The daily sentinel., 1906-12-14
WILLOUGHBY DISAPPEARS
The Man Who Was Going to DO Such
Wonderful Things for Grand
Junction and Western
Colorado Is Now
Missing.

This morning the Sentinel received
a message from Denver stating that
Dillon c. Willoughby. the alleged
railroad magnate and promoter ton
paper) of gigantic projects, SO well
known in Grand Junction, has sud
denly and completely disappeared and
1t is stated that large number of
creditors in Denver and other Colo
rado towns and cities are anxious to
locate the colossal fakir.
This action on the part OF Will
loughby is no surprise to Grand June
tion people whe We're acquainted with
the man and his methods, and doubt
less it will come as no surprise to the
people of MOntrose, Norwood. Tellu-
ride and other western towns who
have at one time given attention and
credence to Willoughby's schemes.
As announced in the Sentinel a
good while ago Willoughby had open
ed up an elegant suite of offices and
rooms on Sixteenth street in Denver
for the purpose OF advertising and
promoting his Naturita Valley and
other land schemes. He advertised
heavily in the Denver. Pueblo and
eastern papers. 1t is said that he
caught many suckers, selling land il
is claimed that he had no clear title
to and disposing of non-eXisting water
rights. A few months ago the Denver
Post exposed Willoughby and his op-
erations in a manner that was not at
all uncertain. But Willoughby CON
tinued to do business
1t seems that n few days ago Will
loughby suddenly left Denver for
parts unknown, his fine Offices were
closed and nothing whatever has been
learned of his whereabouts. 1t is
stated that suspicious circumstances
surround his hurried departure which
would indicate that he had left for
good and overlooked the matter of
settling numerous and heavy bills.
From all accounts Willoughby cut a
great swath in Denver. and he had
the nerve, physical appearance, etc,
to cut such a swath.
1t will be remembered that Willou-
ghby Interested the Grand Junction
Chamber of Commerce last summer
in a proposition to build a railroad
from this city to the Paradox valley,
opening up a wonderfully rich mining
and agricultural section. The scheme
looked feasible the necessity and ad
vantages for such road were pat
ent. Willoughby declared that if the
people of Grand Junction could float
$45O.OOO in bonds under certain
conditions, he could raise $1,000
900 among New York and English
capitalists and put the road through.
The story of the local interest
aroused over the project. the dila
tory methods and actions of Willough
by. the losing of confidence in him
and the final collapse of the project
is well known.
Willoughby worked the Montrose
people up to a high pitch of enthus-
iasm and then let them down hard.
His schemes had much to do, 1t is re-
ported with the failure of the Bank of
Norwood.
The papers were filed with storiesI
of the plans of this great promoter
of London. Paris and New York, rep
resenting powerful syndicate" all
during the summer.
Fortunately his schemes dldn
damage local people to any extent
Dillon c. Willoughby has probably
left for new and greener pastures and
has forgotten to leave his new address
with his friends in Colorado.