The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1912-11-28


ing to pay q thousand dollars for each
landowner whom Balduc could induce
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
Tor direct transfer to the Great Lakes
railroad. So large q bait could mot
fail Of success, nor was there any
moral wrong in foisting these worth
less mineral rights on the company.
The directors OF It were notorious
land thieves; q hair.shirt was due
them.
Jean Balduc was convinced and
eiated. 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 Barnsfield
about to reap enormous sums from
the venture. and he might as well
nave the money which was offered.
They agreed, then, that Barnsaeld
should pay him one thousand dollars
Tor every landowner who made a
deed for the mineral rights under his
land, the money to be paid when the
transfer was made by Barnsfeld to
the Great Lakes Railroad company.
There were thirty.four OF these men.
Balduo's popularity, the reputation
ne 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 Barnsfield's plan
and that it would certainly be carried
out. He had seen the very surveys for
the road, the estimates, the proales.
Finally he secured the deeds OF nine
teen OF these recalcitrant landowners.
me others could not be induced to
sell. Barnsfield marked their names
on 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 sun. The
minions of Barnsfeld 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 to load It. Copper!
The county sat literally with Its Jaws
agape. But was this merely another
subterfuge OF Rarnstield? It was not.
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 faps Of his coat pockets in his big
hands. His mind was evidently
cranmed with ncidents-vivid, crowd
Ing Incidents: A food Of indignation
poured over Jean Balduc. He was
cursed, waking and sleeping, as with
q 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 Barnstield
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. II
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
II l would take these bonds at par
and turn over the tax receipts to him.
/ 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 lated on the stock
exchange" I answered; "but there is
a curb market for them at seventy
i've cents"
Randolph Mason walkedIov to the
window and stood looking out at the