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ISN’T THISTHE LIMIT?Much Abused Man Makes DemandThrough Attorney for a Retraction for Injury.DEMAND GALLS FORFURTHER INFORMATION)In Order to Humor Gentlemen andAppease His Attorney, TheseFacts are Given.Huntington Weekly News-Democrat; Huntington. Ind.To the Editor of the above named paper:Dear Sir—There was published in vour paper of today, Feb. 18, a libelous raid slanderous statement with regard to one Absolm Keel, who formerly resided near Huntington, and who has recently removed from there to Freeland. Midi.. R. F. D. Ho. 2.On his behalf, I make a demand that you publish a retraction and apology for this slanderous and -ibelous statement, the same was to the effect that he attempted to avoid his creditors by loading his personal property upon three freight cars, shipping them to Michigan, with the intention of avoiding payment to his creditors.I am instructed by Mr Absolm Keel that in case you fail to make a retraction and apology in the next issue of your paper, to begin legal proceed-thing like $10.70 for which Absalom Keel had stood good. This agreement was not In writing, but had been made verbally to the C. E. Bash Arm at the time the accommodations had been given the boys. However, a settlement was made before the attachment was made, although the attachment papers had been issued.Just in order to show the honesty of the father, Absalom Keel, he told Squire Moffett that he had a mortgage which covered all the goods owned by his sons and asked Attorney Moffett wht could be done in a case of that kind. How Dr. D. Tingling knew that a mortgage had been made by the sons in favor of their father, but he had been keeping tab on the proceedings at the county recorder’s office in order to see if the instruments were offered to be recorded. Squire Moffett knew this fact also, but in order to play out the farce, he asked Mr. Absalom Keel if he would allow him to see the mortgages and Mr. Keel was only too willing to grant the request as it was what he wanted the Squire to see. Squire Moffett looked over the papers very carefully and then told Mr. Keel that he%was very sorry for him, but that t«ie mortgages were not worth the paper they were written on.That made the countenance of Mr. Keel drop and he wanted to know why, and the Squire told him because they had not been recorded in ten days’ time from the time they were made out. as is provided for by law. That information caused Mr. Absalom Kc-el to remark: “What is it youdamn lawyers cant make out anywayThe same evening that the cases from Squire John’s court, as well as the one instituted in Squire Moffett's court by Squire John was published in The News-Democrat and that made Charles Kindler of the John Kindler Company get busy, as he had an account or notes against Alfred and I,eRoy Keel for something like $144.50 and he went to Jackman ings against you for damages for Jackman and got out attachment pa-those libelous and slanderous statements, and that if you choose to make |a ’-etraciicn and apology for publishing the said statement, for you to mad copy of the paper to Mr. Keel at his above stated address, and also a. copy of the paper lr me at the a:l-dre-s r.s appear..- cm this Enter head.Yours respectfully,H. C. VAN A KEN.The following is the article complained of:“Attachment proceedings against Le Roy and Absoiom Keel were filed in Squire Moffett’s court by Justice Johns of Roanoke today. The Messrs. Keel reside near Goblesville and were planning to leave for Michigan today. They had three chartered cars on the Wabash side track filled with their household goods, and were congratulating themselves that they were going to escape their creditors when Constable Wells Shearer came along and in a nonchalant manner attached their goods . The attachment proceedings were filed to secure $67,50 which had long been past due on a note.“Late this afternoon four attach ment proceedings against Absoiom and LeRoy were satisfied and goods released. The attachments amounted in all to $218.72.”It would be a long and rather tedious story to wade through all the family history of the Keel family and for the present, only that part of their history which was brought into prominence through the attachment proceedings in the court of Squire Johns in Roanoke and that of Squire Moffett in this city will be touched upon at this time.Mrs. Keel, presumably the wife of Assolom Keel, owned eighty acres of good land north of the city in Clear Creek township, which was sold for something like $8,000. The money from this sale was banked, for which Mrs. Keel took deposit checks in her own name.The first that the names of Keels came into prominence, so far as the News-Democrat is concerned, was when the father and his two sons had their chattels loaded into Wabash cars with the intention of moving to Michigan, when attachment proceedings were brought against them in the court of Squire John in Roanoke. These cases were against Alfred and LeRoy Keel, the suit against LeRoy Keel being on a note for something like $95, and the one against Alfred Keel was for a sum of money in the neighborhood of $39, which was filed by Dr. D. Yingllng.Then Squire John of Roanoke filed proceedings against the Keels inpers against the chattels of the men.Absalom Keel again sprang the mortgage gag on Jackman’s, and asked them what they would do about the mortgage? Jackman’s said “We will assume the mortgage and will **11 your goods to pay it off.” The oi:l man then begged off and said that he would go and see his wife and maybe he could raise enough money off of her to settle. He was given an hour’s time in which to report back tothe office with the money. He was back in less than an hour with a de-po-'t check for several hundred dollar-:. Mr. Kindler told him that IfH e amount of the check amounted to•more than the bill, he would give him a check on the bank for the balance, which he could get cashed in the morning. Although it was then about 9 o’clock in the evening, he made a demand for the balance in cash. Jackman Jackman had something like $75 in cash in their safe, which they offered to acommodate Mr. Kindler with to make the change but, he was able to scrape up the several hundred dollars in change at his own store.That case had hardly been settled when James Shafer, who had worked for one of the Keels following their threshing outfit, came into the office of Jackman Jackman and wanted to ’ get out attachment papers against the Keels as he claimed that he had pay coming for work in the sum of $30. That case was also settled in the office of Jackman Jackman without having to go to the bother of attaching the goods. After a settlement was made with the hired man, Mr. Keel then wanted to bring attachments against James Shafer for board, as he claimed that Shafer had boarded with them for something like eighteen months. Jackman told him thnt there was no grounds for attachment proceedings, but that he would bring suit against Shafer and secure judgment for him, but that procedure did not seem to appeal to Keel, as he did not push the case. Jackman Jackman in addition to collecting the amount for their clients also made Keel pay him for collection in addition.Absalom Keel thought that he would make a settlement by promising to send the money inside of a week, after they reached their destination. Mr. Jackman told him that he was going to Michigan, a practical stranger, and if he would be able to pay in a week’s time after arriving in Michigan, he was able to pay then and made him divy over the ‘mazu-i1ttIthIv€ma.IfTo make a long and tiresome story short, Lewis Bridge Son went afterSquire Moffett’s court for a partner-1 the Keels and got a settlement outiship transaction, in which the amount of them for a bill which had beenwas something like $42, the principals in this case being Squire John and Alfred and LeRoy Keel. Squire Moffett settled the case for Squire John by phone.It seems that trouble never travelsstanding with the firm for a long time .A day or two after the Keels had shaken the dust of Huntington from their shoes, Dr. Taviner went to Squire Moffett’s court and wanted tosingly, as hardly had the foregoing get out attachment papers againstcases been settled satisfactory when the Keels, but it was too late—theyin came C. E. Bash of the firm of had flown.C. E. Bash Company and had attachment papers made out against the goods of ABSALOM, Alfred and Le- (Roy Keel to settle a claim of some- 'weeks’ illness.George Kilander has resumed htoFet:flt;naIEliS'nSiidduties as mail carrier after a four, Pih
Newspaper Details
Huntington Weekly News Democrat
Huntington, Indiana, US
Fri, Feb 25, 1910
Page 7
Full Page
Clipped by
Sue R.
NC, USA 13 Feb 2019
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