Presto

PRESTO-TIMES
July 21, 1928
LATE TRADE NEWS
FROM INDIANAPOLIS
THINGS SAID O R SUGGESTED
CONVINCED THE JURY
A motor truck of the Knight-Campbell Music Co.,
Denver, Colo., collided with a citizen and a damage
suit resulted. The citizen was apparently uninjured
by the impact. He walked away from the scene elo-
quently cursing the driver, and the piano wagon crew,
individually and collectively. In short, he exhibited
unusual vigor.
But next day, through a shady lawyer, he sued for
a large sum. The plaint was that the citizen had
been murderously assaulted by the violent onset of
the defendant's piano wagon, knocked down with
force and assailed with hostile words by the cold-
blooded mercenaries, and bust, broken, fractured,
lammed, lamed and lacerated generally, or lawyer's
lingo to that effect.
It was so clearly a frame-up that the lawyers for
the piano house let it go to court without offering a
settlement. The plaintiff's shady lawyer said a lot
about the terrible injuries his client had received and
pointed to the evidences. One item was a red spot
about the size of a man's hand on his back and the
other was a lump the size of a walnut on his shoulder.
At the summing up, the lawyer for the piano
house, a brilliant young fellow becoming famous in
court practice, poured the vials of his biting ridicule
on the plaintiff and his attorney.
"Gentlemen of the jury," he proceeded, "we have
heard a lot of talk here about this spot on the plain-
tiff's back and the bump the size of a walnut on his
shoulder. Do not be deceived, gentlemen. That spot
on the man's back is no more nor less than a birth-
mark, and as for that lump the size of a walnut on
the plaintiff's shoulder, that, gentlemen of the jury,
is his head."
The jury laughed the case out of court.
* * *
A piano dealer who does a big farmers' trade in a
very pleasant and picturesque section of a middle
western state got twenty-two replies to an adver-
tisement for an outdoor salesman last week. More
than half of them were from men employed in cities.
The fact shows that among piano salesmen there is
a strong and widespread desire to get close to the
soil—when the weather conditions are favorable.
A NATURAL CRAVING
Some wag has said: "In this glorious Republic
government exists by consent of the governed and
business by consent of the buncoed." He spoke with
the bitterness of somebody who had been bitten;
bleated with the resentfulness of the goat. But like
all satire it had the flavor of truth.
In order to support the framework of our govern-
ment, our society and our business, we have estab-
lished one very convenient maxim of the law, with-
out which trade could not go on: "Let the buyer
William Christena Reports Music Business
Improving—E. W. Stockdale Made Man-
ager of Wilking Music Company—
Other Items from Busy City.
E. W. Stock'dale, formerly of Indianapolis, and for
the past two years manager of the piano department
of the Krausgill Music Company of Louisville, Ky.,
beware." The law seemingly has no care for idiots has been made manager of the Wilking Music Com-
and children. Yet, should you look carefully about pany. Mr. Stockdale is widely known in these parts
you, you would discover that the great proportion of of the state and has many friends. He held an exec-
the inhabitants of the earth is made up of irrespon- utive position in the city before going to Louisville,
sibles and children.
and was instrumental in organizing the Indianapolis
To succeed in some sort of business, search out Music Merchants' Association.
some great and enduring human craving, something
The Wilking Music Company's store is very much
for which there is no sufficient supply; to ring the torn up at present, by the adding of additional floor
bell in a certain phase of the piano business, find out space, part of which will be devoted to phonographs,
some human want, some consuming desire, and then and several new piano parlors will occupy the balance
fill it or pretend to fill it. Incidentally you can d : s- of the newly added floor space. The alterations when
tribute the goods that otherwise you would be slow completed will give the company an additional space
to get rid of.
of 30x120 feet, occupying the entire ground floor of
Now, what is the greatest human craving? What the Rauh Building.
is the thing most desired of most men—and women?
William Christena Pleased.
It is something for nothing. The desire for some-
William Christena of the Christena-Teague Piano
thing for nothing comes down from the time when
your ancestor got a new stone hatchet from my Company reports last week's business very good. "I
believe," said Mr. Christena, "that business is going
ancestor on a prehistoric frame-up. The idea of
something for nothing is the core of the bunco sys- to improve, and I, too, believe that it will be a gradual
tem. Hence when you hand out something for noth- and permanent improvement." The fourth floor of the
company's building is being remodeled and decorated,
ing you come close to the heart of humanity.
There exists, all over the country, thousands and and will be used as Ampico rooms for the Mason &
millions of persons each of whom can easily be in- HaiwHn, Knabe and Chickering & Son^s instruments.
terested in somebody's offer of something for noth- When completed these rooms will be equal in decor-
ing. You know how freely that something for noth- ations and furnishings to any in this section of the
ing is offered. By schemes innumerable a certain country.
Joseph Joiner, sales manager of the American Piano
class continues in business by offering something
for nothing as an inducement to people to pay some- Company's warerooms in New York, drove to Indian-
thing for something. The free gift of something for apolis from Cleveland last week and spent the week
nothing is conditional on the payment of something end with Mr. Christena. Mr. Joiner at one time was
for a commodity not worth the price charged. And a resident of this city and felt very much at home
they get results. It is a relatively easy game, because after some years of absence.
based on a natural human craving. It is only the
Gives Comparison Demonstration.
modern phase of the prehistoric game played by
Fred Colber. the famous lecturer, composer, pian-
your ancestor when he offered free a clamshell gew- ist and exclusive Duo-Art artist, broadcasted over
gaw conditional to my ancestor swapping his fine W K B F Monday night at 9 o'clock in direct com-
new granite axe for an old blunt bone fish hook.
parison with his own Duo-Art recordings. With the
* * *
Duo-Art collaborating Mr. Colber entertained the
It is funny that the motto of the nrser, "never give listeners and challenged listeners to tell when he was
up," is also the choice sententious maxim of the ad- playing and when the Duo-Art was reproducing his
vertiser who is persistently there with his copy and own playing. Twenty-five-dollar merchandise orders
his check. But the application of the terse and pithy were given as prizes by the Pearson Piano Company
saying is as different as the men who use it. With to those who were fortunate enough to tell. The con-
the niggardly man it is the most sordid of standpat test was open to all radio listeners.
whines, whereas with the wise piano man who per-
Ray Coverdill, manager of the Kimball Piano Store,
mits no bushel to obscure his light, the motto voices announces the arrival of the new Period model grand,
tenacity to keep on trying and doing.
Heppelwhite, in very fine veneers and finish. Mr.
* * *
Coverdill reports some very good business fo far this
Time may be money, but it's a poor substitute month. Mr. Coverdill spent several days in Chicago
last week at the Kimball headquarters.
for a bank account.
Harry Wert, formerly of Indianapolis, and now
* * *
Observe the ant, thou sluggard! The dentist also with the W. W. Kimball Company at Kansas City,
spares no pains.
stopped in Indianapolis over the week end en route
* * *
to Chicago.
Don't make talk about your piano that will amount
George Schaeffer of the C. Kurtzmann Piano Com-
to scandal.
pany, Buffalo, N. Y., was a visitor in Indianapolis
* * *
during the week with the Pearson Piano Company,
A good thing to use freely in your business is hopo. local representative of the Kurtzmann piano.
BOWEN PIANO LOADER HELPS SAI
Outside Salesmen must be equipped so as to "show the goods." The season for country piano selling is approaching. Help your sales-
men by furnishing them with the New Bowen Piano Loader, which serves as a wareroom far from the store. It is the only safe
delivery system for dealers, either in city or country. It costs little. Write for particulars.
BOWEN PIANO LOADER CO.,
Winston-Salem, N. C.
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