Page:The History of the Standard Oil Company Vol 2.djvu/127

 that Miller would lose all the money he had put in. To save himself, Everest advised Miller to come back to the Vacuum. "But that would leave them in a pretty bad fix," Miller said. "That is exactly what I want to do," replied Everest. The fear that the new concern might be ruined through the hostility of the Vacuum, and he lose his savings, seems to have preyed on Miller's mind. He took his wife into his confidence, and she, too, became alarmed. He began to neglect his work in Buffalo. He was often away at nights. Matthews began to be worried by Miller's neglect and absence, and to watch the stations to find, if possible, where he went. Miller's question now became, how could he get away from the Buffalo firm? He had signed for the company a note for $5,000. He was under contract for a term of years. He discussed the question with the Everests, and they advised him to see his lawyer. On the seventh of June, according to H. B. Everest, who went with him to help present the case, Miller did consult George Truesdale, a lawyer of Rochester, who had always handled his business. Mr. Truesdale afterwards told in court what occurred:

"Mr. Everest stated that Miller had left his employ, and got engaged with another oil concern in the City of Buffalo; that he desired to get back again; he wanted him to come back; and he said he supposed Miller had explained to me his situation, and the obligations he was under to the Buffalo company. I told him that he had made some statements to me about his contract with the parties in Buffalo; that he had spoken about being an endorser or party to the note made by, I think he said, Matthews and Wilson and himself, and I think another party—four or five of them had made, endorsed a note to raise money, done to start the Buffalo business, and that he had a contract or an arrangement with them to go into a company at Buffalo to manufacture oil, and that he wanted to know how he could get out of that arrangement. I stated what I had said to Miller, that he would, of course, be liable on the note, if he was charged properly when it became due, and that if he wanted to get out of that arrangement my advice to him had been to see if he couldn't get released; if they wouldn't release him