Evening journal., 1913-06-19
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
How General Webb Recalled
a Lost Opportunity
b. uonsnd

I'm 1874 / as making summer
soiourn in Paris. looking over the
work of repair which followed the
destruction done by the commune
three years-earlior. spent three or
four weeks in Paris with my family
in 1874. just after the commune had
been suppressed What then wit
messed was even more appalling than
was tho appearance of Chicago im-
modiately after the great fire Of the
same year"
In this way the late General James
Watson WeBb began the narration
to some of his friends in this city
Of an incident that occurred while
he was at Paris in 1874.
General Webb was almost as fami-
liar with Paris as he was with New
York or Chicago. He was a warm
personal friend of the Emperor Louis
Napoleon. for he had befriended Ma
pOleOn when the future, emperor was
living from hand TO mouth i'm New
York city, II was General Webb
who was the bearer of confidential
message from Louis Napoleon TO
President Lincoln, in 1864, i'm which
the President was assured that as
soon as il could he done without
humiliation, the French army would
be withdrawn from Mexico.
81 was wandering around the
streets of Paris continued General
Webb, trying TO recall locations with
which I had been familiar when
lived in the city during the empire.
when I suddenly recognized a gentle
man with whom had had important
business relations forty years earlier
| called him by name and he recOg
nized-me at once.
81 asked him If he remembered my
purchase of a parcel of land near
| Fort Dearborn, H.. i'm the year 1894.
He told me he remembered the cir
cumstance well. ought before pro-
cecding to the point Of my narrative
TO tell you something about Fort
/ Dearborn as ! knew it. ! was sta
toned there at the fort as post adj
| iutant When went there there
wasn't any house to be ieeh, Tor i'm
| fact. none had bccn built in that
vicinity At that time every one
| thought that ST. Louis and Cincin-
natl were to be the chief commercial
centers of the West Nobody dream
ed Of such a thing as the city of
Chicago
Along toward the last Of my resi-
dence at Fort Dearborn was mar
/ ried. About that time the first ad-
vcnturcrs began to forecast the Gro
! alton of city. ! was advised that il
would be good think " I bought
plot of ground. I was told ! could
secure title TO one for a few hundred
1 dollars I had some ready money, 50
/ ] made the venture.
/ ~ had retired from the army soon
after I was married and contem-
| plated growing up with the little
village.
! II changed my mind very suddenly
| NV oldest child. daughter was
/ taken suddenly and violently ill.,
was persuaded that the malarial con
ditions that prevailed there would
! imporil her life. So ! decided. almost
on moments notice. TO give Gp the
! little village as "A place of residence
J 7 sought out an agent who was begin.
Ping tO work up a business i'm the sale
Of plots of ground. ! asked him i
he could sell my plot for about wha
gavc for il. He told me he thought
he could. but that he could not ge
much more for IT, told him 10 sci
IL for what he could get. He did ant
obtained for IL just about what
paid for IT,
Having closed out my little ven
ture there. went away Aftervard
when 7 began to hear that there wa
tho prospect of a great city bcini
huilt where Fort Dearborn had stood
! sometimes wondered whethe
would have made much money If
had kept that plot Of ground. ! neve
!. had an opportunity to find out unit
met i'm Paris the very man wh'
had been my agent forty years be
fore.
Could YOU identify my plot q
ground? I asked him And do yo
remember how anxious ! was TO hav
you sell ito
"'I certainly do. he rrpied. and
remember handing to You the fe'
hundred dollars which receige
from the purchaser of your plot. ne
member your signing the receipt
do you know much about Chi
. csgo property now?' 7 asked.
well ] think I am q pretty goo
: appraiser he replied.
o. "'How much do YOU think my pic
p Of ground could he sold for now
5 asked him.
e OF You fixed the price at fou
million dollars vDu uould find "a mn