The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1888-11-08

All this was said in tone Of voice
and manner that showed, even more
than his words. how utterly broken
and hopeless the man was, and when
he ceased speaking he staggered again.
and those about him thought he would
have fallen; but he gathered his ener-
gies. made his way through the crowd,
which opened to let him pass. went to
the stable. and replacing the saddle on
his horse, mounted him and turned his
face toward home.
The moment he left the Recorder S
Office. dozen voices were heard eager.
" demanding to know the details of
the affair
The man who was 10 have bought the
place could tell nothing beyond the
fact that on examining the records he
had discovered mortgage against il
for about the value Of the property.
1T seemed strange he said, THAT
the mortgage should be there and have
escaped the eye, not only Of Mr.. Par
sons himself. but of the maker Of the
abstract which lie received from Mr.,
Blake. There is evidently mistake
somewhere. Possibly the mortgage has
been paid and the mortgage has neg
lectea to cancel 1t on the books in the
office; If SO and II can be proved. it can
nil be made right yet.
Thea somebody suggested that Mr.
Parsons he called back and an effort
Ypaia Ia tho faofc
1T is pity to let the old man suffer
SO, If IL is only mistake and the
mortgage has been raid they said;
and half dozen of them started AT
once to call to Mr. Parsons to stay and
try to learn all the facts. but the Re.
corder. who had remain d silent during
the discussion. now spoke:
Its no use, men," he said, 1.-THE
mortgage is there. and there is nc
doubt but it will take the place. unless
the old man can raise the money to pay
it of.
.'You know l have only been in Office
less than year. When ! came in here
got to looking over the books back q
piece and | found things little hi
mixed. and set to work to straightel
bled onto this mortgage. It was re
corded all right, but it wasn't indeAed
and you know a man might huut for
week through these books and not fin,
thing that wasn't in the index. BE
sides, no one would ever think of don!
so. as every mortgage is supposed t
appear i'm the index under the mann
both of the maker and the mortgagee
Il thought at the time that lik
enough trouble would come Of tn
blunder. which is the fault of old Pu
terbaugh, who was Recorder at tn
time it occurred. He was never sobe
two days at stretch, and ought neve
10 have been elected, but he manages
somehow to get the nomination, an,
then we had to vote for him or go bacl
On the party; and YOU know W
couldn't do that
'Well, as l was saying, though
like as not Parsons never knew OF tina
mortgage being there. but hadn't tn
heart TO mention it, and it wasn't an
Of my business anyway. and reall
hoped it had been paid and would nevc
give him any trouble. But about
week ago fellow was here from 'Frisc
You remember him, Jo." he said
interrupting himself and addressing tn
landlord Of the hotel, who was one o
the crowd that fellow with a stove
pipe hat and suit Of brown yelsc
clothes. He stopped with yous"
Yes" replied the landlord, +" / re
member him. lie was there to Dime
and supper and left on the down boat.
well" continued the Recorder
''tha, was Blake's brother-in-law
don't know whether he is as big a ras
cal as Blake was or not, but anyway
seems that Blake got hard up and boz
rowed fifteen hundred dollars of thi
hrother-in-law and gave a mortgage q
that place up there for security.
1T was more than the ranch was wort
at the time, but ! reckon Blake was i
\ fix where he had to have that amount
and as that was all the security he ha
to give, his brother-in-law let him hay
1t. May be he never went to look {
the place at all, but just took Blake
say-so for what the property was worth
well, after bit, Blake, who wa
always looking over the records to Sc
if he couldn't strike lead Of som
kind, happened to stumble onto the fat
that old Puterbaugh hadn't indexc
that mortgage, and he made up h
mind to sell the place to somebody els
and leave the country.
''Ha knew no one would be likely
see the mortgage in making an abstrac
and il they did discover it, why h
would say it had been paid and d.
stroyed. but the party had neglected I
cancel il on the records. Then he woul
buster around. pretending to be lool
ing for the party who had held il in o.
der to have the matter fixed up, bl
would never be able to find him, an
pretty soon tho man who was going I
buy the place would get sick Of waitin
and 60 of somewhere else, or buy 81
other place. and the whole thing woul
b. forgotten.
"At least, that's the way l iigul
II all out. and l reckon amt very +,
from right"
..R,t Le,v Noas IL oc,nn fhof fh