Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-03-19
Fear That industrial Advance
Is Retarded by Litigation.
COTTON GINNING DEVICE
Suits and Countersuits Over Control
of the Machine.
CHARGES BY DANIEL J. SULLY
Legal Proceedings, Wherein Con-
spiracy Is Alleged, the Latest Move.
Washington Men Interested.

rear that what is claimed to be one OF
the greatest advances I'm the industrial
world may be checked indefinitely is ex-
pressed by Washington men interested in
the General Cotton Securities Company
and the cotton gin invented recently 10y
Willard D. Doremus in speaking OF the
suit brought by Daniel J. Sully OF New
York in the Supreme Court OF the Dis
trict Of Columbia yesterday. 1t Is also
claimed by the defendants in this suit.
among whom is John Hays Hammond.
that this attack by Mr.. Sully is only one
Of series Of suits and countersuits. all
appearing as wheels within wheels. and
the inside story Of the entire dissatisfac-
ton and legal complication is one that
makes the brain reel with legal tech
nicality.
asks for $500. coo for damages arising
from a condition which. he claims.
amounts to a conspiracy to ruin his
financial reputation. The defendants
named are John Hays Hammond, Harris
Hammond. Frank S. Bright, Doiph b.
Anterior. John p. Miller, William w.
Baldwin and G. Scott Dalgleish.
Basis of the Suit.
The basis OF the suit is the invention
Of Willard D. Doremus Of Washington.
1t is a device for ginning cotton which
has been said by experts to be the ma
chine which will revolutionize the cot
ton industry in almost as great a degree
as the original cotton gin did when ii
was started to work for the first time.
Hundreds of millions of dollars year
could be saved by this invention, Its
hackers claim, il it should be adopted
universally.
Willard D. Doremus began work on
this machine several years ago. Several
Washington men became interested in the
invention. Among them was A. q. Du
Bots. He in turn interested John r.
Miller. then Washington correspondent OF
ally offered to give $4,000 for a working
model, and $3.50 was paid to bind the
bargain.
There were some small difficulties en-
countered in the days following the orig
inal payment. About that time. it is de-
clared, John Hays Hammond heard OF
the invention and hunted up Daniel j.
Sully. once known as the cotton king,
and famous as a man who had made me-
teoric fortunes in that commodity.
day by one Of the defendants in the
suit. the cotton king" came to Wash
ington with $4,000 of Mr.. Hammond s
money, and Immediately larger financial
operations were started.
Company With Large Capital.
The Doremus gin at that time was
in the hands of the company, Of which
Miller and Dubois were the prominent
members, and which was named the
National Cotton Improvement Com
pany. In the deal between the inventor,
Miller and Dubois and the others. the
General Cotton Securities Company was
formed. 1t was organized at Whining
ton, Del. January s. 1910. 1t was to
have q capital Of $7,000,0O0 common and
100000 preferred stock.
Just as matters were working smoothly
and a western concern had been engaged
to build machinery, trouble began te
show itself, and the outcome was a law
suit filed about two weeks ago. In this
suit Willard d. DOremus and A. U. Dubols
were compliments and John Hays Ham
mond, Daniel J. sully and Frank c. ;
orado building. were defendants. At thai
time some Of the stockholders Of thu
company said that although Mr.. Sully
was defendant he was one OF the prin'
cipal critics against affairs Of the com
pany.
All Decline to Talk.
None of the defendants named in the
suit filed yesterday by Mr.. Sully would
talk about the legal phases Of the matter
for publication. Mr.. Hammond Is In
Scranton. Pa, and John +. Miller is in
New York None of the defendants ex-
pressed any fear that the suit would be
lost nv them. but they did express the
fear that the invention in which they
have great faith would be SO far buried
under legal red tape that it would not be
a commercial enterprise for long time