Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1874-10-02

AND he SOLD 100000 WORTH OF COAL LAND
FOR FIVE DOLLARS AN ACRE.

st. Charles Mo- Cosmos.
One of St. Charles enterprising citizens,
who for slowness of mental evolution we
would fain believe came over with Moses, the
conquerer, and who, when Joshua, the son
Of Nun, commanded the sun to stand still
upon Gideon, and the moon in the valley of
Alal0n. mistook the command rs Il personal
direction, and has been standing still ever
since, holding to the creed that the telegraph
Is an invention of the devil, and the press
likewise an engine Of his sulphuric majesty,
and who, for fear Of being held in any degree
responsible for these satanic revelations, al
WAYS adyertises with n written d" notis'
stuck on barn doors in the back alleys,
where he who runs may read, and whose
conversational stock in trade consists in per
sonal "reminiscences of those who - fit into
the war Of To- was last week brought for
ward several thousand years with such yelo-
city that the centrifugal whirl brushed all Of
the cobweb> from the brain lie never read
the papers, but he does now, and it happen
ed in this way: About twenty years ago
he entered two sections Of land in adjoining
counties in Illinois, only few miles distant
from the river He has been paying taxes
on it ever since, and for the past five years
has been very desirous of selling, but, con-
cealing the desire from the public by relig-
Iously avoiding the newspapers, never found
a purchaser until a few days ago. He came
along in the person of a verdant (?) lmpor-
taton from the press-ridden east. He was
' considerin' a notion to settle down TO
iarmin'," bat as the land was too high about
It. Charles, he '' guessed he'd 20 up to Iowa,
where he had heard good farmin' land could
be bought for five dollars per acre" Oar
antediluyian friend saw his opportunity,
and made ready to take this stranger in.
He told him of his two tracts in Illinois,
gave his prices and numbers. and our would
be settler started to see it e. He came
back in 4 day or two, and said he liked one
piece pretty well. but the other one was too
TAR away from 4 settlement. lie would give
four dollars an acrc for the one, or seven
dollars for the other bat he wanted the
most desirable piece. Our citizen 80 calcu-
lated he would keep this piece, but he
would let the other 60 for ;Sj an acre, cash.
The stranger. after some higgling. finally
agreed TO take it. got his deed, and went his
way. Oar citizen locked up his currency in
an old >t1cking-fJr he wls afraid Of our
hanks-and chucklel to think how lie had
-1ld his wild land, got pretty good interest
On the co>t-and no thanks to any real
estate agency or newspaper advertisement.
lie would not see 4 newspaper or read one.
1t was money an time wuss than thrown
awav." In day or two he thought he woald
write To the recorder over there and see
what his remaining piece was worth lie
did 80. and also gave description Of the
piece he had sold The answer came-the
piece remaining was worth about four dol
iars an acre. The piece he had sold was
within mile Of station on the Iamaroa
railroad. The railroad ran through cornc.
Of it. 1t wasn't very good farming land
there was too much coal in it-and party
of eastern men We're there preparing to sink
a shaft. The recorder thought it WAS worth
at least so 600. and if tho>e mines were
going On without authority he had better
look INTO it. adding a postscript that his
deed to one of the tracts had just been
brought in for record.