| Show A LETTER L E E FOR F C fi A J LEE L E E from MRS GRUNDY mr arthur J lee candidate for county commissioner price utah my dear sir once upon a time there lived a decrepit ignorant sin pie old man so old and feeble was he that he could no longer take care of himself so ignorant was he that he could not even sign his own name so simple and confiding was he that he called upon you for advice and assistance si he had property worth TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS his name was THOMAS r he lived in fruita colorado remember him mr lee NO never heard of him eh what strange tricks memory playa plays sometimes it mr lee let permit me to refresh your mnemonic monic faculties by the following excerpts from duly attested documents now in my possession and permit me to state that I 1 stand ready and willing to produce the said documents at any and all times on april 22 1911 thomas lieen brought suit against arthur J lee in the district court in and for the county of mesa state of colorado in that suit he accused you as follows that the defendant by FRAUD procured and induced the plaintiff to execute and deliver to the defendant a deed iced of said premises and said water stock and right of way in paragraph one mentioned conveying the same to the defendant in fee by fraudulently representing to the plaintiff that the said deed of conveyance WAS A MERE HERE POWER OF ATTORNEY from plaintiff to defendant to convert the above described property of plaintiff into cash FOR THE USE AND BENEFIT OF PLAINTIFF and plaintiff relying upon said representation of defendant did execute and deliver said deed as and for and believing it to be such power gi 0 attorney AND FOR NO OTHER PURPOSE WHATEVER plaintiff alleges that at the time said deed was procured as in paragraph two stated HB WAS SICK AND unattended D BY ANYONE SAVE DEFENDANT AND defendants ATTORNEY and was not physically in a condition to understand or to know the lets or pretended acts that he was by fraudulent representations induced to do or attempt plaintiff alleges that he is an old man OVER EIGHTY YEARS OF AGE uneducated and illiterate and incapable of READING OR understanding THE FORCE AND EFFECT of said abovementioned above mentioned deed had the same been shown or read to him NEITHER OF WHICH WAS DONE just like taking candy from a sick baby it mr lee plaintiff alleges that the lands and tenements in paragraph one hereof described are very valuable and worth not less than eight thousand dollars and that defendant WITH THE INTENTION TO CHEAT AND DEFRAUD PLAINTIFF procured said deed by the false representations in paragraph two mentioned WITHOUT ANY consideration whatsoever DEVER greatly to the prejudice and injury of the plaintiff plaintiff is informed and believes and upon the information and belief alleges that defendant caused said deed WITHOUT plaintiffs KNOWLEDGE OR CONSENT to be recorded in the office of the county clerk and recorder of mesa county colorado and that the same is recorded at page of book of the records of said county wherefore plaintiff prays judgment against defendant that said eaid deed be cancelled and that the defendant be required to to plaintiff the property in paragraph one described and in said deed pretended to be conveyed do the foregoing extracts recall the matter to your mind mr lee only slightly well well I 1 th then cai let me try a bit further on april 25 1911 the daily sentinel published in grand junction colorado had among its news items the following somewhat out of the ordinary y bordering on the sensational is the suit brought by thomas kieen against A J lee the well known fruita banker according to attorney sam berry representing mr kimn the latter was found in a serious physical condition in his cabin in in fruita some time ago and in need of medical care and attention application WAS MADE TO MR LEE who transacted mr but business iness matters AND HE VISITED HIM IN HIS CABIN later a deed was filed for record whereby mr conveyed to mr lee HIS ENTIRE PROPERTY estimated from to in value later according to mr berry mr kieen was found to HAVE HAD NO CARE AND MEDICAL TREATMENT physicians were called in and the sick man removed to st marys hospital where he now lies IN A SERIOUS CONDITION soon after his removed to this city the suit was filed asking for the setting aside of the deed on the ground that mr kieen was not capable of executing such a document AND THAT IT WAS OBTAINED IN AN IRREGULAR MANNER THERE mr led leel now the entire transaction comes back to you it it sure does I 1 thought it would so that all I 1 have to add is the fact that after all the procrastinating trickery your attorney was capable of after demurrers had been presented and overruled after answers and amended answers had been submitted after replications reverberations repercussions and the lord knows what else the came when the would stand it no and st set t the case for trial then what happened mr lee YOU DEEDED THE PROPERTY BACK TO THOMAS AND HAD THE CASE DISMISSED poor old tom kieen I 1 for many years he was a familiar figure in mesa county known to all respected by all A hardworking hard working thrifty handed son of the soil for many many years he toiled and slaved to pay the mortgage on his land blistered in summer frozen in winter denying himself all luxuries all pleasures even some necessities lecessi ties for what so that in his old age he might live in comfort so that the grinding sense ot necessitous want would be forever dismissed from his mind he had no wife no children no relatives he becomes ill he is alone in his cabin too feeble to help himself too ignorant to know what his money can procure for him like many of his sort he looked upon all banks as the personification of security like many of his sort he regarded all bank officials as the personification of integrity and manhood in his sickness in his helplessness in his ignorance he thinks of the man who has done his banking business for him HE SENDS FOR YOU MR MP LEE perhaps you had hid previously signed checks for him he write his own name he had lidd to put his cross on the complaint he filed against you anyway he sent for you and you went to the old cabin what happened in that interview mr lee did tom say mr lee I 1 am dying I 1 favret long to live I 1 want to be comfortable for the little time I 1 have left on earth will you take care of me and did you say tom my heart bleeds for you ill 11 look after you like a brother give me your power of attorney so that I 1 can sign a couple of checks for you and fet gret you the medical attention and luxuries you need and did you then go to a lawyer and get a WARRANTY DEED for poor old ignorant trusting tom kieen to sign what the complaint says you did mr lee AND YOU DEEDED THE PROPERTY BACK AND PREVENTED THE CASE COMING TO TRIAL theres one thing about the transaction that I 1 dont understand mr lee perhaps you can clear it up for me there is no doubt from your standpoint at least that it was perfectly proper for you to take tom eicens property away from him he trusted you implicitly it is true but the man who trusts another is an idiot he mr lee and an idiot have any property should he mr lee so all right but why did you leave the poor old chap to die like a rat in a hole you were the cashier of a bank you received I 1 presume a fairly good salary surely even it if you are busted now you were not THEN so to impecunious that you could not spare a nickel to buy some soda crackers with besides you had just received ten Tho phout uLand and dollars of property from him for nothing cant you give me SOME explanation about this mr lee and while you are explaining this mr lee will you kindly answer the following questions a WHEN and UNDER WHAT circumstances did you give up your position wit habe bank at fruita colorado b did you ever own a at BEAUTIFUL HOME IN FRUITA so WHAT BECAME OF IT d TO WHOM DID YOU DEED IT AND WHY c e do you own the horse and buggy you brought from fruita to price I 1 regret having to trouble you with these questions mr lee but sometimes even if you are rot not aware of it taxpayers of a county like to know what kind of a man tl thy are voting for especially when he be aspires to the important position of COUNTY commissioner commission M and sometimes you will mill note that I 1 say SOMETIMES even the moral of such a saint saintly lik unimpeachable virtuous ward heeler as mr mark braffet will not stop the publics curiosity yours very truly MRS GRUNDY |
