Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-03-22
DIAMOND CUT DIAMOND.
How y New Western senator Got Ahead
Of y Sharp Real Estate Lawyer.

How New Western senator Got Ahead
Of Sharp Real Estate Lswyer.
"You never heard how made use OF q loco
motive to secure valuable piece Of property did
you9" said Senator from one OF the new states
to STAR reporter the other day. well. it's
rather curious sort of story, and dates back
about thirteen years, to a time when things out
on the frontier were comparatively primitive.
had invested all the money had in the
world in a half section of land on which the
city of Sioux Falls now stands, only TO find sub
sequently that my title to the property was
weak, owing to deed recorded after l had
made the purchase, the person who made the
sale to me having meanwhile died. On the
strength of this deed suit was brought against
me to recover three-fourths of the land and il
looked as though Twas going to lose it But
there was a mystery about the case somehow.
l could not find out for some time in whose
behalf 1t was that the suit was instituted but
hnally discovered that il was man named
Jones. living four miles out Of Minneapolis on
farm. without delay took train tor Min
neapolis and went to see Jones, who said that
he could not be the man sought, for the rea.
son that he had never owned any land in
Dakota. Nevertheless l made up nv mind
that he was the person who actually had the
The lawyers in Sioux Fails through whose
hrm the suit against me had been instituted
were simply attempting swindle with a view
to getting hold of the land without notifying
the holder of the title to the property that he
had any such ownership. That was all clear
enough to me when learned the fact that one
of the firm of lawyers in Sioux Falls was Jones
Uncle. SO made up my mind that must OBJ
tain from Jones a title.
TALKING TO JONES.
81 got sx-Judge Sanders of Minneapolis an
old friend OF Jones, to 20 with me to see
Jones, and explained " Jones the matter in
detail the precise value of the land, the man.
ner in which came into possession of il, the
validity of his own title and all the details
Even had so desired. IL would not have done
for me to disguise anything because any mis-
representation on my part would render my
title invalid. l merely urged that, on the
strength of certain circumstances which gave
me a moral right to the land. he ought to give
me title and SO place me in possession of my
own again. His own friend the Judge urged
a like argument. and Jones finally agreed to
give me title for the nominal payment OF $40.
The papers were drawn aud went Oh my way
rejoicing, with my full and clear title to the
property, which was then worth $4,000. I'm
luckily Jones had communicated with his
uncle. the lawyer in Sioux Falls, during the
interval between our two interviews and
didn't have time 70 get out of Minneapolis
before Jones turned up at the hotel and de-
manded the deed back. This meant that he
had received word from his uncle TO hold on
to the land at all hazards, because it rightfully
belonged to him OF course l would not give
up the deed, and then ensued a most extra
ordinary contest
THE RACE TO sIocx FALLS.
Although l had the deed. my title to the
property was not made unsil that deed was re-
corded at Sioux Falls. Jones might make the
transaction 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 | got
on board kept a sharp lookout The only per-
son who excited any suspicion in my mind
was d deformed little man whom knew to be
a lawyer, and who approached me before We
had got very far Oh our $50 mile journey. Con-
versation followed, during which l allaved his
suspicion that was wide awake and confirmed
my own notion that he was agent OF the
enemy. Indeed, 1 became satisfied that he
actually had deed in his pocket which il was
his purpose to have recorded before mine.
Several times he got off at stations and tele-
graphed ahead to Sioux Falls, as l managed to
learn, for team of fast horses and carriage
to meet hiri at the depot on his arrival. / saw
that at that rate l WAS likely to be beaten I'M
less could devise some scheme. / set nv wits
to work and an idea presently occurred to me.
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 full stop and the locomotive, from
which it was detached, went on to the depot
was on the locomotive, which the other pas
sengers all supposed had gone for water, in
Guiding the deformed lawyer, who thought that
/ was i'll a rear and chuckling already
over his anticipated victory. When had been
landed in the city the locomotive went back for
the train and the deformed man upon reach
ing the depot jumped into carriage and was
driven quickl.' 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 certain half section 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. after
ward voted for me when l for the legisla-
ture, because he said that was the only man
who had ever gotten away with him in bust
ness matter"