The Lakeland evening telegram., 1917-02-13
The ROWLAND
ESTATE
How the Owner Acquired
a Piece of Property
Needed to Com
plete 1t
By F. A. Mitchell

1
The shortest day in the year had been
passed, and the sun started on her
northward journey. Winslow Howland
had come into the enormous fortune
that had been accumulating for him for
years, and he was laying his plans for
I, his future. He took no thought as TO
a career. His mind was bent upon how
he should enjoy life. His city residence
was an accomplished fact. His father
had made 1t as elaborate and beautiful
no country place had been prepared for
him, and this was the problem that &C.
cupied his mind when the sun started
back to warm the earth and bring forth
a new season.
For two months Rowland devoted
himself to the house he would build in
the country. Then in the early spring
he started on a tour to find location.
He preferred his country place should
be within a short distance of his city
home There was one district aud one
alone to the northwest where a sue
cession of hills formed beautiful views
Rowland looked over this region and
selected an eminence on which he de
cided to build his house.
He did not own this site nor any of
the surrounding acres which he intend
ed should form his estate. He was SO
rich that he believed he could buy any
property he wished. But he had enough
business sense to realize that il would
be unwise to let the owners know of
his intention. While he was ready to
pay any price he did not care to pay
three or four times the intrinsic value
Of the property purchased.
Rowland determined to buy up the
land he wanted himself. not that he
wished to save the expense Of having
1t done by an agent, but he thought the
diplomacy required would interest him.
He would not enter the field as the
multimillionaire Rowland, but as an
unknown person Of limited means. He
managed the matter very well. He
first bought few acres at the base
of the eminence on which he would
build, through which ran a brook, and
gave out that he intended to dam the
stream for water power to run glue
factory. This enabled him to purchase
the site above at n fair price, for a
glue factory has not an agreeable odor
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 manufacturer,
met with excellent success In picking
up all the different properties that he
wished, except 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, n small farmer. had sold
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 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
hQn rd TINT tho aatuoI nu,nar 90 ,h<
property was woman. who intended
TO use II for some kind OF agricultural
purposes. Howland directed his ennis
sary to learn the name and residence
OF this person. but after a long search
he had not succeeded.
Howland. not doubling that In time
he would be able to buy the only prop
erty he needed to complete his estate.
was on bis hilltop one morning direct
ing the marking out the lines of foun-
dation 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 un-
loading was going on and asked ques-
tions. 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 or glass and iron buildings erected
on the property be 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 pret
ty bungalow was begun on a site near
them. a site which Howland had in.
tended for 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 woman had moved into the
bungalow.