The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1908-06-19
TIE TRUESTORY OF MELETTE
BY GeorgesW. Case in Daco,ah Magazine.

IN iNldRaZlnt.
from justice, and secured the return
Ito the state OF about $100,00C
leash of money which Taylor had ap.
propriated, and a large amount of his
property to apply on his shortage.
1t was at this time Taylor turned
over to the state the note which
Governor Mellette owed him of $751;
100000 and decided to the state, by
quit-claim, all the real estate which
Governor Mellette and his wife had
decided to him as security.
Before Taylor defaulted, and when
he was arranging to turn over the
Office of state treasurer to his sue
%cessor, a very important action OF
Governor Mellette's was taking place
and n that is known to only a few
people. Governor Mellette, among
other properties, owned the Mellette
Block, a three-story business build
ing, in Watertown, S. D., valued at
$2O,0OO.OO at that time. He was
making every effort to pay his note to
Taylor before his term of Office ex-
pired and had promised and determ-
ined to do SO IL he had to sacrifice
all his property to do 1t. This brick
block was encountered for 5000. 90,
leaving him an equity of $4,000 90.
Just prior to the defalcation he had
exchanged it to j. II. Bass, of Fort
Wayne, Indiana, for $2O,000.O0.;
balance, over membranes, in pure
bred stock to be shipped to Water
town. The exchange had gone SO far
that Mellette had selected the route
of shipment of the cattle and the car
ing for them on their arrival at Wa
tertown. The 100000 was ready
to be paid and papers were being pre-
pared to be delivered as soon as the
abstract could be completed. Cover
nor Mellette had also arranged for
$1O,5O0.O0 to be furnished him by e.
p. Carver and George Van Dyke, of
Boston, Mass, upon notes signed by
A. G. Mellette; Margaret w. Mellette,
his wife; his son, A. A. Mellette, and
w. w. Taylor, which had already
been forwarded to Mr.. Carver, and
deeds to the identical property for
merly decided to Taylor, as surety,
were made and placed on record
transferring all the said property to
70. p. Carver to secure both of the
notes, this transaction having been
arranged with Taylor at the time he
signed the notes last mentioned, and
he agreed to forward Governor Mel
lette his unrecorded deeds. This he
did not do, but defaulted and record
ed the Mellette deeds, fed from the
state, and took with him the Mellette
note. At the time Taylor defaulted,
the Carver deed was first Of record
with Taylor's consent, and the Taylor
deeds became second, but having a
prior date. Governor Mellette, who
at all times, was fair and frank in
his dealings with his fellow-men, in
formed Mr.. Carver of the situation
and the filing of the Taylor deeds
and not wishing to draw him into
litigation, released him from his
promise to forward the money on the
notes mentioned, and had the notes
returned and cancelled, and they are
now in the hands of the writer as
proof of Governor Mellette's endeav-
or and ability to pay his note to
Taylor.
At the time Taylor defaulted, Gov
amor Mellette's property was out Of
his hands and in the name Of e. p.
Carver, bona ide as security with
|Taylor's consent, and beyond the
reach Of the state until Carver and
vanDyke should be paid; but Gov
ernor Mellette. fearing his friends
would be drawn into litigation over It,
let them withhold the money, cancel
the notes and recover the property SO
the Taylor deeds became effective.
Had Governor Mellette been disposed,
he could have left his property In
Carver's hands and put the state to a
lot of trouble and expense to recover
FIT and pay Carver and vanDyke the
amount of the notes, had he insisted
on receiving the money for them.
The whole transaction was for value
and bona fide. The writer had per-
sonal knowledge OF the facts at the
time.
In the meantime. the state placed
attachments upon the Mellette prop
critics, including the brick block, in
Watertown, for the purpose Of recov-
ering upon the state treasurer's bond.
and thereby prevented the closing of
A. -maANAhYAg YY