River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1912-09-05
By Melville Davisson Post
Copyright by Edward ]. clode


elated. He would gladly have lent his
aid to the scheme without compensa-
ton, out of interest in the people of
the county; but here was BarnsfieId
about to reap enormous sums from
the venture, and he might as well
have the money which was offered
They agreed, then, that Barnsfield
should pay him one thousand dollars
for every landowner who made a
deed for the mineral rights under his
land, the money to be paid when the
transfer was made by Barnsfield to
the Great Lakes Railroad company
There were thirty-four of these men.
Balduc's popularity, the reputation
he had established with the people
and his prestige as county treasurer
gave weight to his words. He went
back to his people, assured them that
he had investigated Barnsfields plan
and that it would certainly be carried
out. He had seen the very surveys for
the road, the estimates, the profles.
Finally he secured the deeds of nine
teen of these recalcitrant landowners.
The others could not be induced to
sell. Barns1eld marked their names
| OFF his list, expressed himself salts
fed with the matter and put all his
deeds to record. The county, now at
the gateway of its fortunes, rejoiced
A great mass meeting was held in
the court house; vote of thanks was
| awarded Jean Balduc; he was carried
| to his home on the shoulders of his
| admiring fellows; tar-barrels were
burned on the hills; horses were pa
raded; the local papers ran their cleo
| ton ROSTERS and eagles.
Then came the gray morning, and
| the gradual rising of the SUM- The
minions of Barnsfield vanished.
Months passed, and no engineer of
the Great Lakes railroad sighted his
| transit into Huron county. No carts
were trundled across her rivers, no
| italian came to make fOotpath for
| the iron beast; but. instead, a little
man in spectacIes arrived from Mar
quette and staked out shipping wharf
| at Plymouth for the Lake Shore
| Steamship company. To inquiries he
replied that Barnsfield wished to take
the copper out of Huron county, and
the steamship company must have a
wharf from which to load 1t. Copper
The county sat literally with its jaws
agape. But was this merely another
| subterfuge of Barnsfield? IT was rot.
| A little later a well-known superin-
! tendent from the regular mining
region came with workmen and I'M
| covered the copper-bearing strata. 1t
was copper territory! The whole
county richer than the Indies
Jean Balduc stopped here in his
narrative, drew down the muscles of
his face until his eyes narrowed to
pale Sits He crushed and ground
the flaps of his coat pockets in his big
hands. His mind was evidently
crammed with incidents-vivid, crowd
ing Incidents A food of indignation
poured over Jean Balduc. He was
cursed, waking and sleeping, as with
Roman anathema. Even Barnsfeld,
chuckling in his den in New York,
| goaded him. He would pay the nine
teen thousand dollars when the deeds
were transferred to the Great Lakes
RAILROAD company---if he were living
then.
Exile was the only solution Jean
Balduc determined to close up his af-
| fairs as treasurer of the county, come
| to New York, collect from Barnsfield
the twenty-eight thousand dollars
which he owed Huron county for taxes
on his mineral rights, transfer it to
the county, and then settle his own
affair with Barnsfield After that, If
he got away, he would go back to the
Jacques Cartier river: but he would
likely not get away.
Have you seen BarnSfield?" said
Randolph Mason.
Yes replied the man. Il went to
him yesterday to collect these taxes,
and he tried to beat me even on that
He was hard up, he said. he had no
ready money; but he would give me
bonds of the Empire Copper company
if l would take these bonds at par
and turn over the tax receipts to him.
l refused. and he asked me to come
back today at one o'clock
Randolph Mason turned to me.
What are these bonds WORTH" he
said.
They are not listed on the stock
exchange" l answered; but there is
a curb market for them at seventy
five cents"
Randolph Mason walked over to the
window and stood looking out at the
heavy snow-fiakes driving against the
glass. The big northerner waited, but
Mason remained motionless, his hands
behind him. Finally, the man took up
his hat and put it on.
WELL" he said, IS there any trail
out?"
Mason turned abruptly. Go back
to Barnsfield," he said, "and take his
bonds at par for the taxes. Mr. Parks
will accompany you and write into
the tax receipts that these taxes are
paid in full by the delivery to you of
the bonds, setting out the number and
denomination, as you receive them.
Give Barnsfleld the receipts, and come
back to me-"
The man was aghast why, sir"
he said, you cannot mean that! 1
would be damned fool to do that.
The county woald be losing ten thou
sand dollars to take the bonds at
par"
obey me-, said Randolph Mason,
and he turned back to the window.
"All right" said the big fellow;
| ..r.r,,,,rn the dnctnr What -.