /
noon. Lives on Riverside and is an
expert chauffeur. Scan the evening
very closely, Jethuel.~ he re-
minded. !
And sure enough. that nights seven
edition had quite a lengthy
account of DR.. Bunin's injuries caused
by an accident while with hir new
machine.
Anything that strikes You as un
usual, my boy?" asked the chief, with
what, for him, was almost a demon
stration of gayety.
was forced to reply in the negative,
and added that it would be conducive
TO the safety of life and limb if an
automatic clutch were made a perma-
nent fixture on every a sold
public wouldn't stand for being
protected" he declared. Anything
that savors of guardianship is re-
PEELED. We must be a free people,
YOU know. BY the way, I want you to
20 the house tO-m0rrow after.