Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1895-12-28


tai"
Eyes, that's right"
ANYBODY with him besides the hos
pital attendants 2"
well, yes; Gray over there at the
Planters hotel. Used to know him, he
said. Has pictures of his children over
there"
The special correspondent remem-
bered Gray as former resident of Roy
ais city. Going to the hotel he found
him at the desk and made known his
mission.
Eyes, I was with him when he died."
said Gray.
''How long had he been here?"
LET me see-to-day is the 10Th. Just
one month tomorrow"
80 long? I had never noticed his
name on the register
mo; / did not require him to regis
ter. You see, knew him, and" Gray
hesitated.
'Oh, yes; understand" replied the
special correspondent.
''As said, he would have been in town
month tomorrow. Came here from
Florida suffering from consumption,
and knew he could not last long when
l first saw him. he was very weak from
travel when he arrived, but rallied after
few days rest. Then that cold, wet
weather came, and his cough grew
worse. Ten days ago he had to go to
the hospital, where he sank rapidly. l
was with him good deal and knew he
was dying, but you know how consumP-
tive people are-they never give up. The
night before he died he was.bright up to
II o'clock, and spoke of his children and
going back to them as soon as he was
able to travel. A little after IL a cough
ing fit came on, which never left him un-
til he died"
You say he spoke of going back.
Did he really intend to do so? Did he
ever speak to you of his troubles?"
ooh, yes; he told me all about them;
went so far as to pull out his memoran-
dunn book one day and show me a news
paper clipping he had pasted in it, Of
fering $1,000 reward for his apprehen-
sion, remarking: 'E. J. (you know how
lie liked to call his friends by their in
itials), you can make $1,000 here pretty
easy You remember that he was d
good talker, and he told me the whole
story, from his point of view, of course.
Never said he (you remember the
way he had of laying his hands per-
suasively on your shoulder and looking
you in the eyes?), never be tempted
to speculate in suburban property.
Don't play with booms and boomlets.
My business was never more prosper
Gus. You know how / climbed up by
close application from Office boy to the
management of the firm, with half
interest. With pleasant home, low
ing wife and three interesting children,
[ had all any reasonable man could
ask. And you know l enjoyed the con-
idence of everybody. From time to
time had taken stock in :arious legiti-
mate enterprises, and the newspapers
called me public-spirited man. Twas
made director in this company, vice
president of that, president of another,
and they all prospered.
"'Then the land boom struck us, a
literal boom it turned out to be. A
boomer opened his office in town, do
ing real estate business in a quiet,
gentlemanly way-but, oh, he was a
smooth one. He was delighted with our
town. Somehow or other it's great nat
lral advantages began to be laid before
the people. In the newspapers, in the
chamber of commerce, everywhere, the
great future of our city was the leading
topic. People rubbed their eyes and
wondered why they had not seen it be-
fore.
"Then the boomer began quietly to
organize syndicates. Lots of eastern
capital, but a few home people were
to be let in on the ground floor. Farms
adjacent to the city were bought, laid
off into lots, streets graded, electric rail
ways projected. Electricity does it,
the boomer would say, confdentially.
electricity is the thing. There are
hundreds of acres i secured this morn
ing at paltry $1Ooanacr Doyou know
how far it is? Just Is minutes from
the center of the city. Why, in New
York and Chicago they think that so
minutes is close to town.
"'Well,' Royal continued, with a
heavy sigh, to make long story short,
before / realized what / was doing
was into it for SIS, 1000. Then the pres
sure came. / had never made any mis-
takes in business, and could not bring
myself now to believe had gone wrong
Paper kept falling due, but the boomer
was always on hand, smiling and con-
fdent. L knew that some were unload
ing. Ladies with funds of their own,
who had gone in because Endorsed the
scheme, took fright and wanted to sell.
They, of course, came straight to me.
They pleaded the need of money, but
their faces betrayed the truth they
sought to conceal with their tongues.
"'''You are just that much better of, /"
the boomer would say. 1T is the man
who holds on that wins. wish had
the money to buy their holdings. This
preferred stock will pay 500 per cent.
if it pays a dollar"
"'Then my wife fell sick and died.
During the distress of those two weeks