The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-11-08

to pay, and Mr. Blair would send him a
draft. Things ran along smoothly for
several months, and then one day Mr..
Blair received information that made
him pack his valise and start for Kan
sas City without delay. Once in Kan
sas City it did not take him long to
find out that Shaferl had swindled him
from the first. If Shafer bought a lot
for $1,000 he would write to Mr.. Blair
to send him $4,000, and in this way he
had already made a comfortable for
tune out of the old man. After learn
ing how he had been vietimized, Mr..
Blair lost no time in having Shafer ar
rested. Then Mr.. Shafer tried to
brighten Mr.. Blair, but his threats only
made him more determined than ever.
The affair caused great excitement in
Kansas City, but Mr.. Blair stuck to his
text, and, after while Shafer became
SO desperate that he hired a desperate
to kill Mr.. Blair, but he was unsuc-
cessful Shafer agreed to restore the
money he had stolen If Blair would
withdraw the criminal charges, but the
! latter declined this proposition, and
left Kansas City with Shafer5 under
heavy bonds. Mr.. BIair's relatives
urged him to settle the case, inasmuch
as Shafer was repentant and willing to
restore all he had stolen, but his reply
| was:
do you suppose I would settle with
that scoundrel now on any condition
! whatever? Not by a jugful! The
| wretch tried to get a. ruffian to kill me
out there, and the wretch came
! plaguey near doing it, too, and If it
cost me an even million I will hang to
Shafer till see him behind the bars OF
the state prison"
Shafer was convicted, and pending a
new trial. he forfeited his bonds and
h ~ honr I'll UtgA-
Mr.. Blair's Office is in the western end of
his big rambling house. Here until within
the past two years all the extensive business
of his railroad building and real estate oper-
atoms have been conducted. He would spend
from twelve to fourteen hours daily at his
| desk, where all his vast business was at
| tended to with the aid of his secretary. Now
the attention which his railroad business re-
quires has been transferred to his Wall street
office. The partners in his firm there are his
EedarS B Mtf am sa BIZ sr1nd senb.c
and John B. Dennis and Edward L. Marston
There were born to Mr.. and Mrs. Blair two
sons and two daughters Marcus L. Blair
VINO was known as the colonel, died unmar-
ried in 1873 His military career began lust
at the close of the war, when he raised
company to go to the frbnt but they were not
mustered into service.i HIS two daughters
were Aurelia A, who married Charles Serb
ner the founder of the publishing house of
Emma G., who was the wife Of Clarence G.
Mltcheil, lawyer, also. of this city His
| immediate relations besides those mentioned
Blair Mitchell and two Inephews. who live in
fBlairstown, John D. Vail and DR.. w H
Charles e. Vail another brother o, tbes.
two, was for thirty years Mr. Blair's private
secretary. At his death Dr. Vail succeeded
s nm non yonn p; Vail lives with Mr. Blair and
head of Mr.. Blair's household
AMONG THE NEIGHBORS
AS can be readily imagined IL is In p1o;rc
Town Itself that Mr.. Blair is best known
uhoer ms wing of the town has grown, and
MnateVer there is good in it is due almost
entirely to his influence and much of il to
ms nenehcence 1t is not much of a town vet
LOT is 9oubtfu! if it has 500 inhabitants
tent enough to get its sleepily prosperous
people TO take the humps out of the sidewalk
on one OF its main streets, where the busiest
poruon OF the town finds plenty of room on
one side Of the street in space of a co1,nIe
OF hundred yards. This portion of the street
Is between the postoffce at the foot of Gravel
NIL 10 the local photographers shop Each
OF these buildings faces the center Of the
street, standing, each of them, in a Y where
the street divides IN two.
In Blairstown Mr. Rlair is calIed Iobn
II Woulo pc superfluous to mention the last
name OF the man who gave the place its
name VINO got the first postofhce opened
mere IN MS store and postmaster for
forty years, who organized Blair township
ana was town committeeman for almost as
ION ana has been identified with the build
ing OF almost every house in the town.
me one great feature of .Blairstown is the
Blalr presbyterian academy. Like MANY
men whose early education was neglected
MT. BAR is an enthusiast Upon schools
In 1913 MIR. Blair gave plot of ground on
the NIL opposite his house for the site of a
presbyterian school. He contributed toward
the building Of the first aschoolhouse and
Wnen that was burned in 1857 replaced it
with bigger one at his own expense. With
IN the next twelve years he endowed it with
5000 and made provision for fifteen free
scholarships for the sons and daughters of
ministers belonging to the presbytery of
Newton. Since that time he has added build
fngs and grounds and endowments to the
school fund until his Etotalb contributions to
1t have amounted to more than $500, 900.
He has also contributed to Princeton,
where he endowed professorship and gave
altogether about 800, 600, and to Lafayette
college. He gave Lafayette $40 600, besides
building and refurnishing a house for the
president of the colleges 100
He also rebuilt Grinnell college in Iowa
after it had blown down.
HELPED MANY CHURCHES.
Churches have always been favorite OBJ
jects of contributions from Mr.. Blair. He
began with the Methodist church in Blairs-
town, the first one built there. 1t owes much
of its prosperity to his help, and even the
clock which looks from its steeple is his
gift Then he helped largely to build the one
other church there the one he attends. the
Presbyterian. His other contributions of note
to the town are the waterworks and steel
bridge across the meadows from the rail
road; but perhaps the most unique thing