Los Angeles herald., 1909-06-04
SANTA ANA
Office 3I5 n. SycamorS.
ZONE Phone 31b.
SUES BECAUSE SIPS
AUTO WILL NOT RUN
Buys Machine After Long Investiga-
ton to Ease Declining Years
and to Make Farm
Work Easier

SANTA ANA, June 3.-Having &C.
quired a small fortune by working
early and late in his fields and by
careful management of his ranch at
Capistrano, Oscar Rosenbaum decided
he had earned by the sweat of his
brow the right to provide himself with
few luxuries for his declining years.
Being a frugal man. Rosenbaum deeid-
ed further that he should combine
work with pleasure, so he resolved to
purchase an automobile, thinking the
machine could be used for hauling pro-
duce to market, for the transportation
of supplies and for managerial tours
of his ranch as well as for recreative
spins around the country.
For three months Rosenbaum pored
over catalogues obligingly sent him on
request by automobile manufacturers.
He was unable to decide between a
roadster, touring car, a runabout and
steamer The maze of technical terms
confused him; he knew nothing of the
mysteries of carburetors, sparks, plugs
and cranks, to sa nothing of the more
intricate pieces of mechanism.
In the midst of his perpleXity Rosen-
baum came to Santa Ana with a ship
ment of fruit. Remembering his reso-
luton to purchase an automobile, he
called at all the local garages and
priced the different machines held for
sale. He found the real article was as
puzzling as the catalogue pictures and
was about to give up in despair when
he observed a modest looking roadster
in a dark corner of the salesroom con-
Quoted by S. A. Clark.
Endeavoring to conceal his surprise,
the dealer showed Rosenbaum the ma
chine. The ranchman Immediately fell
in love with the auto. 1t was all that
he imagined a comfortable machine
should be. He requested the dealer to
keep the machine until he had consult
ed his friends. few weeks later Ro-
senbaum, after having made several
visits to the garage in which the ma
chine was kept, informed Clarke he
would purchase the auto If the dealer
would make a few guarantees.
Machine Guaranteed
Clarke guaranteed the machine to be
in good repair and in good running or
der Every cylinder was in place, he
asserted, and the coils were adjusted
to the best advantage. The tires were
guaranteed to remain in place and to
move at the proper intervals. Rosen-
baum was so pleased with the ma
chine and with Clarke's glowing ac-
count of its accomplishments that he
bought it on the spot. From his hard
earned savings he extracted SIPS and
took possession of the machine Great
ly pleased with his purchase, he left
Immediately for his ranch.
But though proficient in the lore of
the soil, Rosenbaum was deficient in
his knowledge of machinery. He soon
found he was unable to operate his ex-
pensive toy. The happy dreams of
spinning about the country faded away.
The auto stood immovable in the road
immovable as a certain insurance COM
panys advertisement.
Rosenbaum was indignant His sense
of outraged justice asserted itself and
he determined to let the law deal with
the man who had taken his $125 in
return for an auto that would not auto.
He sued Clarke for the purchase price
of the machine. The case was tried to-
day before a justice of the peace.
Clarke summoned all the auto dealers
in the city, and they agreed on the
witness stand that the machine sold
Rosenbaum was the best ~the money
could buy. Every dealer testified to
the good qualities of the auto.
So unanimously and convincing was
the evidence of the automobile dealers
competitors that the justice, to the
great surprise of Rosenbaum, was I'M
able to render a decision without con-
sulting authorities. The court tok the
case under consideration, promising to
investigate thoroughly the circum-
stances and pursue diligently the text
books on automobile transactions.
The machine is still in the road.