Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1908-07-15
Sharps and Flats


Sam Croy was the butt of Yorkville
and had been since he was stutter-
ing boy of ten. Had there been med
ical examination in his case it would
have been discovered that there was
nothing wrong about Sam except that
his brain worked more slowly than the
average.
There came a day when a man Of
sense sat down to talk to Sam CrOy in
a sensible manner, and he dug up lot
brain and laid the foundation for an
earthquake. He was 4 man named
Boyden He took Sam aside and talk
ed to him for long half day, and he
discovered what others might have dug
up years before Sam could see through
hole in a grindstone if given fair
show and time enough.
Mr. Boyden didn't take Sam into his
confidence until after several inter-
views had been held and until sure OF
his man. The town of YOrkville was
in the dumps just then. Business was
ing in any direction. One afternoon in
front of the town hall and just after a
joke had been played on the town
fool Sam turned to a citizen and
drawlingly inquired what he would
take in spot cash for his house and lot.
His inquiry was answered by roar
of laughter. Sam had been known to
have as much as whole dollar in his
possession at once, but never more.
The property referred to was valued at
5000.
The owner finally replied that he
would take two-thirds of that amount.
Before he could laugh again he had
$50 in his hand to bind the bargain,
and next day the papers were made
out and he was handed the balance Of
his money. That was the clowns
thunderbolt OF course he was ques-
toned by a hundred different people.
That he should have $4,000 in his pos
session was an amazing thing. 1t was
so amazing that the local papers dwelt
on it to the extent of half a column
and constable walked him to the town
lookup on suspicion. He might have
| walked him into a cell if Sam hadn't
paralyzed him by threatening suit for
false Imprisonment and assuming a
dignity no one had ever seen him car
rying before He would not tell where
he got the money, and it was the gen.
eral opinion that he had found treas
ure somewhere.
In the course of a fortnight Sam
bought three more houses and lots and
a farm in the suburbs. Then he was
fairly mobbed by inquirers, and the
two constables in town went looking
for c!eWs. Both local papers had some
thing to say-much to say. They had
so much to say that scores of people
went down and tore the abandoned
sawmill to pieces in their hunt for
treasure. They also searched through
woods and fields and missed no stumps
or hollow logs The town fool went on
whistling Yankee Doodle and buying
all property offered him. The town had
so long carried the idea that Sam Croy
always told all he knew without any
coaxing that it felt hurt to the quick
by his reticence. Now and then 'our
reporter" had interviewed him to make
column of sarcasm. The sarcasm
was now left out, and our reporter very
solemnly inquired of his readers If they
had murderer among them.
If any one else than town fool had
started in to buy real estate there
would have been boom on in no time
There were plenty willing to sell be
cause they could get their price and
because in a way they felt that they
were doing the buyer up. 1t was moi
until he had laid out $4,000 in silky
greenbacks and announced that he had
! more left that one Of "Our reporters
got on to the snap. He wouldn't have
hit it then but for tin peddler that
came along and gave things away. He
called "our reporter" a dough head
for not having seen through the scheme
at the very start He called the con
stables asses for thinking there was
any crime connected with 1t. Under
! and around the town for a distance OF
! ten miles square was an oil basin
from which millions of gallons would
be pumped. The men who had bored
for salt several years before must have
discovered this, but waited until they
could enlist capital. Capital had beer
raised and Sam Croy put forward as I
dummy. He would make a million
clean dollars out of it, and the mel
) who had taken him for fool would
, get left.
? 1t was now as plain as day TO tn,
Bugle and the Clarion, and they die
, their best to make up for lost time
, They devoted pages to the new o;
field. They issued extras. They pub
lished Sam Croy's picture and his
tory of his life and spoke of him al
Mr.. Croy, the intelligent and farseeiri
citizen. They published pictures O
drilling machines and derricks an,
spouting oil wells, and in two week
they jumped the price of real estat
3 200 per cent. 1t wasn't a boom tina
set in. 1t was mad scramble to bu.
D at any price. People came from point
I thousand miles away and left thel
n good cash. There were leases and OF