Omaha daily bee., 1908-10-01

promoter, broker. contractor and man
ager of enterprises which left a trail OF
receivers in the court records of several
states. Several OF these are highly inter
esting and instructive and lend the GUS
tomary atmosphere" to the climax.
-
The governor Of Oklahoma is not an
oklahoman by birth. A farm on the roll
ing prairies Of Putnam county, Ohio, was
his early home. He was born there in 1860,
which makes him IS years old. He does
not look more than that: in fact, his face
has a decidedly young look. 1t is clean
shaver and reveals a firm, serious mouth,
small, inquiring eyes and a high forehead,
with a deep, bald triangle where the hair is
parted on the side. He wears a low roll
ing linen collar and a small black bow tie.
1t was {. 1898 that he spent considerable
of his time in New York in the interests
OF various promoting schemes. He had an
office in Wall street and soon acquired a
reputation for "smartness." He had a mind
which retained the minutest details in a
marvellous way, and the financial district
recognized his energy. But the promotions
which he engineered had a disappointing
way of winding up in a receivership.
HE could do more on a shoestring than
anybody I ever knew said a Wall street
banker this week. But nearly always the
shoestring broke with the weight Of Has
kelrs wonderful projects.
Calvin Brice and e. r.. Thomas we're two
OF his associates in the Detroit & North
ern Lima railroad. The road was sued sue
cessfully by william B. Strang, a con-
tractor. for $4,000 for construction and
materials. The bondholders stood the Has
kell hoodoo as long az they could and then
| tbrauy the rar,nan tnfO the hands Of a
receiver.
Eight years ago the Illinois Steel company
secured a Judgment against Haskell for
the s42, 600 worth OF steel rails, and recently
they have sued him, but have never been
able to get their hands on any Of his
property.
The Standard Oil charges date back all
most to this time. They first came up
| in 1899, when Haskell tried to capture the
democratic nomination for governor Of
Ohio. Monnett then came out with his
statement about Haskelrs connection with
STANDARD OIL, and Haskell Indignantly re-
buked Monnett for what he declared to be
'recklessly and Indignantly charging him
with attempted bribery. He missed the
nomination.
Haskell does not say much about his life
during the next two years, but he is I'M
derstood to have been in Mexico, Arkan-
sas and Texas before he went to Okla
homa. In San Antonio, Tex, he organ
lied the Commercial Telephone company,
which later went into the hands of a re-
ceiver, and was sold to satisfy claims. On
his arrival in Oklahoma in 1901 he became
prominent as a promoter. He thought he
saw a future in the city of Muskogee and
started in to accelerate things. The In
dianola Contracting company, which he
organized, built beside various railroads
the Turner motel, the Indianola office
building, three other business blocks and u
5000 opera house. Recently attorneys
from his old home, Ottawa, o., have asked
to have a receiver appointed, alleging that
Haskell drew Sit, 900 salary in three years
when his services were not worth more
than $500. The Turner hotel has been
taken over for unpaid taxes:
Haskell also has against him In the su-
preme court OF Ohio a judgment for about
n 1000 as the result OF suits brought in the
common Pleas Court OF Franklin county,
and that action to enforce collection of the
Judgment is pending in Oklahoma. Papers
in the case are on record at the court
house. Haskell. according to the complaint,
purchased of Charles h. Broadhead railroad
mortgage bonds aggregating $4,000, giving
his note in payment. He subsequently
sold his bonds, but did not apply the re-
ceipts from the sale to the payment of the
note. Broadhead brought action to collect
the note and It was tried in the Common
Pleas court Of this county, twice in the
Circuit court and twice in the supreme
court, the highest court affirming the
judgment of the lower court. After Has
kell went TO Oklahoma, and, while he was
a candidate for governor, Broadhead sent
the Judgment to Oklahoma to be collected
Suit for collection was filed by his attor-
neys there, and the court records show
that Haskell filed the answer that he had
never been sued in the Franklin county
courts and that no judgment had been rem
dered arainst him. The action has not
been determined, In the meantime, Bailey
& Bailey. his attorneys in the Ohio suits,
have filed suit In Oklahoma fer approx
mately 5000 for attorney fees.
Despite litigation, pipe lines, receiver