The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1917-02-06

The ROWLAND
ESTATE
How the Owner Acquired
a Piece of Property
Needed to Com
plete 1t
By F. A. mitchell

The shortest day in the year had bee
passed, and the sun started on he
northward journey. Winslow Howlan
had come into the enormous forum
that had been accommodating for him 70
years, and he was laying his plans 70
his future. He took no thought as t
career His mind was bent upon hoy
he should enjoy life His city residenc
was. an accomplished fact. His fathe
had made it as elaborate and beautiful
and luxurious as could be desired. Blu
no country place had been prepared 70
him, and this was the problem that oc
cupied his mind when the sun starte,
back to warm the earth and bring fort
new season.
For two months Rowland devote,
himself to the house he would build il
the country. Then in the early sprin,
he started on tour to find location
He preferred his country place Shout.
be within short distance of his cit,
home. There was one district and on
alone to the northwest where a sue
cession of hills formed beautiful views
Rowland looked over this region ant
selected an eminence on which he de
cided to build his house.
He did not own this site nor any O
the surrounding acres which he intend
ed should form bis estate. He was s,
rich that he believed he could buy an.
property he wished. But he had enough
business sense to realize that 1t would
be unwise to let the owners know O
his intention. While he was ready t,
pay any price he did not care to pa.
three or four times the intrinsic valu,
Of the property purchased.
Rowland determined to buy up tn.
land he wanted himself, not that ht
wished to save the expense Of having
1t done by an agent, but he thought tn,
diplomacy required would interest him
He would not enter the field as TIL,
multimfllionaire Rowland, but as al
unknown person of limited means. H,
managed the matter very well. HI
first bought a few acres at the bas,
of the eminence on which he would
build, through which ran brook, ant
gave out that he intended to dam thu
stream for water power to run glut
factory. This enabled him to purchase
the site above at fair price, for Q
glue factory has not an agreeable odol
and the value of the hill would be
greatly reduced.
Having made this beginning, How
land, who by this time had come to be
known as Mr.. Jernegan and wore the
plain clothes of small manufactures
met with excellent success In picking
up all the different properties that be
wished, except a few acres which
would lie within the very heart of his
estate He was irritated to learn that
this bit of ground had changed hands
since he began to make his purchases
The owner, small farmer, had sold
his land for double its value to some
one living in the city. An examina.
ton of the county records revealed the
fact that the purchaser was one Sam.
uel Jones. Rowland at once started
an employee on a hunt for Mr.. Jones
and for information as to what he In
tended to do with the land, If he would
sell and. If so, at what price.
The person employed to obtain this
information reported that he had been
unable to find Mr.. Jones, and he had
heard that the actual owner of the
property was woman, who intended
to use it for some kind of agricultural
purposes. Rowland directed his ennis
sary to learn the name and residence
of this person, but after long search
he had not succeeded.
Rowland, not doubling that in time
he would be able to buy the only prop
erty he needed to complete his estate,
was on his hilltop one morning direct
ing the marking out the lines of foun.
dalton for his residence when he saw
wagons carrying building material on
to the tract he did not own This
troubled him. Any building put up on
the property he would eventually have
to pay for. He went to where the I'M
loading was going on and asked ques-
tons, but no one there seemed to know
what was intended
During the next three or four months
Rowland was obliged to look upon a
line Of glass and iron buildings erected
on the property he desired. Every eff
fort to learn who was the owner of the
land and was erecting the buildings
failed. When the glass houses neared
completion the erection of a very pref
ty bungalow was begun on site near
them, a site which Rowland had In
tended for a purpose of his own.
There was also every evidence that
the grounds would be laid out In land
scape gardening fashion, and the
whole, instead of being an eyesore,
would be thing Of beauty.
This fact instead of satisfying How
land only irritated him. When the
plant was completed he was informed
that a woman had moved into the
bungalow.
Rowland at once sent person to
have a look at the newcomer, find out
what he could about her and report.
The spy on his return said that the
owner of the plant was a graduate Of
an agricultural college and was pre-
pairing to enter upon the cultivation Of
roses. The lady was about twenty
two years old.
Rowland, still deeming 1t unwise to
.reat with the party direct, sent for a
riend, George Winslow, who had made
agriculture a profession, and commits
stoned him to buy the rose plant Os-
ensibly for himself. Winslow was told
o endeavor to persuade the owner to
nut price on the property, which he
vas to agree to pay, no matter how
much the amount.
Winslow visited the bungalow and
was told that Miss Edgerton, the rose
was in the Office of the con-
He went there and found
/ very different person from what he
mad expected. He supposed he would
zee young woman Of plain exterior,
Ierious, businesslike, and whose cos
.ume would be suitable for her work.
Miss Edgerton was a very pretty wo-
nan, dressed in excellent taste and in
ashton. Her assistants, who were all
If her own sex, were the only indica-
ion that the owner was of the new
order. She received Mr.. Wins
ow with an engaging smile and listen
ID to an Introduction to his subject,
which was an account of his prepare
ion for the agricultural profession and
Ills having settled upon the branch Of
rose culture. From this he explained
hat he desired to purchase plant
-eady for production and ended by sug-
costing that he would like to buy hers.
Miss Edgerton listened to what he