The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1908-05-18
Eosy Money.
copyright. 1917

II was because the clothing store In
the east in which he was employed
made q cut in salaries that James
Halpin went west. During the next
six years he was cowboy, miner, pros
pector and teamster. As a prospector
he made a miserable failure of it. In
the other vacations he put in honest
work for his money. Among his ac-
quantances he was spoken of as an
honest man and was often trusted.
There were men who sneered at his
principles. For instance, when he dis
covered the $1,000 nugget in the dump
at the Golden Lion mine and turned
it in to the company as its property he
was sneered and laughed at on all
sides. The company did not even hand
him out cigar for his probity.
Then there was the case of the train
holdup. The robbers got the express
all right, together with a big lot OF
registered mail, but In their hurry they
abandoned a mail bag and dropped two
or three packages. Halpin found them
among the rocks and sagebrush. There
was over $4,000 in all. The express
company started out to reward him.
but finally ended up by notifying him
that he ought to be glad that he had
not been arrested as one Of the sus-
poets. Uncle Sam received his mail
bag and said nothing and did nothing.
AS prospector Halpin discovered
the Double Cross mine and told
friend of it in confidence. The friend
FASTENED to the land Office and located
the mine in his own name and within
Of a million dollars. He was a man
without sand" and Halpin could have
gone to him with q gun and at least
made him divide, but he did nothing
of the kind 1t thus came about that
the men who knew Halpin had two
saying to fit his case. One was "As
honest as Jim Halpin" and the other
"As big q fool as Jim Halpin." He
was simply trying to be square man.
| It,was in his blood, and it took long
| time to convince him that all the rest
of mankind was on the make and that
he would get the worst of the deal
every time. He had to be reduced to
rags and hunger before he would be-
lieye it.
One day Jim Halpin woke up. He
had Travelled over a good part of three
western states and was familiar with
the better portions He got the loan
of suit of clothes and a few dollars
In cash and brought up In the town in
which a certain member Of congress
was living. They had a talk. They
consulted maps. They made a bar
| gain. Halpin wasn't to be foole
again, and the bargain or agreame
was ironclad. The congressman wo-
have left loopholes by which he cou
/ later on swindle the man who ha
come to him as they had planned
swindle Uncle Sam, but he had to alb
don this part Of the programme. WheI
ali was ready Ha1pin set forth to 10
cate lands. They were fertile valleys
timbered lands, coal lands and hillI
filled with iron and coal. They wer,
entered under different names as home
steads, desert lands, soldiers lands ant
other trickery, and In one year the.
had gobbled up more than q million
dollars worth. Then Halpin sold hi
share for a hundred thousand dollar
rather than wait longer. He also haC
other plans he wanted to carry out
and he needed the money to do so.
Jim Halpin with hundred thousan,
dollars to his credit in the bank wa
no longer sneered at. He had be
come a man to take off the hat to
They dropped ''the honest as jim
Halpin." They knew that he had mad
his money by sharp practice, but the,
thought all the more Of him for il
The man who can make a fortune an,
just escape the law in doing it receive
more praise than an honest man VIII
tolls a lifetime to get SIS, 600 together
The "Jim" now became Judge O
Colonel" when men addressed him.
In locating the lands Halpin had no
: played square with the congressman
He had left out certain coal fields. III
! now located them for himself. He wa
even generous enough to pay the gov
eminent $3.50 an acre for land wort
!. perhaps a hundred thousand per acre
: and thus he had nothing to hide TIL
a coal lands were in the mountains an
9 the towns and cities on the plains. 7
carry out his plans the two must b
9 connected by railroads Mr.. HaIpi
Q went to three different legislatures.
g few members could be- made to Sc
what great thing it would be if thi
9 and that town could secure coal at tn
! price of buffalo chips, and they wer
9 ready to grant a charter A number G
\ others saw it only after they had bee
g paid from $500 to $1,000 apiece. Ian
grants were obtained with the charter
4 BY selling half the acreage the road
q we're built. The price on the remainde
% was doubled to make even. There wa