The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-03-15
TOLD BY TREASURY AGENT.
His Experiences i'm Selecting Public
Building Sites.

Building Sites.
Washington Letter in Chicago Journal.
Were you ever offered bribes?" the
writer inquired.
Sometimes. The boldest instance &C.
CURED after 1 had been engaged in the
work several years. / reached a town about
midnight and went straight to bed. AS L
had left one of my children i'll at home /
instructed the hotel clerk to send to my
room any kilograms received. 1 had turned
off the gas, rolled myself in a quilt, and
was just falling into my beauty sleep when
1 was aroused by loud knock. Involuntar-
lily / shouted: Come i'm 1t proved to be
no telegraph messenger. but huge, broad
shouldered, beefy man, as I could see by
the light from the hall. 1 sxpostulated.
but he ignored that
"'Are you the government agent? he
asked briskly.
Il am, L answered.
well, my name is Johnson. / have
lot want to sell to the government. You
won't see it till morning, but I'm hustler
and don't believe in losing time. There's
5000 in Uncle. Sans bills in that wad.'
low. is that enoughY
mo said 1. catching the spirit of his
visit, it isn't. I'm higher priced than most
of EN-. l couldn't stay in this business If
Call 1T hundred thousand, and I'm your
boy: If not. let me go to sleep.
He bent over to see whether 1 was in
earnest, and then, with loud snort of dis
gust, strobe out of the room.
1.-THE next most brazen attempt was
made by a site owner. who, after 1 had in
spected his land and asked him what he
wanted for ii, drew me into back room of
the postoffice, where we had been talking.
and. taking out his notebook. opened it at
certain page which he turned toward
me. There. written in plain letters. was:
My price to the government, $4,000. My
price to you, $500.
"If you will make your price to the gov
eminent $1,000 may be able to do business
with you,' / responded. otherwise L fear
it will be case for the district attorney
HE saw the point and reduced his offer.
another experience not so picturesque
but just as interesting was in a Southwest
ern boom town. Most of the site owners
were vulgar. coarse fellows. with whom
had no more TO do than necessary, but one
man was of a higher type-a trifle gay i'm
his style. perhaps. but obviously of gentle
antecedents. He had some fine horses, for
instance, in which took an interest, and
he found me companionable enough gen.
orally to be worth spending an hour with
every evening. The site question was never
preached on either side in our quiet con-
versations till the night before / was to
leave for home.
'''Well said he as we were making our
farewells, L suppose you have decided what
site to recommend?'
Yes / answered. have not written
my report yet, but my mind is made up
There was a brief pause and then he
spoke again.
Il don't believe you realize how small
things affect real estate values in a mush-
room city like this. When you make your
announcement the prices of land all around
the site you select are liable to bound as
high as 80 per cent 1t seems a pity that
you should not profit by such a rise
:" Thank you, said l. but Pm not en-
gagged in real estate speculation.
"'Oh, / understand-you would not let
such considerations affect your decision
case, you see, you have made your choice
already, so no harm would be done Now
suppose, for illustration, you had selected
my site. l own adjoining property and
ment any amount you wish at present
prices and you could pocket the increase
liz would not be necessary for you TO ap-
pear personally in the transaction If you
preferred not TO do so. You could buy two
or three lots OF me without recording the
deeds or actually passing any money.
am so sure of the way prices will go up
that 1 will contract tonight to buy the
whole tract back at the advance within
three months from date and all you will
have to do is TO tell me where to send the
checks for the net profit
II declined again with expressions of
gratitude and his face fell somewhat He
thought probably, that I had decided
paralyzed when he read in the newspapers
a few days later that he was the winner
THE liars give Us more trouble in the
long run than the bribers. In the case of a
certain Rocky mountain town the rival
sites were in the heart of the place. but
one north and one south of the railroad
/ The north-side people had far the better
/ site, from the point of view of business
| convenience; but the south-side people
! formed a syndicate and pulled every wire.