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IIIII
VOL XXIII.
N o . 6.
Published Every Saturday at 3 East Fourteenth Street. New York, August 29,1896.
In The West.
PIANOS AND ORGANS ASSESSED IN COOK COUNTY PIANO SHARPERS AT WORK IN ILLINOIS.
STRAUSS MUSIC CO. MAY SELL OUT DEATH OF CHAS. ROY BOWEN THE RUSSELL PIANO
CO.'S FAILURE HALLET & DAVIS CO.'s AFFAIRS ROTHSCHILD & CO. SELLING
PIANOS C. H. MACDONALD TO VISIT M'KINLEY VISITORS TO TOWN.
HE assessment of personal property in
Cook county for 1896 has been com-
pleted, and the books present an interest-
ing study. Among the personal belongings
assessed I notice the north town is credited
with 371 pianos valued at $25,995, and five
organs, worth $355; the south town with
1,987 pianos worth $74,400, and no organs,
while the west town assessor shows a total
of 2,356 pianos, valued at $60,330 and three
organs, listed at $70 for the three.
Piano sharpers are again putting in some
good work in the West judging from the
following, which I clip from a Blooming-
ton, 111., paper: Last Wednesday a man
claiming to represent the American Piano
and Organ Company of Chicago, called on
one of De Witt township's old and well-
to-do farmers and proposed to deliver a
$480 piano at his house, for the purpose of
an advertisement. He further agreed with
the farmer that he would allow him a com-
mission of $120 on each piano sold, until
four pianos were sold, and induced the
farmer to sign a supposed contract to that
effect. On Monday two other agents of the
company drove out ,to the farmer's resi-
dence with the piano, to fill the order the
farmer had given the agent, and also de-
manded $480 in payment of the same,
which sum the note called for.
It is rumored that the Strauss Music Co.
of this city are negotiating with the well-
known Rohlfing house of Milwaukee with
the object of selling out their interest. It
would not surprise me if the foregoing deal
materialized. The Rohlfing & Sons Co.
are a progressive institution, and the
opening of a branch house in this city
would be of great advantage to them.
The unexpected death, last Sunday, of
Chas. Roy Bowen, assistant treasurer of
the Hallet & Davis Co., was a great shock
to a wide circle of friends in this city. It
seems that Mr. Bowen was spending a few
days at Herbert, Mich., accompanied by
R. K. Maynard, Geo. C, Aldrich, and W. B.
Sizer, where the latter has a farm. On
T
Sunday Mr. Bowen and Mr. Aldrich went
in bathing and both were caught in an
undertow. When their distress was noticed,
a boat was put out, and Mr. Aldrich was
found in an almost exhausted condition,
while Mr. Bowen had disappeared. The
body was recovered on Monday. Mr. Bowen
was twenty-five years old and was one of
the original stockholders in the Hallet &
Davis Co. The funeral occurred on Wed-
nesday.
There is little new to report anent the
failure of the Russell Piano Co. The
affairs of the company are in a pretty bad
way and there is little hope of their resum-
ing business. Mr. Russell made a good
fight under most unfavorable conditions.
It appears that he was at the mercy of pri-
vate money lenders, who compelled him to
pay exorbitant interest. The creditors
held several meetings last week, and I
understand that Mr. Russell's dwelling at
Edgewater has been turned over as part of
the assets of the company.
The first report of t the assignee of the
Hallet & Davis Co., which was filed in the
County Court last week, shows that the
assignee has done some good work for the
first month. In spite of the hard times,
and the unusually warm weather, an en-
tirely satisfying showing was made which
testified to the sound condition of this con-
cern. The prospects for a resumption of
business are, I understand, very bright,
and matters to this end may be consum-
mated before many weeks.
Another department store is trying the
experiment of selling pianos at $124.99.
This time it is A. M. Rothschild & Co.
who have started in to fail in this field just
like a number of other department stores.
The musical department is under the man-
agement of a man named Hughes, who
hails from Columbus, O.
John W. Northrup, who has been rustica-
ting in Colorado Springs, returned to town
on Monday.
J. R. Mason, of the Sterling Co., passed
fi.oo PER YEAR-
GLE COPIES, IO CENTS
SING
through this city a few days ago on his
way West.
The Traveling Men's Association are
leaving on Friday night to visit Major
McKinley at Canton, O. Among the party
will be Chas. H. MacDonald, the "popular
Pease" representative.
Among the recent visitors to the city
were Alfred Schindler, general representa-
tive for the Marshall & Wendell Co.; Geo.
Cox, J. W. Martin & Co.'s manager,
Rochester, N. Y., and J. G. Ebersole of
Cincinnati.
A. G. Cone of the W. W. Kimball Co. is
spending a well merited vacation at Colo-
rado Springs.
Emerson Piano Co. Assign.
LIABILITIES $150,000
ASSETS THREE TIMES
THAT AMOUNT.
N Tuesday last, Aug. 25th, the Emer-
son Piano Co., of Boston, made an
assignment to Chas. Terry, James F. Pow-
ers and Jesse F. Wheeler. The assets of
the company are unofficially estimated at
$450,000, while the direct liabilities approx-
imate $150,000.
In the official statement given out it is
stated that the assignment was caused by
the generally depressed state of the trade,
and the stringency in the money market.
The Emerson house dates away back to
1849, when the business was founded by
Wm. P. Emerson. In May, 1879, the name,
good will, stock and machinery was pur-
chased by the present proprietors, Patrick
H. Powers, Orrin A. Kimball and Joseph
Gramer, and has been conducted as a part-
nership and not as an incorporated com-
pany.
In 1891 they erected their magnificent
factory on Harrison avenue and Waltham
street, which has a capacity of 150 pianos
a week. Retail vvarerooms have been main-
tained at 116 Boylston street and branch
stores at 218 Wabash avenue, Chicago, and
92 Fifth avenue, this city.
A meeting of the creditors will be held
as soon as the assignees are able to make
their report.
O
YOHN BROS., piano dealers, of Harris-
burg, Pa., were in New York the middle
of the week.