Golden Valley chronicle. (Beach, Billings County, N.D.) 1905-1916, 1907-02-21
system 1t became an instrument o.
extortion and greed.

drawn, and then the guile of the pen.
building system became apparent.
The pigs had, during incarceration iii.
creased, as pigs will, and after every
pig but the five belonging to the mem.
bers Of the system itself had been
withdrawn there remained 80 fat lit.
tie roasters still in the pen. To whom
did they belong? To the islanders?
NO" said the system. You each put
in one pig and you each drew one pig
out again. We owe, you nothing.
These piglets belong to U.S." Such is
the logic Of the system! With the
other pigs eaten and only 1864 real
money on the island, the syndicate's
pigs were worth. at the market price
Of SO a pig, $500. You would think
greed could go no further? Wait!
remember just after we had land.
ed ON Cocobolo island that C. Peter
Griggs induced me to go into deal
to sell rotten cocoanuts to our fellow.
islanders. The system at that time
claimed the sole right to sell cocoa
nuts on the island. C. Peter Griggs
hired me to peddle his rotten cocoa.
nuts. BY carefully hiding the decayed
portions ! was able to sell great
many and the monopoly of the system
was threatened.
Knowing that C. Peter Griggs was
rascal l was afraid every moment
that he would throw me over. went
to Podgers. He received me at his
home. He opened a bottle of sulphur
water in my honor.
RODGERS" I said boldly, Il have
come to talk plainly, as man to man"
Simpson" said Podgers, "Griggs
will do YOU dirty trick yet. Cut
loose from him. Come into the sys
tenn"
"Podgers," said, no! Never.
Grfggs trusts me. will not sell him
out to you. ] am u man of honor. I
think l can still make something out
of him. What will you give me?'
Simpson" said Podgers, taking nv
hand and weeping, I'VE need loyal,
tough-hided. foxy young men like you
In our system. We will give you
$40"
For reply I threw his hand on the
floor and stepped on 1t.
| "Villain!" cried. You get me to
come here, by my own request, and
then tempt me to sell out my EN-.
ployer! oh, lowness! Oh, baseness.
Ten dollars! Why. the least expect.
ed was twenty"
RODGERS rage was something thrill.
ing. Raising his foot he kicked the
roof Oft was only made of palm
leaves.
The next day went back and sold
out Griggs for $1,000. AS left Pod.
gers office I met Griggs coming to
sell me out. Griggs was an unmiti.
gated rascal.
Having thus established close rela.
lions with the pig system, my next
thought was to fix up deal with it
by means of which could make some
money. AS am, by profession, mil.
lionafre, it is necessary that / should
| have at least a little money.
For the information of the uniniti
( ated l must explain that there are two
Kinds OF money-real money and imi.
tation money. Real money is the kind
that rings when it is tossed on the
counter; imitation money includes
stocks. bonds. certificates of deposit,
laundry tickets, pawn tickets, postage
stamps and walnpum.
Pigs are neither one nor the other:
they are property.
When the pen was built and the
islanders deposited their pigs in it, the
system issued a certificate of deposit
for each pig, value SO. As long as
the pig remained in the pen the certi.
f1cate had a real value. 1t stood for
SO pig. Forty-three pigs were de.
posted and 43 certificates issued, with
real value of $43O.
But see the insidious villafny of the
system! When the pigs were with.
drawn the islanders were obliged to
give back their certificates Of deposit
to the keeper of the pen. The pigs
were honestly eaten, but what did the
system do with the certificates? Did
they destroy them? No! They kept
them! They became richer immedi.
ately by the face value of the certifi.
Gates. Although the pigs on which the
certificates were issued were eaten
and digested, the certificates remained
to represent imitation money. This is
what call on awful defrauding of
widows and orphans.
The next step of the system was to
form a stock company-the Cocobolo
Pig Pen company, capital 5000 900.
600, and divide this among its mem.
bers. More unjust Imitation money!
1t then formed the Cocobolo Mutual
Insurance company.
The public certainly had 81 lives to
insure. and in this Podgers saw a
means of supplying the public with
money that should be its own, morally
and legally.
There was no doubt that in time
the islanders would die, If only of old
age. Therefore, for protection, it was
right that they should be insured.
The insurance company therefor is.
sued to each man, woman and child an
insurance policy for 100000, 900,
agreeing to take notes for the pre-.
miums as they became due. AS notes
were to be accepted for the premiums
there could be no doubt that every
islander would keep his policy in force
until he died. Therefore each islander
was sure to receive, sooner or later.
1000, 100000. AS he was sure to