The Wahpeton times. [volume] (Wahpeton, Richland County, Dakota [N.D.]) 1879-1919, 1911-03-09

carry out tho original idea. surely they
The people Of Auburndale thought diff.
ferently and. goaded on by the local
newspapers. had begun action in the
courts to restrain the road from divert.
ing the land from Its alleged original
purpose. They had succeeded in get.
ting the injunction. but the road had
fought 1t tooth and nail and finally
carried it to the supreme court, where
Judge Rossmore after reserving his
opinion had finally sustained the in.
junction and decided against the rail-
road. That was the situation.
| Several directors spoke, the argu-
ments of each one being merely a re-
| iteration of those already heard Ry-
der did not listen to what was being
said. Why should he? Was he not
familiar with every possible phase Of
the game? Eetter than these men who
merely talked, lie was planning how
| the railroad and all his other interests
could get rid of the troublesome Judge,
| Rossnore.
He who controlled legislatures and
dictated to supreme court Judges had
found himself powerless when each
turn of the legal machinery had
brought him face to face with Judge
Rossmore. Suit after suit had been
decided against him and the interests
he represented, and each time 1t was
Judge Rossmore who had handed down
the decision. So for years these two
men had fought a silent but bitter duel
In which principle on the one side and
attempted corruption on the other
We're the gage of battle. Judge Ross
| more fought with the weapons which
his oath and the law directed him to
use, Ryder with the only weapons he
nderstood-bribery and trickery. And
each time it had been Rossmore who
had emerged triumphant. Despite ev-
cry vancouver Ryder's experience could
suggest, notwithstanding every card
that could be played to undermine his
credit and reputation, Judge Rossmore
stood higher in the country's conf
dence than when he was first apDoint-
ed.
So when Ryder found he could not
corrupt this honest judge with gold
he decided to destroy him with calunl-
ny. No scruples embarrassed Ryder
i'll arriving at this determination.
From his point of view he was fully
justified. Business is business. He
hurts my interests; therefore remove
Kim" SO he argued, and he consid-
cred it 10 Eore wrong to wreck the
happiness of this honorable man than
he would to have. shot burglar in
self defense. SO having thus tran
quilted his conscience he had gone to
work in his usually thorough manner,
and his success had surpassed the
most sanguine expectations.
This is what he had done.
Like many Of our public servants
whose labors are compensated only in
| niggal!lly fashion by an inconsilerate
country. Judge Hossnlore was Il man
of but moderate means. lis income
as justice OF the supreme court was
$4,000 = year, but for man in his
position. having certain appearance
to keep UP, it little more than kept the
Wolf from the door. He lived quietly,
but comfortably, in New York with his
wife and his daughter Shirley, an at
tractive young woman who had grad
uated from Nassar and had shown a
marked taste for literature. The daugh-
ter's education had cost good deal of
money. and this, together with life in
surance and other incidentals of keep
ing house in New York, had about TAX
en- all he had. Yet he had managed to
save little, and those years when he
could put by fifth of his salary the
judge considered himself lucky. Sc
cretly he was proud of his compare
, tive poverty. At least the world could
never ask him "where he got it."
Ryder was we'll acquainted with
Judge Rossmore's private means. The
two men had met at dinner, and, al
though Ryder had tried to cultivate
the acquaintance, he never received
much encouragement. Ryder's son
Jefferson, too, had met Miss Shirley
Rossmore and been much attracted to
her, but the father having more am
bilious plans for his heir quickly dis
couraged all attentions in that direc-
ton. He himself, however, continued
to meet the Judge casually, and one
evening he contrived to breach the
subject Of profitable investments. The
judge admitted that by careful hoard
ing and much stinting he had managed
to save few thousand dollars which
he was anxious to invest in something
good.
Quick as the keen eyed vulture
swoops down on its prey the willy
financier seized the opportunity thus
presented. And he took SO much tr6u
bic in answering the judges ineXperi-
enced questions and generally made
himself so agreeable that the judge
found himself regretting that he and
Ryder had by force Of circumstances
been opposed to each other in public
life so long. Ryder strongly recon-
mended the purchase of Alaskan Min
ing stock, a new and booming enter
prise which had lately become very
active in the market. Ryder said he
had reasons to believe that the stock
would soon advance, and now there
was all opportunity to get 1t cheap.