From Alloy Artifacts:
http://alloy-artifacts.org/frank-mossberg-company-p2.html#later-sockets
"W. & M. Co." Mystery Ratchet
Fig. 106. W. & M. Co. Female-Drive Ratchet, with Inset for Side View.
Fig. 106 shows an example of the mysterious "W. & M. Co." female-drive ratchet, marked only with "W. & M. Co." forged into the shank.
The overall length is 9.0 inches.
The square drive opening is the correct size for the standard pressed-steel sockets made by Mossberg, Walden, and others, and this ratchet model is frequently found in sets of pressed-steel sockets, sometimes with unmarked sockets or from from several makers. Although the ratchet is clearly marked, no information has yet been found for the identity of the "W. & M." company.
An important clue to the origin is provided by the 1922 patent #1,426,127, filed by W.I. Tuttle in 1920 and issued in 1922, with assignment to the Frank Mossberg Company. The patent illustration matches this ratchet almost exactly, and the construction details (such as the detent ball in the opening) also match this example.
With the discovery of the Sears catalog listing showing this ratchet in the Aristocrat No. 1 Socket Set, we are now confident that the ratchet was produced by Mossberg for its Sears production. However, the meaning or reason for the "W. & M. Co." marking remains unknown.
http://alloy-artifacts.org/craftsman-early-tools.html#aristocrat-no1-set-1922
