Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1903-05-19

After considerable haggling Frank
lin mentioned the various city lots
and plantations, but omitted any
mention of the Colorado tract.
''There was a tract in Colorado.
, was there not?"
"Yes."
ut was purchased by your mining
company"
sIt was"
1.-THE consideration for all this was
about how much?"
Twenty-Five thousand dollars.n :
"Was it bona fide sale?''
ut was"
Sand you paid Wright s25,ooo?"
"About that sum-"
what do you mean by that?"
He owed me something for legal
services, which was credited on the
amount?''
"what is all this property worth
now?"
ut has increased very largely in
value in 20 years, as matter of
course"
what figure do you put upon it ?'
81 should say that it was worth
between 100000 and 100000"
"Of course that does not include the
Colorado tract?"
well, no; I was not thinking of
that"
| What is that worth?"
'That is impossible to say"
"You have some idea?"
IF it should prove to contain gold
It would be a very valuable piece of
land. If it contains no precious met
ais I should not think it was worth
q song"
as it worth s1o,oOo,ooo?" asked the
lawyer, quietly.
| why, sir, could not place any
| valuation on piece Of land I have
never seen and that has never been
1nined''
'Well, I'll put the question in an
| other way. If you could show clear
title to that mining tract could you
not sell it at once for $5,0o0,O00
| cash?',
Franklin looked at his questioner
keenly for moment, but the latter
was casually examining the contents
OF letter as if he were preparing
to PROFOUND another query from
omething he found therein. The wit
ness answered somewhat savagely:
Eyes"
Couldn't you easily get $4,000, 900
for that property?"
II suppose / could.'
There was a tremendous sensation
In court when Franklin, with evident
reluctance, made this admission.
"You have recently, I believe, been
in correspondence with capitalists re.
| garding the Colorado tract?"
EYES,"
II believe that is all I want to know
on that branch of the subject, but
there Is another point on which / wish
to question you.''
| Franklin was evidently aware Of
what this point was, and he put o,
q staggering air of victory.
When all the Wright estate wa,
turned over to yon 20 years ago, wa.
not a secret agreement drawn up be
tween you and John I. Wright speci
| tying that no consideration was ever
paid by you, and that the transfer
was made in order to protect Wright
from damage suits that might be
brought by the family OF jeremiah
Baxter?"
sNo."
Wand did not this paper state that
you pledged your honor to take steps
to re-vest tho property in Wright
whenever he desired it?''
| MNo."
"And did not this agreement spec
ny the Wright homestead, several
pieces Of city property, plantations
In Louisiana, Arkansas and Missis-
sfppi, and tracts in Colorado and
Texas?"
NO." said Franklin, with increas-
ing vehemence. "There was no agree
ment of the kind between us. 1t was
q bona fde sale.''
You were at my residence few
weeks ago?" -
Eyes" reluctantly.
7 received you in my nbrary?"
EYES,
"Did you not at the point of re-
volver compel me to sell you COPY
OF this very agreement, which had
been in the possession of Wright, for
the sum Of $10,o0O2"
"The idea is preposterous. You are
evidently losing your wits. sir Such
a betrayal Of trust on your part could
not be to your credit. I deny it in
toto"
t.sYau Also deny in toto that there
was any such agreement?"
Most emphatically."
Lawyer Everett now took from his
pocket yellow paper which he light
~ shook al the witness as he pro
poESq9aed the next question;
when you came to my house that
evening, Colonel, had just had the
agreement, whose existence you de-
ny, copied on an old piece of paper and
dried thoroughly before the fire to
conceal Its age. When you were an
nounced threw the original in the
back of one of my bookcases, and the
copy placed in my safe. At the point
OF your pistol, 1 was more thanwilling
to sell you the copy for $4,000. Now
you can refresh your memory suf-
fciently to tell whether this is your
signature appended to this paper,
and to reconsider your denial of its
i existence"
Il 3