The Carbon County news. [volume] (Red Lodge, Mont.) 1924-1931, 1926-08-19
''WESTLAND TRAILS"
(By H. c. REAGAN)
All rights reserved
CHAPTER TWELVE

After the Senator's speech vote
was taken which passed the bill with
very little opposition. There was loud
applause from the galleries, as this
bill had been watched by the Progress
sive party. Immediately a bill was in
troduced and passed authorizing the
Government to build railroad into
Cooke, and the District. Spencer tele-
graphed to Winnie and Hartz the good
news back of the passage of the bill.
He could see the handiwork of the
President. Spencer met the President
and thanked him for his kind interest.
The President said that where it was
known that the collective holdings of
the poor man who had located his min
eral land under the laws of the u. S.
and fulfilled those laws was of suffi-
cient value to warrant the government
installing a shelter, it should do so,
especially where large interests were
endeavoring to monopolize the field by
the power of money and publicity Diet
rimental to the acquiring of capital
by the individual owners.
The woman who had been held under
bail was put through the third degree
regarding her part in the plot to ruin
Spencer's reputation. They used gentle
persuasion to induce her to reveal who
was back of her who her companions
were, during the ordeal when it be-
came harder and she was about to
break down she quickly reached into
her bosom and conveyed to her mouth
small package which she swallowed.
With a swoon she fell into the mat
ron's arms. A hurried call was made
for the ambulance but it was too late.
The substance had done its work.
Death had sealed her lips, youth and
beauty. The love and joys of some
fond mother who had rocked the cradle
and sang the lullaby songs in infancy,
were represented in that body which
was now cold in death. Surely "the
wages of sin is DEATH"
Before leaving Washington, Spencer
was called to the Department of the
Interior, when he was instructed to
send set of drawings showing his
smelter. Arriving at Gardiner he met
Winnie and Hartz who greeted him
with great joy. He told Winnie that
now they must make arrangements
for their marriage as soon as the de-
tails had been arranged for the con-
struction of the smelter. He and Hartz
then went to work in the camp. Their
arrival with the news that the smeler
on large scale would be fact as the
government was now back of it, was
received with great rejoicing. Spencer
was hero in their eyes. They wanted
to fete him in great style but he told
them to reserve that for future time.
During his absence a couple Of older
men had passed away from the ranks
of the original number which were
gradually getting thinner. Those
who had passed away were now rep
resented by the heirs of companies
which they had organized. Some had
sold their rights to men who came into
camp for a small figure. Quite few
valuable properties had been incorpor-
ated under mining companies. The
Copper King, Ruby Co., Copper Glance
Co., Buffalo Gold Mining Co., Eastern
Smelling and Mining Co.,. New World
Smelling Co., Scotch Bonnet Co. Some
of these companies existed on paper
and represented some of the best min
eral properties in camp. Hundreds of
other locations had been made by the
younger men since the original pros
pectors had made their valuable loca-
tions. These were all without any fl
nancial strength. Over four hundred
claims had been patented. Spencer
called the people in the camp to a
meeting and addressing them, told
them to hold on to their properties,
that the smelter was now assured. He
could see here and there a familiar
face was missing. Younger faces look
ed up at him. He explained to them
that the money represented by actual
work, patents, cash expenditures, as
sesment work, cash expenditures in
power plant and smelters and con-
struction of roads was over million
dollars, all done by the pioneer. The
wealth was in the hills. He told them
that the facts were well known to
large moneyed interests who had been
quietly holding capital away. "You
will remember that when the railroad
survey was made the promise that was
made to you vast that the road would
be built if you who held mineral land
would sign a contract with the rail