Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1907-10-21

the secretary or the company explain
Ing that the additional stock was pool
stock ana not 20 be marketed at the
present time. 1t was In the nature OF
bonus 10 which he was entitled as
one Of the early shareholders. The let
ter was fGll OF verbiage and technical
details OF which the Judge understood
nothing, but he thought II very liberal
OF the company and, putting the stock
away In his safe soon forgot all about
It. Had he been Il business man he
would have scented peril. He would
have realized that he had now in his
possession $4,000 worth of stock for
which he had not paid a cent and fur
thermore had deposited ii when a reor-
ganization came.
But the judge was sincerely grateful
for Ryder's apparently dislnterested
advice and wrote two letters to him,
one I'm which he thanked him for the
trouble he had taken and another in
which he asked him II he was sure the
company was financially sound, as the
investment he contemplated making
represented all his savings. He added
in the second letter that he had re-
ceived stock for double the amount of
his investment and that, being a per-
feet child In business transactions, he
had been unable to account for the ex-
ira $4,000 worth until the secretary of
the company had written him assuring
him that everything was In order.
These letters Ryder kept.
From that time on the Alaskan Min
ing company underwent mysterious
changes. New capitalists gained con-
troll and the name was altered to the
Great Northwestern Mining company.
Then II became involved i'm litigation,
and one suit. the outcome OF which
meant millions TO the company, was
carried TO the supreme court. where
Judge Rossmore was sitting The
Judge had by this time forgotten all
about the company I'm which he owned
stock. He did not even recall its name.
He only knew vaguely that it was
mine and that II was situated in Alas
ka. Could he dream that the Great
Northwestern Mining company and
the company to which he had intrust-
ed his few thousands were one and the
came? In deciding on the merits of
the case presented to him right seemed
90 him TO be plainly with the North
western. and he rendered n decision to
that effect. 1t was an important de-
cislon, involving a large sum, and for
q day or two it was talked about. But
as it was the opinion of the most learn
ed and honest judge on the bench no
one dreamed of questioning it,
But very soon ugly paragraphs be-
gan to appear in the newspapers. One
paper asked If IL were true that Judge
Rossmore owned stock in the Great
Northwestern Mining company which
had recently benefited so signally by
his decision. Interviewed by report
err, Judge Rossmore Indignantly denied
being interested in any way in the
company ThereupOn the same paper
returned to the attack, stating that the
judge must surely be mistaken, as the
records showed a sale of stock to him
at the time the company was known
as the Alaskan Mining company.
When he read this the judge was over
whelmed 1t was true then! They
had not slandered him. 1t was he who
had lied. but how innocently-hOw in
noCentiy,
His daughter Shirley. who was his
greatest friend and comfort, was then
I'm Europe. She had gone to the con-
tinent to rest after working for months
on novel which she had just pub
lshed. His wife, entirely without ex-
perience in business matters and some
what OF an invalid, was helpless to adj
wise him. But TO his old and tried
friend, ex-Judge Stott, Judge Ross
more explained the facts as they were.
Stott shook his head. Its q conspir-
acyr' he cried. "And John B. Ryder
is behind it," Rossmore refused to be-
lieve that any man could so deliberate
ly try to encompass another's destruc
ton. but when more newspaper stories
came out he began TO realize that Stott
was right and that his enemies had in
deed dealt him deadly blow. One
newspaper boldly stated that Judge
Rossmore was down on the mining
company's books for $4,000 NOR,
FNoNA Ahau III udu paul AoAf anu II wen
on TO ask II this were payment for tn,
favorable decision just rendered. Ross
more. helpless, childlike as he was il
business matters, now fully realizes
the seriousness of his position. M,
God. My G0dr' he cried as he bowes
his head down on his desk. And for
whole day he remained closeted in hi
library, no one venturipg near him.
As John Ryder sat there sphinxlik
at the head OK the directors table h
reviewed all this Ia his mind. His owl
part in the work was now done, am
well done. and he had come to thl
meeting today 70 tell them Of his tri
umpn. cries Of The chair, TIL
chair arose on every side. Senate
Roberts leaned over to- Ryder an
whispered something In his ear.
with an acguiesceut gesture job
Ryder tapped the table with his CAV,
aud rose 70 address his fellow direc,