Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1903-05-15


| in these various deeds was never paid
| over James Franklin binds himself as a
man of honor and friend OF John T.
Wright to faithfully fulfill the terms OF
| this agreement whenever the said Wright
so desires. JOHN T. WRIGHT.
JAMES FRANKLIN.
"That is certainly one of the most
remarkable documents that it has
ever been my fortune to consider"
said the lawyer, his keen eyes snap
ping with relish for novelty in le-
gal literature. "Have you any idea
what the paper is WORTH"
II should say two or three hundred
thousand dollars" said Irving.
| 1T is nearer ten or twelve mil
IONS" declared the lawyer.
Irving's eyes betrayed dazed sur
prise as he gaspingly repeated the
words after Mr.. Everett. The latter
smiled and said: 81 haven't the
slightest doubt that Frederick Meri-
vale would give at least $1,oOo,oOO for
the rights secured in the Wright es-
tate by this paper"
"But-how can it be?" asked Irving
in whisper.
Before I explain this part, let me
tell you this; that the Shelby County
Real Estate & Investment company
and the Diamond Mining company of
Colorado are virtually and practically
James Franklin. These facts were
discovered by Fenton, who at my
suggestion has examined the records
in the registers Office, and learned
the exact state of the case. 1t was
easy sailing about the real estate
company, but the facts concerning
the mining company were harder to
get at. 1t became necessary to have
i a thorough investigation, and with
this end in view Fenton went to Colo
the local incorporators in the Dia-
mond Mining company were dunn
a large proportion of the stock.
These two companies were evidently
created by Wright and Franklin for
the purpose of more thoroughly con
cealing the real nature of the trans
fers made. Fenton paid visit to
the Colorado tract of land, and it
proved to be in the heart of a rich
mining section. Originally Wright
had bought it for song and had
looked upon it as very Indifferent
speculation; but in 90 years great
changes have been wrought, mines of
vast richness have been worked, and
now it turns out that the eyes of all
the gold diggers in Colorado are
turned greedily toward this tract of
land situated among the hills. To
the northeast of the tract a very
successful mine has been conducted
for number of years. Recently the
vein of ore became richer and richer
until finally it ran dead against a ire
mendous wall of solid sandstone,
I which some upheaval of nature had
! thrust into the precious vein. For
! days and days the miners sought to
discover the broken thread, but in
: vain, until an old fellow who owned
dog" came along The sdog" is
some kind of mystic apparatus which
will Indicate the whereabouts of gold
just as the witch-hazel is said to point
out a subterranean stream of water.
Well, this old fellow climbed over the
great wall of sandstone into a rocky
reach of land; and as he was going
about with his dog" he soon dis
covered violent symptoms, as it were,
of gold. The vein was continued with
apparently double richness on the
other side of the intervening sand
stone. Fenton was fortunate enough
to meet an old fellow out there who
had gone west from this section OF
the country and who had bought that
tract of land for Wright; and as soon
wrote to Wright telling him that he
probably had large fortune in it, il
he had continued to hold it. Wright
: wrote back that the land was still
: his, and that the taxes had been paid
upon it regularly. This letter has
been secured, OF course the news OF
3 the discovery of this valuable vein or
Wright's land created intense excite.
ment, and Frederick Meriyale, the
e largest stakeholder in the adjacent
: mine, at once placed himself in cor.
respondenee with James Franklin
Just what has taken place between
u them is merely matter of surmise
!. but this is doubtless the cause Of
e Merivale's visit to Mus"
mo wonder they were willing and
ready to spend money, and to employ
oil sorts of means to thwart the in
t vestigation of the truth. It is now
g only too plain that the murder o.
q John T. Wright was simply q part o:
: a great conspiracy to get possession
Of the mines"
7 sNot doubt of it; and there is nj
I reason to suppose that the conspira
2 tors will quietly allow this paper II
remain out Of their possession. The.
:. viii do some dark scheming to ge,
hold of it. think, therefore, thai
y we had better take copy Of it,"
The lawyer got from his desk {
piece Of paper, old and somewha'
soiled, which could very easily b'
: taken for the paper on which thu
original agreement had been written
and then he instructed Warde t.
make copy just as much like it a:
Y deft penmanship could contrive. Try
ing was expert enough to make on
that could hardly have been told from
It's prototype. This was held befor'
the fire SO as to dry the ink ant
I. draw out its blackness. 1t was thel
folded and backed with the words