The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1905-06-01

Kansas City star. Inete Was oucc ~
considerable merchant Of New York
who freightcd many vessels every year
and sent them on ventures To distant
lands IL CHANGED that. to rescue one
Of these ventures from the hands of his
enemies. the merchant. who desired
that his name might not appear In con-
nectioY with the matter. had recourse
90 an honest and capable fellow whose
calling was that OF middieman or the
sea or ship broker. AZ they named ".
He was much esteemed for his skill I'm
these matters. and. indeed. he came by
such skill honestly, for he was a native
OF the Isle of Emerald. whose people
are famed even 10 the land where the
pepper grows for their shrewdness.
hcldness ana address.
The considerable merchant In con-
adorable merchant stiii. his name In ~
well known I'm all the United States An
N n were Jones, and I'm most OF the
South Americas II In known even bet
ter.
In the simple and virtuous pursuit OF
trade I'm those fervid lands IL has
CHANGED. and stiii chances. that a bar
gain I'm rubber. guano. coffee or hides
may depend as much on politics as on
the more usual commercial factors OF
barter used I'm the less temperamental
United States.
Therefore this merchant has been
constrained NJ times to 20 80 far as To
purchase vessels to be used as ships OF
war.
This was n matter demanding merely
a little diplomacy, Nd long as the mer-
chants interests were on the side OF
the officially recognized government Of
any OF these one-night stands OF re-
publics: but one day very worthy
speculation Ia the years produce OF a
few thousand square miles OF coffee
plantations began To depend for Its sue
cess on the survival OF the insurrec-
tons side OF n civil war.
Then II wasn't so easy.
The statutes OF the United States
have unpleasant references tn the high
crime OF fitting out armed vessels to
prey on the peace OF mind OF friendly
governments: and though the term
''fiiibuster'' sounds romantic to the
young and irresponsible. Il spells
"J-A-I-L." This II not ailuring To con-
siderable and middle aged merchants.
who care more for the solid comforts of
money honestly earned than for the
Ing do"
stu, the success OF that venture In
cofYee-and some rubber concessions
and a river steamboating monopoly
depended entirely on getting on n ship
TO be used as a privateer. with n
choice crew OF brave spirits and, most
important OF all. three tons OF guncot-
ton to be use1 I'm a most interesting
military experiment I'm the way OF be-
Ing fired NJ government fleet from
an ingenious and delightful dynamite
throwing cannon.
The ship was ready. innocently
cleared in ballast for ~ Thomas.
This was a piece OF simple truthfulness
on the part OF the merchant. for she
really was bound for that place. The
fact that she was merely To enter the
harbor far enough tn take on board n
swarthy gentleman who was then and
there To invest himself with the PAN
opiy of an admiral OF the insurrection-
airy fleet was not. OF course. n matter
concerning Uncle Sam.
She lay et anchor OF quarantine.
staten island, with three lazy. bare
footed sailor men making a lazy job
of painting the rusty red iron sides OF
her. Every line and rivet Of her said:
Trade, Trade! Trade" In her hold
was tn, pretty slender. graceful. In
genious dynamite gun.
But the grave and reckless spirits
who were TO make the crew OF that
good ship and to WELD that cunning
gun--where were they? Unknown.
unsolicited. losfing ON the Bowery. Wa
ter street and West street. unconscious
OF the glory that called themy
And the guncotton? IL lay In a
storebouse In a New Jersey town be-
hind Liberty island. with two sad OBJ
stncies between II and the waiting
ship.
one was that the conscientious con-
Germ which owned the explosive could
be depended on TO increase its bill if
IL were tn learn that the transaction
was not one that called too urgently
for publicity. This was no theory. The
concern had done such oiings before.