The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-12-29

larity-he Maintains That He had q
Right as a Citizen, in the Interest of the
County, to Sell the Cooper House-Hs
Clears up the Suspicion Attached to the
Christmas Removal of the Building
Story in Detail.
There was more than average coolnes;
1t the court house yesterday between the
adjoining offices of the county commits.
Eoners and the city assessor. In order u
pet into their Office the county commits
Eioners have to pass through the city
assessors office, but there were no en-.
Lhusiastic greetings as they passed by.
Mr. Harmon did not wish Mr.. Caldwell
a happy New Years, nor did NJ. Cald-
We'll extend a like wish towards Mr
Harmon. Mr.. Harmon acted like mar
who wanted everything laying around
locked up. Even when new brooms
came for the use of the county building
Mr. Harmon hunted up the custodian
assistant and cautioned him TO take
every one of them down stairs and lock
them up securely. In order 10 be sure
that his instructions were carried out he
followed Mr.. Dewing down stairs, with
something else he found laying around
loose, and saw that tbs door Of the store
house was locked UP. Mr. Harmon was
extra vigilent Mr.. Caldwell worked
away at his desk seemingly obliViouS OF
the presence of Mr.. Harmon.
Come down TO my house tonight,
said Mr.. Caldwell TO a reporter for the
Eagle. Il will have an interview with
you if you want TO know anything more
about this matter"
In the evening the reporter did go down
to Mr.. Caldwelrs house and an elegant
house it is. Mr.. Caldwell bought the
house last summer and has since made
IL veritable mansion. The lawn has
been improved, the fence torn down and
replaced with pretty coping and fine
cement sidewalk has been built around
the premises. The house and stable
have been painted. The interior of the
house is as pretty as any in the city.
Wherever you go You have only to turn
button and food the place with cleo
trio light, fine carpets and costly rugs
greet the eye as well as upholstered
chairs of the richest finish, pretty di-
vans, nice works of art and other things
too numerous to mention. Mrs. Cald-
well is a model housekeeper and every
thing looks much prettier and more ar
tistic than they would in charge of a
poor hOusekeeper. Mr.. Caldwell was in
his slippers and was the very picture of
a man in luxurious contentment.
He touched an invisible bell some
where and in less than a second its
magic call had brought bounding into
the parlor a colored lackey with his hair
parted neatly in the center. With a
couteous bow, or more properly speak
Ing, salam, the colored. body servant
or chaimberlain or whatever he was, re-
tired and when he again returned he
brought his happy master a measure of
water-it looked like appolonairs-in a
beautiful cut glass tumbler.
Pardon must be asked for this SEEM
mgly unnecessary diversion in an inter-
view. II is given because the friends OF
Mr.. Caldwell say that this attack has
been made on him because of the jeal-
ousy Of Others who have not as nice a
home as he has. These green eyed en-
vious busybodies say that Mr.. Caldwells
salary as city assessor does not justify
him in living in such fine style as If it
was any Of their business. They do not
seem to comprehend that some people
can live better and in more luxurious
fashion on SIS or 800 per month than
others can on $3.50 or $780, 81 do not be-
lieVe," said one man, that Mr.. Cald-
well should be branded as a thief be-
cause he maintains a fine house and
keeps a man servant any more than q
man who has $4,000 in the bank and
does not keep a fine house nor a man
servant. The miser puts his money into
the bank and boards it; the man of taste
and culture puts his savings into a nice
home with artistic surroundings and
adornments"
Inns ha 1,xr- |, -
statement that all claims and suspicious
of the green eyed people have fallen fiat
to the ground
axe my chewing gum into the other
room.' said Mr.. Caldwell and after his
wife took the sweet morseI from the end
Of his fingers. he settled back in his
chair and was ready for the interview.
What do you want to know" he
asked.
II want 10 know whether you sold
that house you have been charged with
selling"
II did
BY what authority"
BY the authority of my personal in
terest in this county and of the board of
county commissioners
But they say they gave YOU no such
authority. That they had no authority
t. give
1T is perhaps true that they hadl no
authority to give, but they gave it iust
the same. l guess / have sold fifty
houses in similar manner and l had
never hard a protest until now. / have
been around frequently with Mr.. Wilson
selling these houses
What / want 10 know" asked the re-
porter. is whether you got any author
lty at all and If so what the authority
was. For instance what did they say
10 you?"
We'll" said Mr.. Caldwell. "since Won
talk about authority. Twill say that, IN
reality, no authority i" required. ANY
citizen can sell a house as / sold that
enc. if he sells II under the same con-
ditions and get a buyer
For instance" said the reporter,
could 1 have sold that house %
Most certainly you could, if you sold
L as 1 did and it would be a perfectly
legitimate transaction. have sold
fifty houses and with but few exceptions
got every cent Of the taxes held against
them by the county. This was one of the
But didn't you sell this house before
you had any semblance of title 10 ito
You could not have title 10 it until you
1aid the ta4es and got a tax deed. You
,ould not have got the deed until YOU
oaiG the money and you did not pay the
money according 10 the statements
made. Now whas l want 10 know is.
.ould sell that house when IL did not
,elong to me, and could not have be-
onged 10 me until 1 had received title
o it?''
You are getting away off the subject.
Tou don't understand me. But since you
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