Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1912-09-13

be asked why he did not get it at his
own bank.
Jeremiah Patton remained IS the
president Of this new institution and
its nominal head, although its active
affairs and virtual control passed into
the hands of q board OF directors Sc
lected from the associates Of Belmont
Lane.
The old man halted . 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 vas still a mys-
terry to him. The clue to his charm
ing, persuasive, dominant personality
eluded him when he tried to embody
1t In words. 1t always SO eluded him,
he said, when Lane was not before
him. In the mans absence, his in
fluence was naught; before ones face,
1t was irresistible. When Belmont
Lane urged a plan, 1t seemed at once
practicable, alluring, filled with prom
Use. He made men gaze with him from
his own window, and out of 1t 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
Patton to assume its presidency and
to hold in his name almost the entire
stock. Again, Lane was not Of this
company; a 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 its note, with
Its stock as collateral. Ten days lat
err, 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 i%nsolvent, 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
4<dlIS COulu AOI NC AouAo. 11c "oS
thought to have returned to Russia.
Jeremiah Patton was utterly ruled
But this was not the worst feature
Of the situation; the incensed public
demanded that some n be punished
for SO great a swindle. They instant
ly erected a guillotine. n found no
head to place under it but that of
jeremiah Patton.
At this point in his story the old
mar 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, e" was
president Of the company which wreck.
ed the bank, and its greatest stock
holder. My coming to New York will
!. be considered as a fight from JUS
ttce. l can hardly hope to reach st.
Louis unaccompanied by a United
States marshal. I 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 mar replied that both the
Judge and the district attorney were
products Of a recent political upheaval
in his state. The former United
States Judge, a man in but middle life,
had died suddenly the previous Sep
TENDER. The present judge. more a pol
it1cian than lawyer, had yielded al
election to the senate in order to OBJ
tain this life appointment to the
bench. He was generally regarded as
an honorable man, out one not great
ly learned in the law.
The district attorney was a mar
named Stetheimer, elevated to his po-
sition as a reward for conspicuous
party service in the las 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 a 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 ccused him
of seeking the civil business of large
interests under a 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 vas
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