The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1897-05-29

Gates don't suspect that the men have
anything TO do with us"
sIt's been pretty carefully worked,
so far. Portheroc'sa 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. T,
Where did you run across himY
"Out west, when was booming q
town for q 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?"
she 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 a black coud-bank above the
roof of the courthouse.
well, guess that settles it. Wen
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
up there at the mouth of the Little
Chiwassee, and suppose we'd better
buy that outright. Does he still want
/ two thousand for it?"
"He did yesterday, but ! think I've
scraped together few details thatll
! help him change his mind. You know
everything has history, IL you can
only get at the facts"
"Of course. What did you find out?'
} "I got the whole story of the property.
, II seems that the place used to belong
! to an old fellow by the name OF Kill
/ grow, who lived on the mountain and
E made moonshine whisky or apple bran
DIX, or something in that line, that got
: him into trouble with the revenue peo-
D pie. Gates, who was fence for the
!. moonshiners, held the land as tenant
i under Kilgrow for some years, and
s never claimed IL until after the revenue
n officers had run Kilgrow out OF the
: country. That was six years ago, and
|, after the old mountaineer was well out
r of the way, Gates gave IL out that the
s land was his-that he bought it some
4 time before the raid. Nobody seems to
b have questioned his title, though there
o il no record of any transfer from Kill
:, grow"
; "Then Kilgrow is probably the right
8 full owner now"
# "He would be IL he were alive; but he
q died in Texas three years ago, and, SO
= far as can find out, there are no heirs
d in sight"
" "Oh, then it don't make so much diff
n ference, after ALL" said Fench.
rs "No, except that it gives us good
l. leverage on Gates. 1t leaves a gap in the
,r title: but l guess can doctor that up
" eyes, easy enough. Wen go and SCI
ir Gates in the morning, If you're ready
Of Lawyer Sharpless had not overesti
Of mated the value of his discoveries
n When the leverage was applied TO james
L. Gates on the following day, the farme
nc promptly produced a witness wh'
w. claimed TO have been present when tn
es purchase was made, and who confines
rs the rumor OF Kilgrow's death by as
p sorting that he had helped bury the oil
.ir mountaineer three years before on tn
n Texan frontier. Sharpless ignored tn
N, witness, and pointed obstinately TO tn
ut faulty record, insisting that Cate
of should produce the original deed. Tn
to- farmer declared at first that the docr
In ment was among bis papers, and the
IS that IL had been lost. Pushed TO tn
CHI wall, he wavered. cut his price in hal
ito and disappeared from the valley an 500
m MS the transfer was made TO the me-
ed owners.
IS. III Sharpless doubted the asseveri
he tlons of Gates and his opportune Wi
his ness, he made no sign; nor was he di
rer turbed by the significant fact that III
at witness vanished with Gates. The n
hi torney had assured himself beforehan
,n- upon two points--the gertrude OF III
ais grows title TO the land, and the al
ose sence of heirs who might becon
of troublesome future claimants. Wit
at these two premises In reserve, he b
aid licyed that the title acquired fro
nd Gates could be made as good as valid.
his After the purchase of the Gates farr
lis Sharpless and Fench spread repo
hat that they were about TO try an expeI
my ment In tobacco raising on a large seal
cit ana Win uAi1 ortch7iDAo cSJe~' - ~
ing they proceeded to secure options upt
mn other tracts In the valley. Since The
lat offered good prices for poor land, the
,ins was little hnggling: and In few da
veil the required acreage was under co
ter troll. This was the first move in q
as complicated game OF evolution, al
when Il was made the promoters Gel
of brntcd their success with fresh b.
4 70 % cigars and bottle of rather sicki
The native wine In their room at the Mou
re; tain house.
NY "We're i'm great luck, so far" ga
sharpless. examining the map spre
lere out on the table between them. "Ios
ger better write them 20 go ahead in M
York with their articles of incorpo'
ak ton. wonder II BirlSmore Is ready
-. tt.o xoflroad eyfonqiOu Pr