The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-01-21
HE HASN'T A DOLLAR,
BUT POSES AS RICH
indianapolis Visitor Goes to
Dover Plains to Raise Goats,
and Finds Them.

Poughkeepsie. January 20-Wiiliam
j. Graham. of Indianapolis. was high
roller during his sojourn i'm the Harlem
Valley. and farmers who foregathered
IN the hitching shed of the meeting
house this morning said they felt sure
that by the time he reached the Wal
dorf- Astoria he'd be IA regular feller.
The only criticism Of Graham's high
rolling was based on the fact that the
good folk of Dover Plains had to
spend a cent In all the time he was In
The valley. One reason was that the
kindly Doverites wouldn't let him.
The other was that he didn't have ~
Yet throughout his stay he chummed
with the most prosperous men in the
village and acquired large popularity.
in spite OF the fact that he was a deaf
mute, And when 1t came 10 a show
down the villagers liked him so much
that they cheerfully made up purse
OF y IS TO help him out of town.
Graham took a pad and pencil into
the LOsee House after he dropped off a
train ira Dover Plains. lie scrubbed a
rcuuest for the best room In the hotel.
explaining his baggage would arrive on
the next train. The clerk assigned him
To the ducal suite--the string of rooms
SGT apart for the first duke who might
visit the village.
Graham didn't pretend 10 be duke.
but he had the bearing of a coal bar
on The clerk felt he had made no mis-
take when "a supplemental scrawI on the
pad conveyed the information that the
stranger had come 70 Dover Plains TO
invest $50 go in real estate. and that ms
uncle was one OF the Western Rookie
fellers. Graham explained he intend
ed 20 establish farm on which ne IN
tended to raise high-class angoras. De
veIopfnents showed that ne spoke the
truth-at least 10 the extent shat his visit
mad something TO do with goats.
When the news spread that there was
a rnsn at Losee'e eager to spend $50 .0c for
dirt ana marble outcroppIngs on the
soil of the Taghkanic Hills. there was a
bargain rush. All the paint was sgraped
Sherman farm. owned by Mrs. r.. X.
Sm0tt. whose husband is wealthy
Mexican contractor. suited Graham
more than he cared to pay. Graham
smiled and wrote encouraging mes
sages on his pad 10 big landowners He
ran odIl for Pos.sse n statnps cars meas
lodging and tips. Even the oootoiack
gave him credit
Graham IS he quaffed Losees cham
payne. IL there weren't good sports IN
IL to splash the murky gloom with ray :
OF cheer. Well, there were plenty OF
good sports in Dover Plains ready to be
nice to man with 81. 600 70 spend
Wealthy men such as Gilbert Harris
and Frank Meade kept appointments
with the deaf-mute and talked back 70
him on his pad Graham looked their
country places over. also the MaDoett
property Strangely. Graham never
asked for q loan. though he had chances
enough 10 borrow -
Graham agreed TO buy George Y
Hrusoniz place for 5000. Squire VII
liam Downing sat up all night making
out contracts and deeds The mute
wired TO his uncle 10 send on the money
Losee knows ne did that. because Losee
paid FOR the telegram. Graham toId
his Western relative 20 make tne
change to plant chestnut trees after
buying the ground. The draft was 20
have arrived yesterday. put IL olcn {
come Then pressing demands tot
money brought Graham to showdown,
and to-day he confessed he dtdn nave
q cent and had no prospects
Deputy Sheriff Mort Walker broke
the news gently TO Losec, who bore the
ing order Losee said he couIdn bear
malice against d deaf-mute, but perhaps
II would be just as well for Graham 70
move on without waiting 10 say good
by And he did.