Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 14, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 January 1911 — EUGENE PURTELLE IS HARD TO UNDERSTAND. [ARTICLE]

EUGENE PURTELLE IS HARD TO UNDERSTAND.

Petition in Bankruptcy Indicates that Railroad Promoter is Not Well Balanced Mentally. The Chicago papers relate the story of Eugene Purtelle’s petition in tankruntpy and some of the matters Introduced in the story causes one to wonder whether Eugene Purtelle is possessed of all his mental faculties. Purtelle was in The Republican office Monday and discussed his petition in bankruptcy with the writer in a very nonchalant manner. He seemed to care about as little about his list of liabilities, which totaled the large sum qf. $707,933.11, as most people would about a small debt. Mr. Purtelle seemed to think that the accumulation of a bunch of debts was a necessary feature of high financing and it mattered little who got*skinned or how it happened so long as t'l j figures represented a big sum of money. The writer put a number of pertinent, and a few impertinent ques - tions to Purtelle, and he did not seem to mind them a bit, although he did exhibit a slight uneasiness when he was told that the lack of success ot his Chicago investment was a porv recommedation for him to come before our people with in making a request for stock subscriptions. Mr Purtelle was asked if he had failed at everything he had undertaken and he said, “No, not everything,” but he did not say what successful affairs he had been connected with. Worse than the indifference Purtelle displays is the fact that he listed as debts money which the listed creditors state that he does not owe. He put Custer & Cameron down for $168,000, and they say that he does not owe them a cent, and he also put a man by the name of George A. Haskell down for SIOO,OOO, and Haskell denies that Purtelle is indebted to him. To offset this deception in the list of liabilities it looks from the manner in which Purtelle is discussed in Chicago newspapers as thotigh practically all his assets were dreams also. He claimed to have assets amounting to a little more than $50,000, but it seems that the sso,Odd is simply a claim against a number of men, who pronounce it all “bunk,” and claim th-.iy do not owe Purtelle a cent. Purtelle valued his personal effects at $989.1.-, which included a cane valued at $1 50 which Purtelle usually carried with him when he was looking up some one to Interest in a get-rick-quick investment. From the list of creditois of Purtelle, there appears to be a lotof other claims which he would be under no obligations to settle. The whole thing on Purtelle’s part seems to be so much of a frame-up that there is considerable doubi whether he is quite right in his mental make-up. It has been reported that Purtelle is selling stock in his projected railroad and that a number of purchasers have been found near Mt. Ayr. While the voting of a subsidy is all right, if does not look to be a good thing to buy stock and give the money to Purtelle with no further guarantee than he supplies. There seems mighty little prospect of the road doing any good when a fellow like Purtelle is at the head of it, and yet with the subsidies^ already voted and the ones in prospect, it would seem that with dependable parties back of it there might be a good chance of the road being built. It would seem advisable for the other men who are in the road promoting scheme to get rid of Purtelle without delay and then push the proposition energetically. If the subsidies as voted could be transferred to the Club it would seem toTie a worthy movement and we believe that the club would inspire confidence and be able to secure not only* additional aid, but the capital with which to build the road.