The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1886-11-13

Making n Fortune Out Of the
Needs of His FellOW.M Men.


New York Sun.
On an east-bound train the Other
day was well-fed and comfortable
looking man who announced that
he had been attending to business
very strictly for three or four years
and that he was then on his way tc
the seashore for the purpose of hav'
ing a little recreation. His wife
was plump, fresh looking young
woman several years his junior
who, besides being fashionably
dressed, had an air of business
about her which is met with in the
fair sex more frequently in this
part of the country than elsewhere
"Yes," the tourist said, after set
tling himself back in his seat in the
smokers section, "I've been at.
tending to business mighty close
In fact, I've had to. I'm banker
When l came out in this country
had Just about $4,000 clean cash.
Down where Icsme from everybody
said $4,000 wasn't enough to put in
your eye. 1t might do to buy a
home with or get a team, but as
far as business was concerned ii
was only an aggravation. l had
heard something about Dakota, and
l made up my mind that would
show some of the smart men wheth-
er $4,000 capital was good fer any
thing or not. l went West along
with the immigrants, set up little
office, put out a sign Money to
Loan" and sat dOwE to await Gus
tom.
Il put my money out in small
sums principally. A settler would
come in and ask for $50 or 500.
l would ask him what he had.
Well, he might have an equity in
his land, or he would have some
household furniture, farm ma
chinery or horses and wagons. /
would let him have the money and
take a mortgage on all that he had,
deducting my interest at 10, IL or
IA per cent. in advance. Plenty OF
them would want a little money for
month or two months, and I'd
sock it to those fellows. I've had
$40 for the use of $50 for thirty
days many time. A good many
of the settlers were Scandinavians,
and / could not talk to them in
their own language, nor could they
speak to me in mine, but / got up
printed form which they could
understand, and in that way we
managed to do business very salts
factorily.
cit requires a very clear head
and good judgment to do a bank
ing business out here. Particu-
larly is this true in a new settle
ment in the winter time. I've
changed my location three times
since I've been in Dakota. After
township has been settled for
awhile it is not much good to
person in my line. When / have
moved I have always gone into
new country. The people get along
first rate for few months, but the
first winter fetches them. They
have to have money, and a man
who stands by ready to help them
is a public benefactor. l have had
at one time and another mortgages
on the stuff belonging to several
hundred farmers, sometimes taking
mortgages for sums as small as SIC
and 500. In fact, they are the ones
that pay, as the men who give them
are usually on their last legs, and
about all you have to do is to wait
a while and then gather in their
stuff.
II have come into possession Of
some of the best farming land in
Dakota in this way. A man might
get hard up and come to me fol
500 for six months. When the
time was up he would be worse of
than he was before, and by stretch.
ing the mortgage . little / would
give him another 500, the whole
thing to be paid in three months
Then he might come around and
make q poor mouth, and ask for an
extension, and all that, but you see
that wasn't what / was out there
for. NY capital wasn't very large
and l had to keep it moving-and
then, too, there is no sentiment in
business. I'd have to take the
farm. In some such cases ! have
| sold II hack to the man at 12X OF