Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-04-30
WAYS OF THE RUSTLER.
HOW HE MAKES MONEY OUT or
WESTERN REAL ESTATE eOoMS.

Paper Towns with Glowing Prospects.
Cutting Half Section Into Lots and
Working Up Fancy Prices Building
Big Mills and Gas Works on Papcr.
"The rustlei himself Is "A product of tho
west and his name originated in Dakota.
where the very alacrity of his movements is
| supposed to produce noise like that which
the wind makes in the long dry grass of the
prairies. becomes under all guises. from the
local preacher with sanctimonioys tones ths
business man with silk hat and jerky manner
to the simple rustic in jeans and top boots.
The best way 10 test him is tosay syndicate
Not exactly in the way you would say rats
TO terrier, but let the word fall in CONVEX
sation and see his eye glimmer in spite of
himself. corporation, an association,
| company never buys land out west only a
syndicate. The rustler rustles best In small
towns whose prospects are their strongest
points. Genuine growth drives him out He
needs elbow room, and the more dreary the
prospect the more indefatignbly does he rus
tie. He is willing, too, to boom the future of
any land and of any people, but of course
seldom finds field for his peculiar abilities
outside of the western states
POINTS TO TIE GUILELEss "cANUCK"
Il remember one little town. however,
Prospect Heights they called it, that sprang
up in night almost thanks to rustler, on
tbe outskirts of Winnipeg, Canada, when peo-
Pile IN that city went crazy over the opening
OF the great prairie lands 10 the west of it by
the Canadian Pacific railway The city was
full of American real estate agents who bad
come mp to help the Canadians appreciate
and purchase Lheir own land Several of
these wide awake fellows laid their heads to-
gether and bought so acres of farm land
three or four miles out of the city, on a little
knoll that rose a few feet above the dead level
OF the prairie. They plotted the place Off in
town lots, advertised 1t freely as the coming
site OF suburban homes for city dwelers, and
formed construction company to erect
houses thereon. Great quantities of lumber
and other building material were carted out
to the site, over roads of almost bottomless
mud, carpenters and masons were EMPLOYED.
and work WAS begun simultaneously on a
town hall, several saloons, an academy of
music, grist mill, a number of small cot
tages for renting purposes, poStoffice, sew
eral stores and two or three more pretentious
houses
"All this was duly heralded in the papers
and by small bills thrust into the hands of
the new arrivals, who were then pouring
INTO the city from eastern Canada and Eu-
rope at tue rate of 500 a day Even the
widest enthusiast in the city was astonished
at the phenomenal growth of this suburban
town. While vacant lots were changing
hands In Winni peg, here were buildings Of
many kinds going up ON all sides. True, no
one OF them had gone up far, but beginning
had been made and material was lying
around In prof ision, with more coming In
every hour. Two saloons in tents were doing
a good business with the teamsters, workmeD
and visitors ano at the real estate office over
the way, surrounded by maps, pens, pencils,
paper, plans and other implements of his
trade, sat the bland agent of the ostensible
owner of the property, a wealthy Minneapo-
lis mill owner, II was given out who intend
ed there to erect mills to grind the wheat
crops Of the grat prairies, when any were
produced. Every now and then a new conner
would visit this Office, when something like
the following would occur:
THE Fly GOES TO SEE THE SPIDER
Excuse me a minute says the rustler,
that's the telephone bell He puts his ear
to the receiver and after moment shouts:
Can't say till | look at the books Then to
his caller: Gent eman at the Victoria in the
SibJ wants " hlON IL tOtS ~ W DlOck T.,
in Skinners addition, can be had at $3.50
each Then the rustler rustles the leaves of
a big book, cor suits bogus sale list, and
shouts into the telephone: Sold this morning
to Toronto syn iicate to build gas works on.
Very sorry. Good-by What's thatf The
same numbers in tine next block, do you sayf
Hold on, I'll see.' More rustling of the leaves
OF the ledger. Then he shouts again: Yes,
they're gone too. Montreal man going to
erect a brewery You should have taken
them yesterday when you were here. I'll
bet you ten to one the whole plot is sold out
before the week closes Then he talks awhile
to his visitor only to be interrupted by an
other ring ON the telephone Hello, who Is
ita The Albemarlel Oh, the Marlborough
Well, go ahead. Who are you7 Oh, yes,
you were out here this morning Want those
lots reseved for youi How longs Can't do
it. Two days the outside. Well, III reserve
four for three days, but not six. Not the cor
ner one. Two Or three people have been
asking for it today. | might have sold it, but
expected you to close tonight. That corner
lot, he adds, coming back to his visitor, to
whom he has aire ady made up his mind he
will sell it, seems to be q favorite. The ad-
joining one on the north has been set apart
by the owner of the plot for O church, the
next one to tue west was bought yesterday
by man whose stock of dry goods Is on the
way, and will bs here before he can get his
building up, am afraid
'And 30 it went. He sold that corner lot,
of course. He sod the who plot of 320 acres
within fortnight by the aid of consurnmate
gall, a concealed battery in his desk that
rang the telephone bell when he wanted it,
and capital enough to get a lot of lumber on
the land, hire few men to dig foundation
holes, lay bricks here and there and erect the
framework of half dozen buildings His
dupes did all the rest supplemented his
building operations and paid him their money
When he had sole it all, he sold the lumber
too, and went away, and with the gentle
rustler went the money and the boom. And
now fine growth Of wild mustard fills the
yawning cellars, oat crops are gathered ON
the town hall plaza, and the rest of Prospect
Heights is buried among miles of tall prairie
grass. Interview in New York Tribune