The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1897-01-30

Gates don't suspect That the men nave
anything to do with u.s."
tits been pretty carefully worked,
SO far. Portheroe's sharp fellow, and
he knows how to keep his mouth shut.
He was the best man you could have
found to handle the exploring party.
Where did you run across himY"
"Out west, when was booming a
town for Nebraska syndicate. He
was the engineer for the railroad COM
pany, and spotted him. Did show you
his last report?"
"No. What does he say?"
ale says we're all right. The noun
tain on the other side of the Little Chi
wassee is full Of iron, and there's plenty
OF coal in this one indicating the
shadowy bulk of Johns mountain ris-
ing like u black cloud bank above the
roof of the courthouse.
"Well, | guess that settles it. Well
have to have Gates land before we make
another move. Have you fixed up your
map?"
Did that to-day; the town-site will
take in the strip between the river and
the mountain, running down this way
as far as we can get options. Gates
farm covers the best part of the tract
mp there at the mouth of the Little
Chiwassee, and l suppose we'd better
buy that outright. Does he still want
two thousand for it?"
He did yesterday, but think I've
scraped together a few details that'll
help him change his mind. You know
everything has history, if you can
only get at the facts"
"Of course. What did you find out?"
81 got the whole story of the property.
1t seems that the place used to belong
to al old fellow by the name of Kill
grow, who lived on the mountain and
made nloonshine whisky or apple bran
dy, or something in that line, that got
him into trouble with the revenue peo-
pie. Gates. who was fence for the
moonshincrs, held the land as a tenant
under Kilgrow for some years, and
never claimed it until after the revenue
officers had run Kilgrow out of the
country. That was six years ago, and
after the old mountaineer was well out
Of the way, Gates gave it out that the
land was his--that he bought it some
time before the raid. Nobody seems to
have questioned his title, though there
is no record of any transfer from Kill
grow"
"Then Kilgrow is probably the right
full owner now?"
"He would be if he were alive; but he
died in Texas three years ago, and, SC
far as l can ind out, there are no heirs
| in sight"
"Oh, then it don't make so much diff
ference, after all" said Fench.
mo, except that it gives US a good
leverage on Gates. 1t leaves a gap in the
title; but l guess we can doctor that
, up"
Eyes, easy enough. Well go and sec
! Cutes in the morning, if you're ready
Lawyer Sharpless had not overesti
: mated the value of his discoveries
When the leverage was applied to James
, Gates on the following day, the farmer
promptly produced witness who
: claimed to have been present when the
: purchase was made, and who confirmed
: the rumor of Kilgrow's death by as
sorting that he had helped bury the ole
mountaineer three years before on the
Texan frontier. Sharpless ignored tn,
nd Tod oh fol fn hs
Z fully record, insisting that Cate'
, should produce the original deed. Tit
farmer declared at first that the docu
ment was among his papers, and theI
, that it had been lost. Pushed to thu
, wall, he wavered, cut his price in half
and disappeared from the valley as sooI
, as the transfer was made to the new
owners.
a II Sharpless doubted the assevera
: tons of Gates and his opportune wit
p ness, he made no sign; nor was he dis
turbed by the significant fact that TIL
3 witness vanished with Gates. The at
torney had assured himself beforehand
q upon two points-the gertrude of xii
. grows title to the land, and the all
. sence of heirs who might becom
troublesome future claimants. Wit
4 these two premises in reserve, he be
\ lieved that the title acquired fror
@ Gates could be made as good as valid,
: After the purchase of the Gates farm
+ Sharpless and Fench spread n repor
v that they were about to try an expert
+ ment in tobacco raising on a large scale
o. and with this ostensible object in vie,
:. they proceeded to secure options upo
!. other tracts in the valley. Since the
g offered good prices for poor land, Their
n was little haggling; and in few day
: the required acreage was under cor
: troll. This was the first move in tn
complicated game of evolution, an
!, when it was made the promoters celt
brated their success with a fresh DO
of cigars and a bottle of rather sickis
y. native wine in their room at the MouI
tain house.
"We're in great luck, so far" sal
% Sharpless, examining the map sprea
:. out on the table between them. You
better write them to go ahead in Ne
York with their articles of incorpor;
ton. | wonder if Birkmore is ready
. begin on the railroad eXtension?"
=, "He ought to be; he was to send Ra.
> mond up to let us know when IL
=. strings were ready to pull"
). The answer to the question was cor