Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-11-30
a Remarkable Contest Over a Plot of
Ground.
A STORY OF Two JOHNS, NElGHBORS
In the Long Run the Millionaire
VIII Win.
HOW IT WILL BE DONE


-.ttDplEEuls ISoi-f
Written for The Evening Star by Herbert Wallace.
On small piece of sloping ground, 'front.'
ing on the Sleepy Hollow road, stands
one-storied 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 it's seward
course, off to the right lies the old Sleepy
Hollow cemetery; from the front one may
look down on the village of Mount Pleas
ant part of Tarrytown, and up to the
Pocantico Hills. The inn stands almost at
the junction of three roads and so insig-
nifcant is the little building set in the side
of the hill and partly concealed by few
houses that it cannot be seen until one has
approached within 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 Melin's
neighbours. Indeed if the house were sim
Harry situated to the inn, only the width Of
the Sleepy Hollow road would separate
them. But the front lawn of Meln's neigh
Dor happens to be d half mile long, and al
together some fifteen thousand acres lie
about the house. 1t is impossible to see
Melins little inn from front porch, window
or cupola of the palace of Pocantico Hills,
and this might be the reason why JOHN Me-
lin and his next door neighbor, J0hn "
isn't. The reason is that Rockefeller
sought to get possession of Melin>s place
and the innkeeper not only frustrated him,
but carried the war into the enemy s coun-
try and beat out the Rockefeller candidate
last election
Was There First.
Melin, the innkeeper. had the advantage
of being first on the ground. For seven
teen years his thirst-Quenching establish
ment has been familiar landmark in the
neiGhboThood, and the smiling Swede and
his wife, who together run the place, are
known to everyone in the countryside for
miles around Mr. Rockefeller cannot claim
so much on this score, though no one Will
doubt that, in the fewer years of his resi-
dence in the community, he has done more
to merit attention than has his humble
neighbOr.
Melin-"the only man that ever beat the
RockefeIlers,' as he is locally described-is
a big, Observation-Disclosures, slow-moving,
heavybuilt Swede. Shrewdness and good
nature beam from his pleasant, gray-Dlue
eyes. His speech is slow and mild, and
what he says is characterized by we'll
considered common sense The man s whole
personality breathes forth personal indie
pendence combined with a tolerant charity
for others One can see that his hfty-hVe
years have melOwed instead of hardened
him He would rather be friendly with
the whole world than quarrel with any one,
but there is that in the square jaw and
heavy-set eyes that tells of grim persist
ence to be apprehended, once he is in a
quarrel. He would fight without bitterness,
perhaps, but with uncomfortable tenacity.
And that is what he has done in his differ
ence with John d. Rockefeller.
He fight me an SO L fight him back,
says Melin. Il guess he's a pretty good
man, Rockefeller. He does plenty good
around here. 1 got nothing against him.
but when he fight me fight him back,
guess"
Started the Wrong Way.
The trouble between the two arose over
their both wanting the same thing. Being
the richest man in America John D. Rookie
Teller is accustomed to getting what he
wants. John Melin is by no means rich,
but ne has habit of holding to what he
gets, and he already had that which the
other John wanted, the little six-square.rod
plot Of ground with the roadside inn on It.
Possibly Mr.. Rockefeller wished that par
tlcular spot to put up an arDor, or 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
John Melin, II most likely sell him my
place right off. / sell it to him for less
than L get offered afterward, too"
But John the millionaire didn't go tt
John the innkeeper with a man-to-mar
proposition He sent an agent. The agent
made offer Melin refused it. He made
a better offer. Melin refused that. HI
went away. Another agent came. Thi:
toned him shrewdly as to whom he wa:
acting for. The agent went away. In
few days still another man came, Offering
about twice as much as the place wa:
worth Melin was bored. He asked tn,
agent to have drink and please not tall
business any more.
II guess L keep my own place myself,
he said. emphatically.
The agents reported back to Mr.. Rookie
Teller, and Ii is a fair guess that he wa
surprised. But he wasn't beaten. He hear,
that Melin's place was violating the exc;s
laws. Shortly after private detectives ap
peared in the neighborhood and took NOR
than a friendly interest in John Melin!
Inn Their interest eliminated in the ar
rest of Melin and the closing of the bar
When Melin, out on bail, returned to tn
place another agent came to him with al
offer The agent didn't get the place. blu
he got out alive, and that was something
Would Not Give In.
They got Melin's license away ("I Civ
them an old one" he explains, gleefully
though he doesn't explain what good tina
did HIM and he decided to fight. He ant
his wife had been there for seventeen