River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1912-09-12


president Of this new institution and
its nominal head, although it's active
affairs and virtual control passed into
the hands Of board of directors Sc
lected from the associates of Belmont
Lane.
The old man halted a little in the
march Of his narrative, searching if
he could bring into more vivid out
line the figure of Belmont Lane This
mans real character was still a mys-
terry to him. The clue to his charm
ing, persuasive, dominant personality
eluded him when he tried to embody
it in words. 1t always SO eluded him,
| he said, when Lane was not before
| him. In the mans absence, his in
| fiuence was naught; before ones face,
1t was irresistible. When Belmont
Lane urged plan, it seemed at once
practicable, alluring, filled with prom
ise. He made men gaze with him from
his own window, and out of it all
| things looked good. So, when Belmont
| Lane suggested a sub-company with
an enormous paper capital to acquire
| leases in Missouri for the Russian
company, he readily induced jeremiah
f, Patton to assume its presidency and
to hold in his name almost the entire
/ stock. Again, Lane was not Of this
! company; few of his employees stood
| in the charter with Patton, and
made a board of directors which re-
volved around Belmont Lanes finger,
as the bank did
One fine morning, while Mr.. Patton
was in Chicago, the sub-company Dor
! roWed two millions of dollars from the
| Patton National bank on it's note, with
| its stock as collateral. Ten days lat
er, the National Bank Examiner con-
| demned this loan and declared the
! collateral worthless. A further exam
! nation of the banks accounts showed
extensive overdrafts Of the sub-com-
pany hidden under dummy notes. The
bank was insolvent, and the examiner
! closed it at the direction of the Fed
eral authorities at Washington.
The assets of this sub-company
proved utterly worthless. Belmont
Lane could not be found. He was
! thought to have returned to Russia
jeremiah Patton was utterly ruined
But this was not the worst feature
of the situation; the incensed public
demanded that some one be punished
for so great a swindle. They instant
ly erected a guillotine, and found no
head to place under it but that Of
| Jeremiah Patton.
At this point in his story the old
man arose, took several financial
sheets from his pocket and spread
them out on the table. Their head
lines clamored for jeremiah Patton's
arrest
''You see," he continued, 81 was
president of the company which wreck
ed the bank, and it's greatest stock
holder. My coming to New York will
! be considered as a flight from JUS
tice / can hardly hope to reach st.
Louis unaccompanied by a United
| States marshal. l am certain to be
| indicted by the next Federal grand
jury, and certain to be convicted"
Randolph Mason was standing by
the fire, his shoulder leaning against
the mantel, his arm extended along it.
He began to examine the old man with
sharp, searching queries-not as to
the details of the story he had just
related, but with respect to the per-
sonnet Of the Federal court in this
city.
The old man replied that both the
Judge and the district attorney were
products of recent political upheaval
in his state. The former United
States Judge, man in but middle life,
had died suddenly the previous Sep
TENDER. The present judge, more a pol
itician than lawyer, had yielded an
election to the senate in order to OBJ
tain this life appointment to the
bench. He was generally regarded as
an honorable man, but one not great
| ly learned in the law.
The district attorney was a man
named Stetheimer, elevated to his po-
sition as a reward for conspicuous
| party service in the last national cleo
ton. He had organized a certain
large element of the city, and held
it until a bargain was struck for this
| position. The man was ambitious and
hungry to be rich. The position of
United States district attorney car
ried with it general practice of the
best value in the Federal courts. This
practice Stetheimer was anxious to Sc
cure. jeremiah Patton had heard this
criticism OF him. Some editors of op-
posite politics had even accused him
of seeking the civil business of large
interests under yelled suggestion of
protection against the rigor Of certain
acts of congress. Mr. Patton thought
these corporations were principally
those that were said to be constant
violators of the interstate commerce
laws. Still, the district attorney was
reputed to have great influence with
the new Judge His advice was usual
ly followed with respect to the conduct
of trials. The common impression
was that the judge. not yet familiar
with the Federal procedure, assumed
the advice of the district attorney to
be correct. The district attorney was
successfully posing as an able lawyer,
while. in fact, he was an obscure prac-
titioner Of Indifferent learning. This
was the gist of all that jeremiah Pat
ton had heard about this court.
Randolph Mason took his arm from
the mantelshelf and turned to the
banker You will at once return to
st. Louis he said. Employ the best
counsel you are able to obtain When
Won aro Indicted insist Y,non on inn