The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1921-12-01
|. B. DUTTON EXPLAINS
CONFIDENCE (?) GAME
Tells Why lie Left COmranions on
Proposed California Trip on Way
and Returned Home
70 the Editor of the Independent

70 the Editor of the Independent
Reporter.
Dear Sir:
In justice to myself. | ask you tC
publish the following, starting ii or
the front page of your paper. and il
Is large headlines as you did the clip
ling from the Danville, III. CONNER
ial News, designated Tourists Ma
ooned in Illinois" What | am abou
D relate is in response to that item
These men have branded me as {
onfidence man. Now we will see wht
trying the confidence game
On Nov. 2, these three men, Thomas
)rynes, James Wall and John Loberg
aid me $500 each. instead of 800 0t
Is your paper stated, and for which
gave each of them receipt foI
oassage TO California in my auto
fhich is 1915 Cadillac.
Before we left Madison | called
hese three men up before my car ant
aid, Now, boys. If anything happen:
this car, or for any reason | decide
cannot finish the trip to California
am to charge you the train far
rom Madison to wherever | happeI
} be"
To this the three men agreed be
ore several prominent and respected
itizsps. Of Madison. one of the busi
ess men saying. That is fai
nough."
Now then. asked for no writin,
rom my prospective passengers t.
old them to this agreement. for | hat
lot the least idea but that | woult
nish the trip to California.
We started that p. m. Nov. ., goini
Portland, Portsmouth. n. H.; Wor
ester. and Springfield. Mass. theme
Albany, Syracuse and Buffalo. \
,. From Buffalo down along tn
hore of Lake Erie, through Cleve
md. Ohio, to Chicago, Illinois, an
hen to Danville. Ill.
Nowhere on the trip had been abl
get a book of the route through
California. was able to get som
( the local maps of each state tha
passed through In this way | wa
'bliged to pick out my own route an
INQUIRE from some of the cities as
assed through
We arrived in Danyille, ILL. late a
light. The boys went to a hot9, and
egan to make inquiries in regard 4
that direction ! had better go iron
here toward California. | was in
ormed that | had got over my bes
Dad, and from there on the road wa
ractica1ly impossible To autos a
hat time of year. Out there the road
this time of year are composed O
What they call gymbo. which is wors
han our local blue clay in the Sprin;
If the year. Such was the condition
If the road as was told Nov 9tl
| md ! was told ! could never make il
1t had stormed every day from Nov
} to Nov. O. Back on the trip | hal
truck tour inches of snow in Buffalo
n South Bend, Ind. | struck tn
Yorst snow storm | ever drove in. |
tarted in with heavy thunderstorm
+ and inst as we were leaving tn
ity every light went out and the cit.
ras in total darkness. think tn
ghtnine must have struck the elee
ric light plant. Then the snow start
d. regular blizzard of large flake,
t had not had an automatic wind
HELD cleaner. | could not have kep
IN driving All of six inches o
now fell that night.
As far back as Worcester, Mass
IN the trip | began to have troubl
with my car generator troublel.
worked on that for while then
which had come from Bangor from tn
)elco Service Station just before
eft Madison and which | suppose
was in o. X. condition. but when
out it in place it failed to work
Between buffalo and Cleveland
had more generator trouble Betwee
Chicago and Danvil!e. Ill. a more Sc
-ious trouble developed. On the ref
end of 1915 Cadillac car there is
case composed of adjusting cones, ad
iust'nc the pinion of the ring Gcal
This whole case. including the driV
shaft. i, connected to the rear hous
ing by threads which screw the cas-
into the housing trearI,
There Is the whole driving abilit
of the car These threads had strip
ned so that it let the case and tn
drive shaft slip ahead and away tror
the ring gear. yet not far enough )
but what they would mesh little.
was just question of time as |
when the breakdown would occur.
had examined all this and told tn
Continued on Page g.