The morning times., 1896-04-19

and lost. The people who paid him his
profit think he ought to keep the promises
formal and implied under which they
We're induced TO buy. He has plenty of
money. they think, to do this and still
leave respectable return on his invest
ment.
MR.. TRUESDELL'S VISION.
The first thing was the street railway.
1t ran out through the windings ut Florida
avenue and lexington place, around X
street 10 Third, and so out. This was
the outgrowth of the vision seen by Mr..
Truesdell the night he saw the electric
plant in operation at the Pension Office
20 furnish light for the Harrison Inaugural
tlon ball. He was one of the committee to
secure the light and knew what the plant
cost. He believed a somewhat similar
esta ablishment at lexington would carry
his prospective purchasers TO and from
their homes, and he would offer rapid
, transit as an inducement TO buy.
The road was built, and branch run west
on I street 10 Second and also north, TO
accommodate Mr.. McDevtt. neighboring
farmer. This line came by overhead trolley
TO Fifth street and New York avenue. where
ii connected with Il storage battery line
that carried passengers quickly 10 the
Treasury. at Fifteenth and q streets, land
ing them in the heart OF the city.
Mr.. Truesdell also built sewers and
asphalt streets and laid side walks and hand
some stone slabs. He set up electric light
poles al convenient intervals, and a night
his building lots and the partly finished
. structures were ablaZe with light. riva J.
ing The finest city in the world. He also
| got a supply OF water from an artesian
| well and fill reservoir from which he
supplied his houses with water. Each
l,,;l l,F,.r ,Tcn fl.r nj
! lights and the globes put in wherever they
/ were wanted.
LURING THE CLERKS.
Then MI Truesdell hegan TO sing his siren
! song 10 clerks and others of modest means
! who lad not tie time to investigate very
! carefully aud who would not suspect SO
! great capitalist OF failing 10 provide
what he had actually already provided.
/ They did not foresee that W hat was already
! there might disappear.
The natural course was an increase OF
advantages, not a withdrawal. They had
heard OF people being swindled by paper
towns, but here was an actual suburb OF
great city, here were the asphalt and stone
that they could walk on, the rapid transit
cars they could ride on, and they had
! behind il the promise OF the great capl-
| lalSt, who had shown his faith by his
J XOrkS, mat all tlllS WOuIu COulnuc.
1t was a piece of rooling on a grand scale
| and it succeeded. Mr.. Truesdell did not
! actualIyput in auyof his deeds a promise that
/ the electric lights and the rapid transit and
| the water supply would be kept up any
| more than he put there promise that the
sewers and the streets aud the stone pave
mrntS would continue. He was too shrewd
| a mana ger for that He knew that after
] a while he would have sold nearly all his
| lots; the money he had put in would all be
| safe back to his strong box aud n good
deal more with it and then it would not
be To his interest TO keep up any of these
| things that would incur a considerable ex,
| penSc without any sufficient return.
| He knew when this time came he was
| going in some way TO get rid Of the burden
| before il dragged him to the ground H'
| could try TO have somebody else to assume
of II, or he could induce the city govern
| ment to recognize this part of the city
| that was sufficiently built up to deserve
| the maintenance of streets, sidewalks
! sewers. lights. etc, or in ease that failed
| he could turn the whole thing over to the
citizens and, tell them they could have
| what had been promised If they would
! procure it for themselves.
In the last resort it was possible for him
| simply to stop, and if any citizen asked why,
| to answer that it wasn't pa wing him, and
it was unreasonable to expect him TO &c
on indefinitely lighting the place at a loss
! When he was obliged to specify in deed
thathe would do any of the thingseverybody