Clark’s suspicion that Duke sought a power monopoly in North Carolina is
supported by Aubrey Brooks, who was a close friend to Clark and served as counsel
to the Public Service Company in their lawsuit against Southern Power. In his
autobiography Southern Lawyer, Brooks recalled from his involvement in the case
that Southern Power sought a franchise to distribute power in the Public Service
Company’s territory (which was denied by popular vote) shortly after the Supreme
Court’s ruling. After Duke had insisted that the Public Service Company’s stock
“had no value,” Barstow & Company of New York purchased the common stock
of the Public Service Company for $75 a share. Brooks was not surprised to hear
that soon after, the Public Service Company appeared as an asset of the Southern
Power Company.