Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1906-09-28

opening the telegraph key at his ell
bow, he called Duncan, and duncan
who had learned telegraphing' as ne
had learned many other things. as a
part of his equipment for WORK.
promptly went to his key ana answer.
ed the call. The general freight agent
spelled out this message:
"Slmply impossible to furnish cars
you ask. Haven't got them"
Duncan responded:
"The Quentin mine gets oil cars need-
ed. We demand our share, and snail
insist upon the demand"
The reply came:
81 tell you we can't do 1t. III run
down to your place tomorrow or next
day and explain"
"Don't want explanations" answer
ed Duncan. 81 want the cars"
"But we simply can't furnish them"
"But you simply must"
"What IL refuseT
"Then I'll adopt other measures. But
you won't refuse"
"Why not?"
Because know too much" answer
ed Duncan. az shall send to you by
special messenger on the train that Will
pass here within an hour letter max
ing a formal tender Of the freight.
make that tender by telegraph now,
and you may as we'll accept 1t In that
way. Your road Is a chartered COM
mon carrier. Your lawyers will advise
you that you cannot refuse freight
formally rendered to you for carriage
unless you can show an actual inabii-
ity. In that case you must show that
you arc doing your best by all shippers
alike; that you are treating them with
ain equal hand. You perfectly well
know you are not doing that. You
know you have cars in plenty. You
know you are deliberately discriminate
ing against this mine and In favor or
its rival / make formal demand on
behalf of the company ! represent Tor
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 / will dump the coal by the
side of your loading side track and
leave 1t there ut your risk. Coca
night" And Duncan shut of the tele-
graph instrument and devoted himself
to the preparation of his letter OF de-
mand.
It should be explained that the young
man was not making bluf"-in the
figurative phrase of that time and
country-when he telegraphed IN this
way to the general freight agent. He
had his facts we'll in hand. AS soon
as DavidsOn's intimatiOn had come 10
him to the effect that the railroad Of
ficials were standing in" with the
proprietors Of the Quentin mine ne had
telegraphed for Joe Arnold to come 10
him by a train that would arrive at
midnight. Joe Arnold was detective
Of rare gifts and. incidentally. re-
porter on a Chicago newspaper. Cap
tain VIII Hallam often had occasion to
employ Joe and thus Duncsn 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:
~ must know who are the STOCK
holders In the Quentin mine, both those
of record and those whose names 90
not appear on the stock books II pos
sible I must know also what each
stakeholder actually paid FOR MS
shares. You must hurry. l 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 dispatch which the general
freight agent had sent little atter
midnight that morning to Napoaeoh
Tandy, saying:
Hallam has got that sharp young ie''
low Duncan at work. and, as you ARG
aware. he knows his business ana ms
rights. I'm afraid he'll mrtke q formai
proffer of freight md demand TOT cars
/ wish you could come here. but OF course
YOU can't 30 long as you wish your STOCK
holdings In that mine down there ana
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 we've deeply
interested to learn what was going on
among the masters of finance. ana one
of these Overcurious ones was GER
tain telegraph operator. 1t was his
practice to take of the wires what
ever dispatches there might be passing
between Napier Tandy and the rail-
road people.
Thus II came about that Joe Arnold
brought to Guilford Duncrm mass OF
accurate and detailed information
which enabled him to take the high
hand In his telegtaphic 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 caIta-pie for the
telegraphic controversy. And thus II
came about that during the next SIX
DAYS there we're hundred cars shunt-
ed to Redwood side tracks; where they
were rapidly loaded with the coal OUT
put of tho Redwood mine.
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