PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 3.-The Keely Motor case again came up in Common Pleas Court No. 3 today on a motion brought by Rufus E. Shipley and William C. Strawbridge, counsel for Bennett C. Wilson, to show cause why Inventor Keely should not be committed for contempt of court in refusing to divulge information to the expert appointed by the court as whether Keely's apparatus is identical with a motor device which he transferred to Mr. Wilson in 1869. Charles B. Collier, J. J. Murphy, and Wayne MacVeagh looked after Mr. Keely's interests.
"There is not the slightest doubt that Mr. Keely is in flagrant contempt of court," said Mr. Shipley. "He was in contempt before and his counsel nearly admitted it. They talked then about his poverty and the large amounts of money he had expended. These large amounts have dwindled down to $87. His explanations furnished to the experts were typewritten copies and entirely unintelligible. If the court can understand his explanations then he is absolved from the charge, but if the papers cannot be understood, and I claim that they cannot, he is still in contempt."
When Mr. Shipley had ceased speaking Mr. Collier read the majority report, in which the experts had arrived at the conclusion that they could not understand the mechanical apparatus known as the "Keely Motor." Mr. Collier produced a number of drawings, from which he said ordinary workman had constructed the machine, and dwelt upon the fact that these men could understand them and still learned experts could not make head or tail of them. He read Mr. Keely's description of it, and said that he would give his word as a member of the bar that Keely's description was true.
"I have seen it work a thousand times," said Mr. Collier, "and understand it, and yet Prof. Marks says he cannot understand the construction unless he is given a description of the motive power that is to run it."
A long wrangle followed, in which ex-Attorney-General Wayne MacVeagh took a prominent part. Judge Finletter reserved his decision. Wilson's lawyers expect to get Keely into jail for contempt before the matter is settled. (The New York Times) November 4, 1888
Published: November 4, 1888
Copyright © The New York Times
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