Evening star., 1922-09-22
LOR|MER REWS|TS !
. COLOMBIAN W|LDS
Ex-senator Making Last
Fight to Pay Creditors
"DoIIar for Dollar"
Special Dispatch to The Star.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
CHICAGO. ILL.,. September 2c.-For-
mer United States Senator BILLY"
Lorimer. one time blonde boss" OF
Illinois, Is making his last fight.
His most useful years behind him,
Lorimer. in the twilight of hts career
=, is resuming his trip on the road OF
adventure usually undertaken only
! by fighting men in their prime. To-
day he left Chicago to go back to
Colombia. there to remain until. he
perfects details OF a concession which
I he expects will line the pockets OF
to a syndicate Of influential Ameri-
, cans that he represents great wealth,
! In which he will participate.
( For ten years Lorimer has lived In
the shadow of a heavy debt. losses
i, resulting from the crash of his La
Sale Street Trust and Savings Bank.
Seven years ago he was tried In the
jury of charges growing out of the
collapse. Since then he has en-
deavored to recoup his fortune with
the intention. he insists. of paying
dollar for dollar to every one who
lost by the collapse of his business
enterprise.
Operation Restores sight.
A few months ago. while in Colon
tia, his eyes gave out. He came
Now his sight Is good. Leaving here
today he expressed the belief that
the Colombian government Will grant
a concession for the building of. sew
eral hundred miles of broad-gauge
railroad from Bogota. the capital. to
hi .,iI
tremely rich territory containing oil
lands. timber. coal and minerals
which are to be exploited by his syn
dicate. The president. Gen. Ospina.
and other officials are said by Lorimer
to be favorable to the project.
the road and its connecting links"
said Lorimer. II covered all of the
territory on muleback and made my
own maps. l know just what is
there to be taken out. Probably
about 500 miles OF road will be built
at the outset. That will open up
some of the oil, but 1t will take seven
years to tap the real coal and IRON
deposits. will be nearly seventy
then. but Colombia, the richest Of all
, countries. will be young mans
! game and my son can take it up.
! Today. the proposition is one for the
older men"
Proposed Exploitation.
/ Julio Betancourt. author of the Co.
| lom bian- United States treaty. was
,, the individual, who proposed the ex-
ested a number of Americans. headed
! by William H. Finley. president OF
| the Chicago and Northwestern rail-
road. in the plan. and the latter. as
sociated with himself Samuel insult
of Chicago. Charles NJ. Lewis OF
Buffalo, James p. Mulvihill of Pitts
burgh. John Gardiner. Joseph Z.
Trainer. I. J. Horstman and John
Sinnott of Philadelphia. James T..
Mcguire of Bakersfield. Calf: Joseph
V. Costello. Richard D. Costello and
George D. Whitaker of San Fran
cisco: Charles F. Haley. Duluth: C.
Lorimer, with Eugene Underwood.
brother OF Senator Underwood. and
party Of experts, covered all the
territory. which is to be exploited
on mules. but after Senior Betancourt
died. it became necessary for Lortmer
j personally to take up with the gov
ernment questions of concessions and
the like.
Timber can be had for 16 cents an
acre. timber so fine that many trees
will log 5000 feet" said Lorimer to-
day, ut goes begging. for it cannot
DC 6otleh ONts ds tiie vi Oic Souh -
has only 700 miles OF unconnected
narrow-gauge railway. Steel is the
same 1t costs $50 a ton to move steel
from the coast to Bogota. while. with
the proper equipment. it could he car
ried there in sixteen hours. The lard
will raise anything from bananas to
Irish potatoes. The temperature
ranges from 10 to 90 degrees. depend
ing on the altitude.
Iron All Over Country.
Iron crops out all over the coun-