The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1911-01-21

would soon ADVANCE, and now there
was an opportunity to get 1t cheap.
A few days after he had made the
Investment the Judge was surprised to
receive certificates Of stock for double
the amount he had paid for. At the
same time he received letter from
the secretary of the company explain
ing that the additional stock was pool
stock and not to be marketed at the
present time. It was in the nature of
q bonus to which he was entitled as
one Of the early shareholders. The let
ter was full of verbiage and technical
details Of which the Judge understood
nothing, but he thought it very liberal
Of the company and, putting the stock
away in his safe, soon forgot all about
1t. Had he been 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 cent and fur
thermore had deposited it when reor-
ganization came.
But the judge was sincerely grateful
for Ryder's apparently disinterested
advice and wrote two letters to him,
one In which he thanked him for the
trouble he had taken and another in
which he asked him If 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 tho OK
ira O,O00 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-
trol and the name was altered to the
Great Northwestern Mining company.
Then 1t became involved In litigation,
and one suit, the outcome Of which
meant millions to the company, was
carried to the supreme court. where
Judge RossmoHe was sitting. Tho
Judge had by this t1me forgotten all
about the company in which he owned
ptock. He did not even recall its name.
He only knew vaguely that it was 4
mine and that it was situated In Alas
Ia. Could he dream that tho Great
Northwestern Mining company and
the company to which he had intrust-
Cd his few thousands were one and the
same? In deciding on the merits Of
the ease presented to him right seemed
to him to be plainly with the North
western, and he rendered decision to
that effect 1t was an important de-
cision, involving large SUM, and for
a 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 II it were true that Judge
Rossmore owned stock In the Great
Northwestern Mining company which
had recently benefited so signally by
his decision. Interviewed by q report
or, Judge Rossmores indignantly denied
being interested In any way: In tho
company. Thereupon the same paper
returned to the attack, stating that the
judge must surely be mistaken, as the
records showed 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. It was true then! They
had not slandered him. It was he who
had lied, but how innocently-how in
nocently!
His daughter Shirley, who was his
greatest friend and comfort, was then
IN Europe. She had gone to the con-
tinent to rest after working for months
on novel which she had just pub
lished. His wife, entirely without ex-
perience in business matters and some
what Of an invalid, was helpless to ad-
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 conspir-
acy!' he cried. And John B. Ryder
Is behind it," Rossmore refused to be-
ueve that any man could so deliberate
y 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
eompany's books for $4,000 moro
stock than he had paid for, and It went
on to ask If this were payment for the
favorable decision just rendered. Ross
more, helpless, childlike as he was In
business matters, now fully realized
the seriousness Of his position. my
God! My Qodw he cried as he bowed
his head down ON his desk. And for a
whole day he remained closeted In his
nbrary, no one ventming near him.
As John Ryder sat there sphinxlike
1t the head Of the directors table he
reviewed all this In his mind. His own
part In the work was now done, and
well done, and he had come to this