The 1914 edition of Illustrated Bloomington included a photo of the home of L.E. Slick at 1301 N. Clinton. (An article in the Pantagraph indicated he bought this home for $5000 in 1916.) In 1916 he would buy and revitalize the old Hungarian Mill. At that location he renovated the old buildings and expanded on them as well. A pebble and dash exterior modernized the appearance of old buildings and the new building was of concrete construction, a popular method at that time. He had also purchased a large farm in Randolph Township for $96,000.
A year after buying the mill, Slick was ready to be in operation. Slick had replaced the machinery in the mill, and one of the advantages of the configuration of the new mill was that not all the machinery had to be operating at the same time. So by contrast, it seems that all the machinery in the former "Hungarian" mill had been connected and operated in unison, which would have meant a stoppage on one part of the line meant a complete stoppage. Twenty seven men were employed by the mill, some of whom were brought in for this new venture. The new owners planned to mill flour, corn meal and animal feed. Slick (with the assistance of expert millers) had developed a new corn meal he called "Safety First" which they claimed was already preferred by many in the Midwest. Slick would continue to market the "Kossuth" flour advertised on the side of the building, a flour that was already widely accepted. The name that had been adopted by the Cox brothers who had owned and run the mill as the "Hungarian" mill. Bill Kemp pointed out in one of his Sunday columns that Kossuth was the name of a Hungarian revolution leader -- not an actual variety of flour. Here is a link to Bill Kemp's article from 2011 about the Coxes and the mill. http://www.pantagraph.com/news/local/hungarian-mill-known-for-its-kossuth-flour/article_97d31f4e-d0fb-11e0-9578-001cc4c002e0.html
A few short years later the mill company was in bankruptcy and the mill was up for auction in April 1919. The world war would have made the need for flour especially intense, but Slick had apparently been unable to make a go of it. Perhaps this was presaged by the filing of mechanic's liens almost immediately after the announcement of the new business. A schapirograph (above) was listed in the items for sale. This was an early copying machine. Another interesting items were a rocking chair and chemists' equipment. A rocking chair seems like an odd item for a busy office, but perhaps their break room was especially homey!
Edwin Slick's problems were not limited to the bankruptcy court. A Pantagraph article in 1923 indicates that he was convicted of filing a false income tax return and had been sentenced to one year in prison. He was still appealing that verdict and trying to avoid prison. The family had moved to Peoria but no mention was made of his present business dealings and no future articles reported on his tax status.