Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1886-10-07

that doubtful court of which he was
O doubtful ssrvitor, and that his csaim
to immortality ceased with his douhle-feed
service. But there stiIl stands ON record a
letter by this young gentleman, arraigning
the legal wisdom of the land, which is not en-
tirely devoid Of amusement or even instruc-
ton to young men DESTROYS of obtaining pub
LEFTY and capital. Howbeit, the supreme
court was obliged to protect itself by procur-
ing the legislation of his functions out of its
local fingers into the larger palm of its own
attorney
These various processes of law and equity,
which, when exercised practically in the af-
fairs of ordinary business, might have occu-
pied few months time, dragged, chung, re-
trograded, or advanced slowly during a
period of eight or nine years. But the strong
arms of Biggs and Thatcher held possession,
| and possibly, by the Same tactics employed
on the other side, arrested or delayed eject
ment, and SO made and sold quicksilver, while
their opponents were spending gold, until
Biggs, sorely hit in the interlacing of his ar
NOR, fell in the lists, his cheek growing
waxen and his strong arm feeble, and finding
himself in this sore condition, and passing, as
it were, made over his share in trust to his
conlrade and died. Whereat, from that time
henceforward, Royal Thatcher reigned in his
stead.
And SO, having anticipated the legal record,
we will go back to the various human in
terests that helped to make it up.
To begin with Rosoommon: To do
justice to his later conduct and ex-
preston, it must be remembered that
when he accepted the claim for the
''Red Rock rancho,n yet unquestioned, from
the hands of Garcia, he was careless, or at
least unsuspicious of fraud. 1t was not until
he had experienced the intoxication of litiga-
] ton that he felt, somehow, that he was a
wronged and defrauded man, but with til e
obstinacy of defrauded men, preferred to rG-
raign some one fact or individual as tho i'm
pelling cause of his wrong, rather than the
various circumstances that led to it To this
simple mind it was made patent that the
"Blue Mass Company were making rnoney
out of mine which he claimed, and which
was not yet adjudged to them. Every dollar
they took out was fresh count in this gen.
|
adjustment of rights-although made by his
own lawyer-was a personal wrong The
mere fact that there never was nor had been
any quid pro quo for this immense property
that it had fallen to him for a mere song
only added zest to his struggle. The possibility
of his losing this mere speculation affected
him more strongly than if he had already
paid down the million he expected to get from
the mine. don't know that have indicated
as plainly as / might that universal prefer
ence on the part of mankind to get something
from nothing, and to acquire the largest re-
turn for the least possible expenditure, but ]
question my right TO say that Roscommor
was much more reprehensible than his fel
lows.
But it told upon him as it did upor
all over whom the spirit of the muir
dered Concho brooded-upon all whom
avarice alternately flattered and tortured
From his quiet gains in his legitimate
business, from the little capital accumu
lated through industry and economy, he Law
ished thousands on this chimera of his fancy
He grew grizzled and worn over his self-im
posed delusion; he no longer jested with his
customers, regardless of quality or station OIL
Importance; no had cliques to mollify, enemies
to placate friends to reward. The grocery
suffered; through giving food and lodgment
to cloudsof unirnpeachable witnesses before the
land commission and the district court, Mrs
Ros," found herself losing money. Even the
bar failed; there was party of "Blue Mass
employees who drank at the opposite fonda
and cursed the Roscommon claim over the
liquor. The calm, mechanical indifference
with which Roscommon had served his Gus
toners was gone The towel was no Longer
used after its perfunctory fashion; thu
counter remained unwiped; the disks o.
countless glasses marked its surface and in
dictated other preoccupation on the part O
the proprietor. The keen gray eyes of thu
claimant of the "Red Rock Rancho were al
ways on the lookout for friend or enemy.
Garcia comes next. That gentleman
Unborn talent for historic misrepresentation
eliminated unpleasantly through a de
fective memory; a year or two after h,
hads sworn in his application for the Rancho
being engaged in another case, some triflin.
inconsistency was discovered in his state
mentS, which had the effect of throwing tn,
weight of evidence to the party who had paiC
him most, but was instantly detected by tn
weaker party. Garcia's pre-eminence as
witness, an expert and general historian be
gan to decline. He was obliged to be cor
roborated, and this required liberal outla,
of his fee. With the loss of his credibilty a
a witness bad habits supervened He wa
frequently drunk, he lost his position, he los
bis house, and Carmen, removed to San Fran
cisco, supported him with her brush.
And this brings US once moro to that prett,
painter and innocent forger whose uncon
scions act bore such baleful fruit on the bar
rem hillsides of the "Red Rock Tacbon an,
also to later blossom of her life, that opened
however, in kindlier sunshine.
m. - rf..t...y