The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1910-10-16
"A Little Story ofNe,U Keokuk

i0eloE9es ana MS narQ Work, the re-
turns began to come in and he found
! his bank account growing He paid
$1,000 on each OF his ten notes, be-
sides the interest to date and Install
ed fifth factory of his own in one
, of the buildings where the renter had
failed and retired. He started the
same kind of a factory that had NOV
ed out and profting by the mistakes
or the old concern, soon had his on
a paying basis
The second year of his venture was
the big one, when he sold the last of
the vacant lots and was able TO pay
back every cent which he had Dor
rowed at the start and give each OF
tie ten men, several shares of stock
in the factories. The grounds about
the factories were dotted with cot
tages and more were being erected
right along. 1t was the busiest part
of Keokuk.
There had been no long winded
meetings of trustees, directors or
stockholders during the three years.
Benson attended to everything him.
self and not one of the ten men who
had backed him had ever asked him a
question regarding the outcome They
were all busy successful men, who
knew that individual work on a pro-
iect accomplishes more than a meet
ing of board of directors, all talking
at once on a different subject. AS
they saw the improvements being
made and noted the new families
moving into Keokuk, they were sat
ished with their investments and
would have been willing to intrust an
other SO, 900 each to Benson. In fact
such proposition was made to him
hut he declined at the time, stating
that perhaps in the future he would
consider it and try the scheme again
at another point of town.
His success did not turn his head.
He made no change in his mode OF
living but worked hard, day and night.
his one thought being to see his pet
scheme go through to a successful I'm
ISL. He allowed himself only med
Jun salary from the profits and used
the surplus in the proposition. The
day he had taken up his last note. he
had less than $500 cash of his own, but
he still owned the ten buildings and
seven Of the factories were his own,
only three being then rented. A
planning mill and lumber yard. also
several stores had been added to the
suburb and they we're busy as the
work of erecting dwellings went on.
There became need of church and
school house in the vicinity and he
gave the land free, also small part
I for a public park Bensonville be
/ came model little city il itself.
But Benson was doing too much.
Over work undermined his health
! and he lost his mind. passing away in
his office, buried beneath a mass of
papers and letters. Among his eff
! fects was found carefully drawn up
will in which ne bequeathed his prop
erty 10 the foreman OF his most pros
/ porous factory and instructing him
! TO take up the work manage every
thing one handed and pay the diyi-
{
him the means TO carry out his pro-
ject
/ AS everyone knows. this is being
/ done now and Christy Whitney is in
charge. There will be no attempt OF
i the ten men to break the will They
are satisfied with the way matters are
I going and 1t is even stated that they
have agreed 10 give their future div.
idends 10 the city of Keokuk for
municipal work
/ II is also said on good authority
that an agreement has been drawn VI
between these ten men and Mr.
1 Whitney, for the appointing Of a mar
i TO take Whitney's place when he
I passes away
The lease with the Keokuk Syrup
I Co., expires next month and it is an
/ nounced that the factory viii leave
4 BensonyilIe and occupy its own build
ing after that The factory at Ben
sonville will be Immediately occupied
ty another one which will be owned
bv Mr.. whitney. This leaves bu
one renter in the Bensonville factories
y the pencil factory, which is now erect
ing it's own building four blocks nortf
ard intends to move as soon as pos
sible.
The most successful factory of thu
lot at present is the one which il
turning out gasoline launches. the en-
tire output finding ready sale alont
the river and the pay roll last weei
showed 142 men at work, not includ
ing the office force and travelini
I statesmen.
II will be many q day before Bel
+ Benson will be forgotten in Keokub
He had the nerve. the ability and tn
Z energy to carry out what is really
simple problem in commercial growth