The Natchitoches enterprise. (Natchitoches, La.) 1888-1965, 1912-10-17


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
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 Barnsfelds plan
and that 1t would certainly be carried
out. He had seen the very surveys for
the road, the estimates, the profiles.
Finally he secured the deeds of nine
teen Of these recalcitrant landowners.
The others could not be induced to
sell. Barnsfield 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 It's 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 elee-
ton roosters 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 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 Barnsfield? 1t was not
A little later 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
I'M narrative dfsw sd5wn TIE MUSCLES 81
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 flood 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
|
teen thousand dollars when the deeds
we're transferred to the Great Lakes
Railroad company-if he we're living
| then.
Exile was the only solution. Jean
Balduc determined to close up his at
fairs as treasurer of the county, come
to New York, collect from Barnsfeld
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 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. u
YES" replied the man; Il went ia
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 | 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
4 said.
They are not listed on the stock
| exchange" / 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-fakes 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. 60 back
to Barnsfield," he said, land 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 anC
denomination, as you receive them
Give Barnsfield the receipts, and come
back to me-"
The man was aghast. why, sir.
he said, you cannot mean that!
would be a damned fool to do that
The county would be losing ten thou
sand dollars to take the bonds al
par"
obey me-" said Randolph Mason
and he turned back to the window.
"All right" said the big fellow;
you're the doctor. What you say
goes, but 1t certainly does sound damn
fool"
| went with him to BarnsfieId W,