The Cooperstown courier. (Cooperstown, Griggs Co., N.D.) 1902-1913, 1905-11-23
By CAPTAIN PATRICK D. TYRRELL

Copyright, 1905, by Marion G. Scheitlin.)
Two men sat in the back room of the
well-appointed offices of the Real Estate
Loan and Trust company, of st. Louis,
one night in the fall of 1872. One was
young, under 80, slender and somewhat
stopped. His eyes were dark and Shift
ing and he wore black beard and mus
tache. The other was slightly older and
bore the appearance of a prosperous
business man. Save for them the Of
fees were deserted, but nevertheless
they talked in undertones.
''The plan has been tested in all its
questionable points and found absolute
~ safe, " said the younger man, the own
or of the Offices and at all times the
leader in the dialogue. '"The only weak
point remaining is the limited market we
now have in the sale of these lands. This
market must be extended, and the east
is the place the extension must be made.
1t is my intention to establish English
and European agencies and to place safe
agents in some of the eastern centers of
population. The opportunity is the
greatest that will ever come to you."
There was no dissent from this state.
ment on the part of the other His man
ner suggesed an evident desire to learn
more of the plan under discussion. The
point in the negotiations between the
two where there might be any danger in
freedom of speech had already been
passed. There was no exhibition on
either side of troublesome qualms over
the moral phase of the business in hand.
and the conversation turned on nothing
but the prospects of carrying out the
scheme with safety and profit.
you must bear in mind" said the
master spirit of the conference. that
this is nothing new. A smart chap coa-
ceived the possibilities of the plan when
he was with Gen. Prices raiding army
in southwest Missouri during the war.
This chap was one that happened to be
turned loose in the land Office at Iron
ton and grabbed 800 patents, each to 800
acres of land. He would probably have
taken more, but that was all he could
carry. He planted them at the time and
resurrected them after the WARM 1868.
While he had general idea of their
value he had little ingenuity in realiz-
ing on them.
Finally he met friend with quick
er brain, and this friend suggested Sc
curing the services of a notary to take
the acknowledgements necessary to Sc
curing land under the patents. They
came to st. Louis and found the man
tney wanted-a notary who liked his
liquor q bit too we'll to ask too many
questions. The deeds based ON the pat
ents were made and good business was
done IN the sale of the lands until the
stock or patents ran out. This pair dis
continued operations, but they opened a
great field. saw that thousands of
these patents were available-never
nlnd how-and am ready to carry on
bus'~ass on big SCALE"
but now can a deed be made in 1872
or later SO that it will look like it was
made dozen years before, when the pat
ents were issued?" cautiously asked the
other
Take my word for it, the deeds issued
from these patents are as good as wheat
for commercial purposes. I have a
process that gives them semblance Of
age that no one has ever questioned. In
short, it's market We want-nothing
else"
Might not the signatures to these
deeds be construed as forgeries?"
Possibly, although no one has cues
TONED them SO far. But in order to pre-
vent any complication from that source
we can provide for the signing of the
documents in another state. They can't
force witnesses across the state line"
Numerous other objections, designed
to test the security of the scheme rather
than to discourage the execution of it
were offered by the visitor. Each wa
met with comprehensive and plausible
answer. indicating that in all its details
the plot had been subjected to the
scrutiny Of a bright mind trained to the
consideration of legal technicalities
Before the men left the office they had
entered into hard and fast agreement
to carry out the plan proposed by. the
!. N1issourian.