k firm.

These events left the Comstocks in an embarrassing position. For over
three years they had been promoting the A.J. White trade name, but now
they could hardly keep a competitor from operating under his own name.
Their official attitude was that the old firm of A.J. White & Co. was
still in existence and controlled by the Comstocks. But shortly they
conceded this point tacitly when they introduced new labels for the
Indian Root Pills, under the name and signature of B. Lake Judson, and
advised that any accounts or correspondence with A.J. White & Co. still
outstanding should be directed to the new firm of Judson.

Obviously, this state of affairs was extremely confusing to all of the
customers. Judson traveled widely through the Canadian maritime
provinces and prevailed upon many merchants to disavow orders previously
given to the new A.J. White firm at 10 Courtlandt Street. On April 28,
1859, White and Moore, for their part, appointed one James Blakely of
Napanee, Canada West, to represent them in the territory between
Kingston and Hamilton "including all the back settlements," where he
should engage in the collection of all notes and receipts for the Indian
Root Pills and distribute new supplies to the merchants. On all
collections he was to receive 25 percent; new medicines were to be given
out without charge except for freight. In his letter accepting the
appointment, Blakely advised that:

I think the pills should be entered here so as to avoid part of the
enormous duty. 30% is too much to pay. I think there might be an
understanding so that it might be done with safety. Goods coming to
me should come by Oswego and from thence by Steamer to Millport. By
this route they would save the delay they would be subject to
coming by Kingston and avoid the scrutiny they would give them
there at the customhouse.

[Footnote 5: Moore claimed later (his affidavit of November 22, 1859)
that he thought he was hired only by White personally, and did not
realize that A.J. White & Co. was controlled by the Comstocks.]

[Illustration: FIGURE 9.--"To Purchasers of Dr. Morse's Indian Root
Pills"--a warning by James Blakely, Canadian agent for A.J. White,
against the "counterfeit" pills manufactured by the Comstock firm.]

The great bulk of the notes and accounts which were assigned to Blakely
for collection were undoubtedly accounts originally established with the
old A.J. White & Co. and