The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-01-31

DOught so lew or so many lots on wnlch 10
build S1,000,000, hotel with an elevator
and electric lights" One young man, whose
hair was red and appearance foxy, told me
that "a Philadelphia syndicate bought that
corner" pointing a dirty index finger at
rocky side hill lot in Wardner, Idaho, ITO
build dance house ON And he wondered
why laughed as coniured up a group of
obese Philadelphia Quakers building and
running dance hall in a Rocky Mountain
mining camp. My foxy acquaintance was
a very funny youth. | suspect that he is
brother of the Tacoma boomer" who, when
| in his presence at Tacoma regretted that
the smoke hung over Commencement Bay
and prevented my seeing Mount Tacoma,
gazed rather reproachfully above for an
instant, and then said in tone that actually
sorrowed over my ignorance: 1--WE like to
see the smoke. 1t shows that the farmers
are burning brush and clearing up their
land | could have Rugged him for that
most delightful and originallie. The smoke
extended from the Pacific coast to the
eastern base of the Rocky Mountains. Farm
ers burning brush, indeedl | should say so,
and | saw their fires burning on thousands
of acres of forest land. Yes | am satisfied
that the Warner rustler and the Tacoma
boomer are full brothers.
The discovery that the location of town
had nothing TO do with real estate excite
at first. But | soon became accustomed to
that fact. A collection of huts among sage
brush where jack rabbits played; little
towns in poverty -Stricken wheat-producIng
regions, where the farmers were so poor
that they could not buy a side of bacon
without securing the merchant who trusted
them with chattel mortgage; towns Ill
dense forests; towns at waterfalls In regions
where there was nothing to manufacture;
N
towns on arid, wind-swept deserts, all were
the same to the real estate rustlers. They
rustled gleefully, and talked in five or SIX
figures of the population their towns would
possess in less than two years.
] know of one town in a strictly agricul
tural region that is plotted to cover an
area of four miles long and three broad, and
the lots are sold too, inside Of whose corpor-
ate limits extensive fields of wheat are grow
ing to-day.
In Central Kansas there is a town the
name of which l purposely withhold be-
cause | shall visit it next month, and, times
being little dull at present, 1.-The boys"
might, if [ named the town, crave little
sport when | arrived and make my visit un
pleasant-where local association beg
pardon. local syndicate-bought so acres
of low-lying land which was justly famous
for bountiful crops of sundowers. The
syndicate had the property surveyed and
plotted, and then added to the town as an
add ton. Then it was turned over to real
estate rustler to sell. He looked at the plot
attentively. He thought profoundly for
few minutes, then he tapped his nose three
times with his index finger and murmured
to his clerk, whom he alleges is mo SLOUGH
at spotting a tenderfoot, y 81 have it," and
walked out of his office whistling gayly.
Pre- emily a youth who bore a telephone
appeared at the office He set up the instru-
ment and connected it with the central office.
His work done he disappeared. Then the
rustler, accompanied by a clever mechanic,
entered, and they connected the bell of the
telephone with battery which was con-
cealed in the desk of the clerk who was no
SLOUGH The balance of the day was devoted
to preparing the Office for the reception of
customers. When it was ready strangers
were invited to call and buy lots by adver-
tisements inserted in the local newspapers
and by handbills distributed in the railroad
cars which passed through the town.
The next morning the rustler sat in the
Office and smoked good cigar with great
apparent enjoyment. A stranger walked in
and began to talk about town lots. The
clerk who was no slouch glanced out of the
corner of his eye at him for an instant, and
in that instant he ''took inn the stranger
from the crown of his silk hat to the toes of
his polished boots, and had spotted him as a
pilgrim from the East. In a moment the
bell of the telephone rang sharply. The
curtain arose and the play began.
Excuse nue. for a minute, please" the
real estate rustler said to his visitor as he
walked to the telephone and placed the
trumpet to his ear.
YES" he said, in reply to mythical
gentleman at the other end of the line
''Yes. Are you the Fifth avenue~
Affirmative answer received.
Cant say till look at the plot. They are
being sold rapidly. Wait a minute, please"
Then turning to the clerk he said: "Mr.
Clarkhill. Just look at the plot and see if lots
8 to IS, inclusive, block z, Dunraven's Ad-
dition, are sold
The clerk turned to the plot and pretended
to inspect it, then he tipped the leaves of a
large book several times and studied
fraudulent entry for a minute. He turned
to his chief and said briskly; Eyes, they
were sold yesterday to Kansas City syndi-
cate to build tenements on"
They are soldn the chief rustler shouted
into the telephone. He held the trumpet to
his ear listening attentively, and then said:
'Hold on a minute, I'll see"
Are the same numbered lots in block Q
sold!" he asked the clerk.
eyes, they were sold this morning to a
Chicago syndicate to build an opera house
on :" the clerk replied after a pretense of
inspection or the large DOCK ana plOU.
Eyes, they are sold" the rustler shouted
into the telephone. He sat down and talked
to his customer for q few minutes, to be
again interrupted by the ringing of the bell.
This time a man at the Grand Central asked
him to reserve certain unSold lots for him,
and said he would call at the Office in an
hour or two. The lots were checked on the
plot. He resumed his conversation with his
historic again leave him to hold another con-
yersation with another mythical gentleman
who was at the Windsor Hotel, and to whom
he sold more lots. And the clerk, as he
checked these lots on the plot, ventured to
remark in a low, soft voice, as becomes
clerks who are no slouches, The addition
will be soli out clean in less than week"
Yes, the ruster sold the gentleman who
wore a silk hat and whose boots were
polished few desirable lots before he left
the office. In truth, he sold to him and his
brothers from the Atlantic seaboard 50
acres of town lots. The local syndicate did
not object to paying the rent of the tele-
phone, and in addition they gave both the
rustler and his clerk gold watch and chain
in token of their admiration of the business
sagacity they had displayed in making
ST. 900 with the aid of a few plots, a large
blank book, and telephone which con-
nected with a battery which was concealed in
the clerks desk. With such rude tools to aid
his skill does the uncultured Western
rtistler meet and overcome the finished craft
of men reared in the great commercial marts