The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1919-11-05
It MIGHT MAKE
GOOD MEL0DRAMA
story Which 10 Being Aired at Fort
Madison In Court There Ought
to be Good for Seven
Reels.
MAN BOUGHT BED BRACE
But When He Tried to Sell II to Hotels
They Just Laughed at Him,
Testimony Goes to
Show.

IVSItN'ouy SSSo w &
Show.
version Of the old Jack Dalton
kind of mellerdrama where the old
farm is mortgaged to start the Jour-
ney on the road to Offering success,
is being aired in court in Fort Madi-
son. This time the vehicle of riches
is bed brace But hard hearted hotel
keepers only laughed when it was Of
fered. The Democrat says Of the
case being tried by Judge Craig there:
The lure of easy money and the
tale of the traditional gold brick APP
pears in a new guise at the district
court where the case Of Mailman VS..
Bergthold is being tried before Judge
John E. Craig. Not for many months
has the audience of the courtroom
been regaled with such entertainment
as has been recounted In the testi.
mony Of the case since its opening
Monday morning. At times even
the attorneys succumb to mirth over
the testimony.
The state rights to sell a patent
yea UIdCcy d IOl tSdSS oAi liC aSiSAA
dant's farm, and the incidents which
relate the two make up the testimony
of the case in which Mrs. Mailman
is suing Theodore Bergthold for the
payment Of notes which Bergthold
signed in 1915 for the selling Of the
bed brace in Iowa territory.
The Story Begins.
Theodore Bergthold, who Is a
well known farmer near West Point,
met a man named Benkstein at the
Grand hotel in this city in 1915.
Benkstein offered him position at
$3.50 day working for one Witliff,
who employed Benkstein. The work.
which INCLUDED much travel. appeal led
/! to Bergthold and he accepted in spite
of the fact that he owned a farm
Both men, it seemed, were employed
jby Witliff to install patent bed
brace which Witliff owned and sold.
Witliff at the time was swamped--
or nearly so-with the task of put
ting on these bed braces in Burling.
4 ton While there Bergthold was In
troduced to another man, Mr.. Ded'
weller, who was also connected with
the sale of the bed braces. Shortly
after meeting Dedweiler the men
went to Davenport presumably called
there by rush orders to install the
bed braces.
! It was in Davenport that Dedweiler
spoke to Bergthold of his farm and
after short talk was struck with a
brilliant idea. Why not let Berg.
thold take over the state rights to the
sale of the bed braces, which were
valued at $4,000, and trade his farm
for it?
Too Much Money.
Bergthold demurred. The deal was
a little more than he cared to under
take: he was afraid he couldn't han
die it. Mr.. Dedweiler upon second
thought agreed that it was. But r.
suggested that Bergthold go into
! partnership with Denkstein and Wit
lift and purchase the state right be-
tween them. each one furnishing
s3.3S3, Rergthold wanted little time
TO think it over He didn't have much
time. for Dedweiler received a. tele-
gram from a party who wanted badly
to purchase the territory Of Iowa. But
because Bergthold was in the en-
ploy of Dedweiler he was given prefer
| ence over the unknown stranger-if
he would hurry and buy.
Bergthold wished to consult his
wife before investing. So he and Wit
Tiff went to West Point where Berg
thold's wife was consulted. Witliff
told them so the testimony showed,
that he had made from $50 to 500
per day selling the much needed bed
brace and that Bergthold could do as
well. He added that Bergthold would
be wearing diamonds and rubies be-
fore long. For proof Of the sale of
the braces they could write to either
the Grand hotel in Fort Madison or
the Delano hotel at Burlington.
Rights Purchased.
| So It was finally agreed that Berg
thold should purchase the rights.
Wjtliff took two notes, one for S265
and another for $4,000 when the bank
at West Point refused Bergthold the
loan of $4,000 because he would not
tell what he wanted it for. After the
deal was closed Witliff borrowed $50
from Bergthold with which to buy an
overcoat.
Then Bergthold went to Des Moines,
this time alone, and tried to sell the
bed braces to several Of the promi.
nent hotels, but without success.
"They only laughed at me-" he said
on the witness stand.
He then received telegram from
witliff to come to ST. Louis where
he met Mailman, who asked him
about his farm, Witliff and others dis
appeared, leaving the notes in posses
sion of Mailman, who claimed he was
an innocent purchaser.
| Mailman has since died but his
WIDOW is suing Bergthold for payment
The case was continued over today
1t is not likely that any decision will
be arrived at this afternoon.
Fresh air Is still on the free list
but from the way some people try tt
avoid it in cool weather you'd sup
| ~, 10 h