Autobiography of Charles Clinton Nourse: Prepared for use of Members of the FamilyNourse, Charles Clinton
History
Autobiography of Charles Clinton Nourse: Prepared for use of Members of the Family
Nourse, Charles Clinton
Iowa -- Politics and government; Lawyers -- Iowa -- Biography; Nourse, Charles Clinton, 1829-
The statement has been made that I was at this time the attorney
for Mr. Kidd. This is wholly untrue. It is true, however, that
early in 1884 the firm of Nourse & Kauffman was called upon by Mr.
Kidd, for a consultation with the attorneys, Messrs. Lehmann &
Park, in regard to his business affairs, and upon the matter of the
construction of the act of 1884, Mr. Kidd advising us at that time
that he desired strictly to observe the law in the manufacture of
alcohol. We gave him our opinion at the time, and he paid our firm
a fee of fifty dollars. I have had no business connection with Mr.
Kidd or the International Distillery since that time, until my
employment in this case, after the decision of Judge Conrad a few
weeks ago.
Early in the year 1886 the secretary of the Polk county alliance
reported that the funds of the organization and the available
subscriptions were exhausted, and that liabilities had been
incurred that we were unable to meet. Several unsuccessful efforts
to have the subscriptions to our funds renewed were made. Mr.
Harvey, on account of other engagements, declined a re-election as
president of the county alliance in June, 1886. It seemed
impossible to get a responsible person to accept of the position.
Under these circumstances I. E. Pearson succeeded to that office.
Though a gentleman of elegant leisure, he has never, since his
election, been able, by his influence or exertions, to put a dollar
into the treasury of the alliance.
He has, however, been operating quite extensively on "his own
hook," as he says. His principal enterprise, apart from his present
suit against Mr. Kidd, has been to watch the incoming of the
monthly reports that the law requires the druggist to make to the
county auditor, and whenever, by any misadventure, their reports
have been delayed a few days beyond the time fixed by the law,
Pearson has brought suit against them for the one hundred dollars
penalty provided by the statute, and then compromised for the
largest amount he could get out of the defendant. In this way he
has made hundreds of dollars for himself and has been able to
support such an improved style of personal appearance that it has
attracted public attention and newspaper comment.
In this new _role_ of "affidavit maker" to the _State Register_ he
has already attained distinction. Whether this enterprise will
prove a financial success I do not know, as I am not advised as to
the terms of the new partnership. It is not yet known whether
Pearson has taken the _State Register_ into partnership, or
whether the _Register_ has taken in Pearson.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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