The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-12-01
BEAT OUT ROCKEFELLER.
CONTEST BETWEEN JOHN MELIN
AND THE STANDARD OIL
MAGNATE.

Inn-keeper, and Tried to Get 1t
Through Agents, but Fniled-Then
Came the Anti-SalOon League and
Closed the MeIin Inn, but in the
Legal Fight MeIin WOn-ROcl&e-
feIIers WOrISmen BOycOtted the
PIace-Last Election Melin Saw
His Chance to Get Even, and by
Untiring Work Achieved the De-
feat of ROcIxefeIIer's Candidate
He Had Won, Melin Is About
Ready to Quit His Place and Let
it Go to ROckefeIIer, Who, He
SAYS, Has Done Much Good for
the Community.
Copyright, 1901, by Herbert Wallace.)
New York, Nov. 29.-On a small piece
of slopng ground, fronting on the
Sleepy Hollow road, stands a one-sto-
ried frame building, which small sign
designates as John Melin's Inn"
From the back windows of the main
room there is a magnificent view of the
Hudson, as it makes a broad curve IN
its seaward course; off to the right hes
the old Sleepy Hollow Cemetery; from
the front one may look down on the
village of Mount Pleasant, a part OF
Tarrytown, and up to the Pocantico
hills. The inn stands almost at the
junction of three roads, and so lnslg-
nificant is the little building set in the
side of the hill and partly concealed by
a few houses that cannot be seen until
one has approached within a few yards
of it by any of the highways.
Just around the turn of one of these
roads begins the front lawn of one of
Mefin's neighbors. Indeed,if the house
were similarly situated to the inn, on
~ the width of the Sleepy Hollow road
would separate them. But the front
lawn of Melins neighbor happens to pc
a. half mile long, and altogether some
fifteen thousand acres lie about the
house. 1t is impossible to see Melin's
little inn from front porch, window or
cupola of the palace of the Pocanuco
Hills. and this might be the reason
why John Melin and his next door
neighbor John D. Rockefeller, are not
neighborly-bEt it isn't. The reason
is that Rockefeller sought to get pos
session of Melin's place and the Inn
keeper not only frustrated him, but
carried the war into the enemys coun-
try and beat out the Rockefeller can
didate last election.
Melin, the inn keeper, had the ad-
vantage of being first ON the ground.
For seventeen years his thirst
uuenching establishment has been a
familiar landmark in the neighbor-
hood, and the smiling Swede and his
wife, who together run the place, are
| known to everyone in the countryside
| for miles around. Mr.. Rockefeller can
NOT claim so much on this score, though
| no one will doubt that, in the FEWER
wears of his residence in the commu-
| nifty, he has done more to merit atten-
| ton than has his humble neighbor.
Melin-s.the only man that ever beat
the Rockefellers." as he is locally de-
scribed-is a big, broad shouldered,
slow-moving, heavy-built Swede.
| Shrewdness and good-nature beam
from his pleasant, gray-blue eyes. HIS
speech is Slow and mild, and what he
! saws is characterized by we'll consid-
cred common sense. The mans whole
| personality breathes forth personal in
| dependence combined with a tolerant
| charity for others. One can see that
| his fifty-fiVe years have melloWed in
stead of hardened him. He would
rather be friendly with the whole world
than quarrel with anyone, but there
! is that in the square jaw and heavy
set eyes that tells of grim persistence
to be apprehended, once he is in q
quarrel lie would fight without bit
| terness, perhaps, but with unconquer-
able tenacity. And that is what he
has done in his difference with Johr
! D. Rockefeller.
''He fight me an so I fight him
back" says Melin. 81 guess he's q
pretty good man, Rockefeller. He does
plenty good around here. l got nothing
against him, but when he fight me
fight him back, I guess"
The trouble between the two arose
over their both wanting the same
thing. Being the richest man in Amer.
lea John d. Rockefeller is accustomed
to getting what he wants. John Melir
is by no means rich, but he has a hab-
1t of holding to what he gets, and he
already had that which the other Johr
wanted, the little six square-rod plot
of ground with the roadside inn on it
Possibly Mr.. Rockefeller wished thai
particular spot to put up an arbor, oil
a lodge, or a barn on: possibly he only
wanted it to get rid Of the inn. At any
rate he went about it in the wrong
way.
IF he came to me, man to man." says
| JOnn MelHs 4 most likely sell MIN my
! place right off. l sell it to him for less
| than ! get offered afterward, too"
But John the millionaire didn't gC
to John the inn-keeper with man-to-
man proposition. He sent an agent
The agent made an offer Melin re-
fused it, He made better offer. Me
lin refused that. He went away. An,
other agent came. This one made still
better offer. Melin questioned hin
shrewdly as to whom he was acting for
! The agent went away. In a few days
still another man came offering abou
| twice as much as the place was worth
| Melin was bored. He asked the agen
to have a drink and please not tall
business any more.
Il guess I keep my own place my
self" he said emphatically.
The agents reported back TO Mr.
! Rockefeller, and II Is fair guess tina
! he was surprised But he wasn't beat
en-. He heard that Melin's place wat
| violating the excise laws. Shortly ar
! ter private detectives appeared in thu
neighborhood and took more than Z
/ friendly interest In John Melin's inn
! Their interest eliminated In the arres
OF Melin and the closing OF the bar
When Melin, out on bail. returned {,
] the place. another agent came to hin