2 weeks Ago By The Daily Republic, Mitchell, S.D.
Apr. 12—Follow-up to an ad featured last week printed in the Mitchell Gazette on March 25, 1898 /Linda Oster — Researcher Online information about the entrepreneur who wanted to study law after graduating from Wittenburg College at Springfield, Ohio in 1884 with high honors says that John William Kiser found that he couldn't pursue his dream of a career in law. He was the son of a very successful farmer and stock raiser who taught him the value of hard work and looking for opportunities.
O.S. Kelly Company in Springfield, Ohio offered him a job as a "traveling collector and adjuster of litigated claims.
" This was not to be his final position as he resigned in 1889 and started working for the Chicago Sewing Machine Company. He rose to a managerial position and carefully built his fortune over the years. The Monarch Cycle Manufacturing Company was born from the sewing company in 1892 with the capital outlay from Kiser; he made the company a leader in the field.
He eventually sold the cycle company in 1898. The automobile was becoming the thing; he invested and the result can be seen in the ad shown above. Note that he kept the Monarch name.
A Runabout without the top cost $500 while a Runabout with top cost $550. The speed that could be gained in the Runabout was advertised as 4-22 miles per hour on high speed clutch. It boasted planetary transmission, two speeds forward and one reverse.
In addition all parts were accessible and all speeds operated by one lever..
