The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1912-09-13

ing to pay a thousand dollars for each
to sell. the money to be paid when his
deeds were made to the railroad com
pany. The strength OF the plan lay
in having the entire county In shape
for direct transfer to the Great Lakes
railroad. So large a bait could NOT
fail Of success, nor was there any
moral wrong in foisting these worth
less mineral rights on the company,
The directors Of Il were notorious
land thieves; a hair-shirt was due
them.
Jean Balduc was convinced and
elated. He would gladly have lent his
aid to the scheme without compensa-
ton, GU OF interest In the people OF
the county; but here was Barnsfield
about to reap enormous sums from
the venture, and he might as we'll
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 Barnsfeld's plan
and that 1t would certainly be carried
out. He had seen the very surveys 70.
the road. the estimates, the protles.
Finally he secured the deeds Of nine
teen o. these recalcitrant landowners.
The others could not be induced TO
sell. Barnsfeld marked their names
of 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; a 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 sun. 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 a footpath for
the iron beast; but, instead, a little
man in spectacles arrived from Mar
quette and staked out a 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 10 load II. Copper,
The county sat literally with It's jaws
agape. But was this merely another
subterfuge of Barnsfield? II was not
A little later a well-known superin-
tendent from the regular mining
region came with workmen and un-
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
h nI. H. v,f-I
crammed with incidents-vivid, crowd
ing Incidents: A food of indignation
poured over Jean Balduc. He was
cursed, waking and sleeping, as with
a Roman anathema. Even Barnsfield,
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 az
fairs as treasurer OF the county, come
to New York, collect from Barnsield
the twenty-eight thousand dollars
which he owed Huron county for taxes
on his mineral rights, transfer 1t to
the county, and then settle his W
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; II 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
IL I would take these bonds at par
and turn over the tax receipts to him.
I refused, and he asked me to como
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" / answered; "but there is
q curb market for them at seventy
five cents"
Randolph Mason walked owe to the
window and stood looking out at the
heavy snow-fakes driving against the
glass. The big northerner waited. but
Mason remained motionless. his hands