Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1890-03-13

matter comes up in the courts those raS-
cally lawyers will be trying to find out
what | put into my Boiline, and that
sort of thing would be sure to hurt my
business. 1t won't be SO hard to get q
hold on Barker if you go to work the
right way. You can just let him under
stand that you know all about that rob-
berry at Bonsals clothing store: where
he kept the stolen goods in his barn COW
cred up with hay for nearly a week. 1t
would be good thing for Timothy
Barker to understand that somebody
else besides me knows about that bust
ness, and if you bring it in right it will
fetch him around sure
81 kept quiet for a minute or two, and
thenI said:
g Mr.. Spotkirl. this is an important
business. | can't touch it under a hum
dred dollars He looked hard at me,
and then he said:
edo it right, and hundred dollars
is yours
''After that I went to see Timothy
Barker, and had a talk with him. Tim
othy was boiling over, and considered
himself the worSt-cheated man in the
world. He had only lately found out
how Spotkirk made his Boiline, and
what big sale he had for it, and he was
determined to have more of the profits.
's'Just look at it. he shouted, when
Spotkirl has washed out my gravel it's
worth more than it was before, and he
sells it for twenty-five cents a load to put
on gcntlemen's places. Even out of that
he makes hundred and fifty per cent.
profit
Il talked good deal more with Tim
othy Barker, and found out good many
things about Spotkirk's dealings with
him, and then in an off-hand manner |
mentioned the matter of the stolen
goods in his barn, just as if I had known
all about it from the very first. At this
Timothy stopped shouting and became as
meek as mouse. He said nobody was
as sorry as he was when he found the
goods concealed in his barn had been
stolen, and that if he had known it be-
fore the thieves took them away he
should have informed the authorities;
and then he went on to tell me how he
got SO poor and SO hard up, by giving his
whole time to digging and hauling gravel
for Spotkirk and neglecting his little
farm: that he did not know what was
going to become of him and his family
if he couldn't make better terms with
Spotkirk for the future, and he asked
me very earnestly to help him in this
business if | could.
''Now. then, / set myself to work to
consider this business. Here was a rich
man expressing poor one, and here
was this rich man offering me one hum
dred dollars, which in my eyes was q
regular fortune, to help him get things
so fixed that he could keep on depressing
the poor one. Now, then, here was
chance for me to show my principles.
Here was a chance for me to show my
self what you, madam, call rigid; and
rigid | was. | just set that dazzling one
hundred dollars aside, much as ! wanted
it. Much as L actually needed it,
wouldn't look at it. Or think of it. j
just said to myself: If you can do any
good in this matter, do it for the poor
man. and l did do it for Timothy Bar
ker, with his poor wife and seven chill
dren, only two of them old enough to
help him in the gravel pit. / went to
Spotkirk and l talked to him, and l let
him see that if Timothy Barker showed
ened to do, it would be a bad day for the
Spotkirk family. He tried hard to talk
me over to his side, but | was rigid,
madam, / was rigid, and the business
ended in my getting seven per cent of
the profits of Boiline for that poor man.
Timothy Barker and his large family
and their domestic prosperity is entire
" duel say it without hesitation-to
my efforts on their behalf, and to my
rigidity in standing up for the poor
against the rich
''Of course | here remarked, HyOu
don't care to mention any thing about
the money you squeezed out of Timothy
Barker by means of your knowledge
that he had been receiver of stolen
goods, and I suppose the Boiline man
gave you something to get the percent
age brought down from ten per cent. to
seven"
The tall burglar turned and looked at
me with an air of saddened resignation.
s'Of course, - said he, ''itis of no use for
a man in my position to endeavor to set
himself right in the eyes of one who is
preiudiced against him. My hope is that
those present who are not prejudiced will
give my statements the consideration
they deserve"
(Which they certainly will do" con-
tinued Turning to my wife and Aunt
Martha: s'As you have heard this fire
story think it is time for you to retire"
Il do not wish to retire." promptly