NYT - PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 11, 1888.- At a meeting of the Directors of the Keely Motor Company held to-day the resignations of the three Philadelphia Directors, Messrs. George B. Collier, Lancaster Thomas, and William Clark, which had been tendered at the last meeting of the boards, were accepted. The fact that these gentlemen had resigned was kept secret until to-day. The following named gentlemen were elected to fill the vacancies: William Boekel of Philadelphia, George H. Hastings of New York, and Henry N. Hooper of Brooklyn, Guilian S. Hook of New-York was elected Treasurer.
Mr. Thomas spoke to-night in a manner that showed him to be greatly incensed against the New-York Directors. "We withdrew as a body," said Mr. Thomas, referring to himself and Messrs. Collier and Clark, "because the suit brought against Mr. Keely by the Board of Directors of the Keely Motor Company"- here Mr. Thomas spoke very sarcastically- "was brought by the New-York Directors without in any way giving the Philadelphia Directors any intimation whatever of what they were going to do. They did not do it in the board, but acted as a board themselves without any authority from us. They not only acted without our previous knowledge in the matter, but as a Board of Directors of the Keely Motor Company they appropriated themselves money to push the suit. To get the money that they appropriated they sold the stock of the company at a great sacrifice. Of this I am certain. It was roughshod all through. We had no say in running the machine at all and were treated disgracefully. They ignored our Treasurer to such an extent that he resigned. Whenever they had any money to pay they would pay it themselves, and would not allow it to come within 50 yards of our Treasurer's hands. They carried on business in a way that was distasteful to us, and we could stand it no longer. After we discovered that the suit had been brought we canvassed the matter thoroughly and withdrew. You cannot find on the minutes of any of our meetings the least intimations that the Board of Directors were going to take any legal action against Mr. Keely. That fact shows by itself that the matter was not mentioned in the board and the step was not taken by the action of the beard. I see by the election that the New-York Directors gain practically two members and a Treasurer. Leaving only one Philadelphian. Well, they are no stronger now than they were before, because they ran things as they pleased and acted as though they were the entire board." (The New York Times)
Published: September 12, 1888
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