The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-07-26
STRIVE ANEW TO COLLECT THE ACCOUNTS OF THE GRAND RAPIDS
 FURNITURE CO.,, NOW DEFUNCT

Another effort to collect some ac- counts of the defunct Grand Rapids Furniture Co.,, is being made by Attor- ney Solomon Badesch, but according to his own statement he is not meeting with much success, Most people sup posed that when the firm went through bankruptcy and it's affairs were settled that the accounts were closed. Attor- ney Badesch says that is ndt the case however. He has been sending out circular letters asking those whom he holds accounts against to pay up. A number of women who joined the $17.5O furniture club which the Grand Rapids people organized and who did not receive one penny for what they paid in. have learned that Attorney Badesch Is trying to collect this mon- ey and they cannot understand if he collects it, why they cannot recover what they paid in.
 The Grand Rapids sCo., will be re- membered opened a store in Main street and later had a store in Fair field avenue. Furniture clubs were organized among women who paid 25 cents weekly and each week some member was to draw out an article of furniture worth $17.51 If any mem- Der failed to draw out by the time she had paid in $17.50 she received an ar tic!e worth that amount. It became noised about towh that the clubs were a fake and that the system, like the old suit club system, was simply a means of getting a lot of customers who would spend $17.5O for furniture iayin:y at the rate of 25 cents per week. Some of the womer who could not win before they had completed their pay ments, pointed out that winner was picked alternately in different sections of the city in order to stimulate the business as it developed. Then came story that the company was going to close up and move out of town. There was a rush to the store, every woman, no matter what she had paid demanding some return either in cash or in furniture. The officials of the company first tried to appease them by offering furniture but like a run on the bank the clamor increased until at last almost every woman who held a credit slip against the concern was demanding furniture or her money back.
 The situation became so grave that Prosecuting Attorney A. L. Delaney took hand and the police closed the store. The management promised to
 make good to every customer but it never did and the concern finally went
 into bankruptcy. Attorney Delaney
 was appointed trustees
 l It is now nearly two years since the
 concern was discharged from bank
 ruptcy. As has been stated many wo-
 men, some of whom paid the full ST. 50, did not receive a cent of return
 either in money or furniture. When
 the affairs of the concern were being
 adjusted through the bankruptcy
 court the B. B. Operating Co.,, paid $450O for what was left of the stock
 of the company and the book accounts l. This concern made an attempt to collect these accounts but did not meet with much success. Next Joseph Hal
 stead, the plumber, took them over
 with no better result He unloaded the accounts on Samuel Rosenthal
 who until recently operated a number tof jitney buses. MT. Rosenthal is
 now epdeavoring to collect by the aid
 of Attorney Badesfh. The latter has