The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-04-20

brought against me to recover three-fourths
of the land. and it looked as though was
| going to lose it
"But there was a mystery about the case
somehow l could not find out for some
time in whose behalf it was that the suit
was instituted, but finally discovered that
1t was man named Jones, living four miles
out Of Minneapolis on a farm. Without
delay took train for Minneapolis aud
went to see Jones, who said that he could
not be the man | sought, for the reason
that he had never owned any land in Da-
kota. Nevertheless l made up NV mind
that he was the person who actually had
the title, although he was not aware of the
fact. The lawyers in Sioux Falls through
whose firm the suit against me had been
instituted, were simply attempting swim
die with view to getting hold of the land
without notifying the holder of the title TO
the property that he had any such owner
ship. That was all clear enough to me
when l learned the fact that one of the firm
of lawyers in Sioux Falls was Jones' uncle.
So made up my mind that l must obtain
from Jones title.
II got ex-Judge Sanders of Minneapolis,
an old friend of Jones', to go with me to
see Jones, and | explained to Jones the
matter in detail. the precise value of the
land. the manner in which l came into
possession of it, the validity of his own
title and all the details. Even had | so de-
sired, it would not have done for me to dis
guise anything, because any misrepresenta-
ton on my part would render my title
invalid. | merely urged that, on the
strength of certain circumstances which
gave me moral right to the land, he ought
TO give me title and so place me in pos
session of my own again. His own
friend, the judge, urged a like argu-
ment, and Jones finally agreed to
give me a title for the nominal payment OF
$40. The papers were drawn and | went on
my way rejoicing, with my full and clear
title to the property, which was then worth
$4,000 Unluckily Jones had communi-
Gated with his uncle, the lawyer in Sioux
Falls. during the interval between our two
interviews, and | didn't have time to
get out of Minneapolis before Jones turned
up at the hotel aud demanded the deed back.
This meant that he had received word from
his uncle to hold on to the land at all haz-
| ards, because it rightfully belonged to him.
OF course | would not give up the deed, and
| then ensued most extraordinary contest.
Although l had the deed my title to the
| property was not made until that deed was
recorded at Sioux Falls. Jones might
make the transaction a naught by simply
executing another deed and placing it on
| record first. The only thing for me to do
was to anticipate any such action on his
part by getting to Sioux Falls myself as
| quickly as possible. So | took the first train
for Sioux Falls, and after l got on board
kept sharp lookout. The only person who
excited any suspicion in nv mind was de-
formed little man whom knew to be a law =
| yer, and who approached me before we had
got very far on our 250-mile journey. Con-
versation followed, dnring which | allayed
his suspicion that | was wide awake and
confirmed my own notion that he was an
| QORnf / ina oot
isfied that he actually had a deed in his
pocket which it was his purpose to have re-
| corded before mine. Several times he got
| off at stations and telegraphed ahead to
| Sioux Falls, as l managed to learn. for a
team of fast horses and a carriage to meet
him at the depot on his arrival. l saw that
at that rate / was likely to be beaten I'M
| less l could devise some scheme. l set my
wits to work. and an idea occurred to me.
II left the deformed man and went to
have little talk with the conductor, the
| result of which did not appear until we had
| got within three miles of Sioux Falls. At
that point the train came to a full stop, and
the LOGON otiye, from which it was de-
| tached, went on to the depot. | was on the
| locomotive, which the other passengers all
supposed had gone for water, including the
deformed lawyer, who thought that was
| in rear car and was chuckling already
| over his anticipated victory. When | had
been landed in the city the locomo-
| tive went back for the train,
and the deformed man upon reach
ing the depot jumped into carriage and
was driven as quickly as possible to the
court house, where he threw down his deed,
saying that he wanted it recorded at once
But the clerk said that he was just finishing
the record of another deed handed TO him
half an hour before for a certain half sec
ton of land. The lawyer took look at the
| record and saw that he was beaten, though
he could not imagine at the time how it had
been done. Jones' uncle, who engineered
the attempted swindle, afterward voted
for me when l ran for the legislature. be-
cause he said that L was the only man who
had ever gotten away with him in bust
ness matter"
Ran His Train Through the One Ahead