The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1899-07-20
II City Of the 5uture
Chat Was Out of Sight
THEY were telling real estate stories

THEY were telling real estate stories
in the Office of the United States
Iiarshal, when Deputy Marshal Cash
Taylor told one that was acknowledged
to be unique from all points OF view.
1t was along in the early sos. Mr..
Taylor had laid down the duties of his
Office for three months to obtain rest
and recreation. The larger portion of
his vacation was spent in Dakota, which
was then a frontier in every sense of
the word. Among the busybodies who
were seeking TO take advantage of the
jlnmature situation were real estate
men and promoters Of town sites. The
narrator ran up against one of these
individuals one day--introduced to him
Ivy a mutual friend" The man with
the scheme dropped the hint that per-
haps he could let friend of his in ION
the ground floor" if he chose to take
advantage of an opportunity such as
never came twice in one mans life. He
was the chief selling agent of lots in
the newly-platted town of Henderson,
and, according to his story, lots were al
ready beginning to be so enhanced in
value that it was quite unreasonable to
sell them any longer at the original
price. save in case of this kind, where
he could favor a friend"
Taylor didn't have the slightest in
tention of investing in town lots in
Henderson or any other place in Da-
kota, but for the novelty of the thing
he suffered himself to be taken into
the condolences" of the agent of Hen
derson and to go over with him the
prospects of the city that was to be.
They went into private room to-
gether and reviewed the gorgeous map
of the town; with its broad streets,
parks, groves, sites for public buildings
and fountains, a union depot, a street
car system and plans of sewer system
and pavements. In short, it was the
prospectus of a delightful city that
would prove a veritable oasis in the
desert-hke wilds of the Dakotas.
''0f course" explained the promoter,
'all these improvements are not COM
pleted as yet, but we are confident that
the town will lack none of them within
few months, having much capital be-
hind it. The city hall, the palace ho-
tel, the union depot and the public IL
brary are none of them quite completed
neither as yet are all the streets paved
their entire length. But give us a rea-
sonable amount of time, my dear sir,
a reasonable amount of time. AS it is,
we have one of the most promising
cities in the northwest, and real estate
property will multiply in value very
rapidly. If you wish to invest in ten
or fifteen lots, will make you price
such as no one else at this late day
can possibly get"
But Mr.. Taylor, though immensely
fattered by the friendly offer to be
taken in ION the ground floor" was APP
prehensive that there was cellar some
where beneath that floor, into which
sooner or later a reckless investor from
The wilds of Michigan might be precip-
itated. He accordingly refused to buy.
Some weeks later he happened to be
ii passenger on the Northern Pacific
near shat portion of the territory which
he made his headquarters. His chance
travelling companion was a fierce-look-
ing out generous-hearted westerner,
done up in buckskins, high riding boots,
spur, sombrero and heavy waist ar
senai. Their conversation was sudden
by interrupted BY the action of the
brakeman. who was seen to hurriedly