The weekly tribune and the Cape County herald. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1914-1918, 1916-03-31
ManBuys a ank
Bot DfscoversHe
Only Thought So
Peter Stein Wants His Money
Back When He Finds Some
one else Selling "His" Pro-
perty at a Profit.

When Peter Stein of st. Louis, one.
time hotel keeper in the Cape and al
limo, heard that the Cape County
| Milling Company was in the market
to purchase the large steel grain.
storage tank on Broadway, west of the
neutrality-suspicious. building, he
rocked back and forth in his swiveI
chair and contently figured out what
he would charge them.
He fixed his mind upon sum sew.
eral dollars in advance of what he had
paid for it and waited for the millers
to call around, but they didn't.
From a distance he watched the
negotiations. "They want the tank
but don't know it's me that owns it.
The next bit of information he got
was that the milling concern was
closing the deal for the purchase OF
the large granery.
Mr.. Stein got aboard a train and
came to the Cape. He found that the
milling company was doing business
with Mr.. w. H. Huters, representative
of Louis Stein of the old firm of Stein
& Lance, millers, and Mrs. H. Lance,
widow of the late Mr.. Lance, the other
member of the firm which formerly
ran the mill beside the present loca-
ton of the tank.
The agreement for the purchase of
the tank for $3.50 by the milling COM
pany was reached Saturday and the
money was to be paid to Stein &
Lance. Mr.. Peter Stein wanted to
know where he came In, and he was
told he didn't come in at all.
He thereupon consulted the man
from whom he had purchased the tank
and demanded good explanation of
events that had been transpiring
around him and also wanted his money
back. DR.. ]. S. Lehr told him that he
still owned the tank.
DR.. Lehr then described his pur-
chase Of the tank from Stein & Lance
He said he got the entire outfit on the
lot occupied by the milling company
with the exception of barn and one
or two other knickknacks for $3.50. He
said that he had made the offer to Mr..
Huters and Mrs. Lance; that Mr.. HUI
ters wished to consult Mr.. Stein in
California, whereupon the doctor wired
Mr.. Stein direct.
Mr.. STEMS replies were favorable
to the sale, he said, and all the details
practically were settled with the ex-
ception of putting it on paper and the
matter of seeing the money change
hands, according to DR.. Lehr. They
awaited the return of H. E. Alexander
to have the documents drawn up, he
said.
DIR. Lehr declared that in his mind
it was sale, so he proceeded to dis
pose Of "his" property. He sold the
steel of the tank to Peter Stein for
$3.50.
Mr.. Stein at first intended to take
the tank apart and remove it to St.
Louis, the doctor said. There are 49,
900 feet of lumber which the doctor
retained in the tank.
Under his contract with Stein, the
latter paid $50 down as ernest money
and the remainder is in the bank, he
said.
However, Mr.. Huters and Mrs
Lance assert that DR.. Lehr did not
buy the tank. They declare that he
made them an offer" which they did
not accept, even if he did tell them
that the money was in the bank for
hem. They declared they were not
bound in any manner by the doctors
offer, and Mr.. Stein of st. Louis now
wants to have his money returned to
him