Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-10-09
Some Land Spectators Find
the Business Improbable,
But They Don't Tell 1t
WILSON'S RURAL LETTER
Ono Man Tolls Him His Experience In
Land DeaI--His Savings for Fiji
teen Years About All Gone-Farmers
In tho Field and in Town--A Relic
Of Pionoor Days.
pcc,al to rimes- Republican.

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Brlstow, Dot. 0.--Tt ~ generally sup
posed that low priced land reasonably
productive, lf bought right" In safe
Investment under ordinary circum-
stances for almost anybody who has
anything to invest. Everyone Ia fa-
miliar with Instances where mon OF
limited means llnvo SO placed their
savings held tho property Tor a short
time and sold 1t ut m ad-
vance thus securing for themselves u
competence almost without effort.
Deals of this kind which terminate
successfully. just az tho case of those
holding lucky number In u lottery al
ways receive much moro notice than
those which end in loss and dlsap-
pointment The loser Is I'm no mood
to give publicity to his defeated cf-
fort, and tho other parties to the af-
fair may be trusted to keep tho mat
ter quiet.
On a train the other day q man now
In the employ of IL railroad company
as surveyor told mo the story of his
experience in land speculation, which
shows how such ventures may fail
even when the supposed requirements
of success are fully complied with ut
the beginning of tho deal.
Some years ago no bought and set
tied on an eighty-acre farm In west
ern Iowa, for which he paid $40 per
acre Soon after land began to risa
and $50 offer caused the place to
change hands. Tho former owner then
made trip to the Red River Valley
country and bought half section OF
tho best unianproved land he could find.
paying one third down. The balance
of his capital was spent for course
In civil engineering and when this was
completed the man started out to work
on a salary About this time the ad-
vance In land prices was temporarily
checked and after three years had
elapsed. instead OF selling at a higher
figure than the purchase price he still
held the land on which a second mort
gage had been placed his salary hav-
ing failed to be sufficient to maintain
his little family and pay interest ana
taxes as he had expected 1t would.
Concluding that the agent In charge
OF his land was not making every eff
fort necessary to effect sale for
him he decided to go there and sell 1t
himself. He spent six months trying to
dispose OF 1t at reasonable hgure,
but for some reason for which ne could
not Mt that time account, every buyer
to whom he showed the land deserted
him and bought OF other parties. In
the meantime expenses at home were
going right on and he finally gave up
in despair, came home and went TO
work again, and now offers to
furnish a deed to anyone who
will give him 5000 for the
$4,000 he originally paid In.
He has little hope Of securing buyer
even on those terms, says the holder
Of the second mortgage is responsible
for his failure to sell, desiring the land
for HIMSELF will be glad when 1t Is all
over and he can commence again
where he did fifteen years ago.
A little more than forty years ago
a Mr. Kilson, one of the early settlers
of this county found himself In need
of a hoe and accordingly purchased
one in the then little village Of Cedar
Falls. In striking contrast with the
treatment usually accorded that spe-
cies of implement, he kept 1t bright
and used it year after year. One day,
however, it's owner put it away for'the
last time, and 1t was noticed no more
until Mr.. Frank Kilson son of the
old gentleman, came into possession
of the farm.
When he found the old hoe he gilded
it's worn and rusty blade, painted the
handle and prepared a place for 1T N
one of the best rooms of his mousse,
where it now hangs, cherished me-
mento Of one Of Iowa's departed plo-
neers.
Those who would fully appreciate
the extent to which the use of razor,
and change of raiment, sometimes
alter the appearance of man, should
get out and visit a few farmers ip their
fsgs. al, aJsi:a1