Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-04-28

T tell you we can't do 1t. I'll run ] down to your place tomorrow or next
 day and explain"
 Don't want explanations" answer
 ed Duncan. T want the cars" But we simply can't furnish them.'' But you simply must"
 What if l refusey'
 "Then I'll adopt other measures. But you won't refuse"
 why notT'
 Because know too much," answer
 ed Duncan. "I shall send to you by special messenger on the train that will pass here within an hour letter mak- ing formal tender of the freight. I make that tender by telegraph now, and you may as we'll accept 1t in that way Your road is chartered com. ..ou carrler. Your lawyers Will a0vlse you that you cannot refuse freight formally rendered to you for carriage unless you can show an actual inabil- ity. In that case you must show that you are doing your best by all shippers alike; that you are treating them with an equal hand. SYou perfectly well know you are not doing that. You know you have cars in plenty. You know you are deliberately discriminat- ing against this mine and in favor of Its rival. I make formal demand on behalf of the company I represent for all cars needed for the shipment of this freight If they are not forthcom- ing, as you say they will not be, give notice that I will dump the coal by the side of your loading side track and leave 1t there at your risk. Good night" And Duncan shut of the tele- graph instrument and devoted himself to the preparation of his letter of de- mand. o..
 It should be explained that the young man was not making a blun"-in the figurative phrase of that time and country-when he telegraphed in this way to the general freight agent. He had his facts well in hand. AS soon as Davidson's intimation had come to him to the effect that the railroad of- ficials were standing in" with the proprietors of the Quentin mine he had telegraphed for Joe Arnold to come to him by a train that would arrive at midnight. Joe Arnold was detective of rare gifts and, incidentally, a re- porter on a Chicago newspaper. Cap tain Will Hallam often had occasion to employ Joe and thus Duncan had come into acquaintance with the young mans peculiar abilities for finding out things.
 To this man, when he came by the midnight train, Duncan said
 T must know who are the stock holders in the Quentin mine, both those of record and those, whose names do not appear on the stock books. If pos sible l must know also what each stockholder actually paid for his shares. You must hurry. must have this information by noon tomorrow. You'll need to use money, perhaps. Here's stake for expenses. Come back on the noon train tomorrow"
 And Joe Arnold came back, bringing with him quite all the information that Guilford Duncan wanted and con- siderably more, for he brought with him transcripts of all the correspond ence that had passed between the rail road people and the mine proprietors, including a dispatch which the general freight agent had sent "a little after! midnight that morning to Napoleon Tandy, saying:
 Hallam has got that sharp young fel- low Duncan at work, and. as you are aware, he knows his business and his rights. I'm afraid he'll make formal proffer of freight and demand for cars. I wish you could come here. but of course you can't so long as you wish your stock holdings in that mine down there and your relations with us to be kept secret. Please telegraph any instructions you may wish.
 That dispatch. of course. had been sent not from the mines. but from the general freight agents office in an- other town. But there were always men in those days who were deeply interested to learn what was going on among the masters of finance, and one of these overcurious ones was cer- tain telegraph operator. It was his practice to take of the wires what ever dispatches there might be passing between Napper Tandy and the rail- road people.
 Thus it came about that Joe Arnold brought to Guilford Duncan a mass of accurate and detailed information which enabled him to take the high hand in his telegraphlc controversy with the general freight agent when that person. late in the evening. called him up on the wire in answer to his letter. received the night before. Thus was Duncan armed cap-a-pie for the telegraphic controversy. And thus 1t came about that during the next six days there were a hundred cars shunt- d to Redwood side tracks. where they were rapidly loaded with the coal out pnt Of the Redwood mine.