up.
Few would be able to keep up payments on the land they bought, and the land would revert to him. Whenever possible he meant to assure himself of a reasonable title, but Baldwin knew few of the buyers could afford extensive litigation.
Once he had sold the land, he would sell off his cattle and go East, retaining title only to that land on which payment had been defaulted. Quite coolly he planned to sell land to which he had no title at all, knowing that if the matter went to the courts, he would no longer be within their jurisdiction.
It was a swindle, and he regarded it as nothing else, but a swindle it might take years to unravel, and there were always ways of getting such cases delayed or thrown out of court.
Baldwin knew that few of the ranchers in the area had title to the land they grazed, and he had thought of ways to make that fact work for him. Rolling his black cigar in his jaws, Baldwin contemplated the future with satisfaction. He had lost a good bit of money, but this deal would give him more capital, and it would also give him a good deal of collateral.
Flynn was out of it. Nugent soon would be. That Kerrigan girl would cause him no trouble. Pete Gaddis he had estimated and dismissed. Undoubtedly a tough man in a fight, he was no businessman and no leader.
Flint had no real stake in the fight, and his friendship with the Kerrigan girl must be scotched at once. Buckdun could take care of that.
Baldwin was pleased. He allowed himself ninety days to be in complete possession of three million acres.
He picked up his newspaper that had been delivered to his room and took it down to the restaurant. Harriman was in the midst of a fight with the Morgan-Vanderbilt interests, and Kettleman was expected to intervene. Baldwin stared at the name irritably. He had lost money on the Union Pacific stock deal, for he had attempted to follow Kettleman's lead and had been caught short.
Kettleman had been a major stockholder and a director. He gained control of the Kansas Pacific and declared his intention of building another transcontinental railroad to rival the Union Pacific. Frantic at the thought of competition, the Union Pacific moved to buy Kansas Pacific stock. That stock was way below par, and when Kettleman sold he forced the Union Pacific to buy at par, and cleared ten million on the deal.
Port Baldwin learned from Kettleman's father-in-law that Kettleman was buying Kansas Pacific stock. Rushing in, he bought Kansas Pacific himself, but the deal with Union Pacific was made secretly, and Kettleman had sold out before Baldwin knew it. The stock took a nose dive, and Baldwin was all but cleaned out.
Ten million! Baldwin rustled his paper angrily. Every time he thought of it, he was enraged. Lottie would have it all, someday, if she just outlived Kettleman.
How could Kettleman have killed that gambler? The man was notorious on the Mississippi riverboats, and had been hired several times for killings, each of which had gone off successfully. Baldwin had been careful not to be close by, yet from all accounts, the gambler had drawn his pistol and was about to shoot when Kettleman produced a gun as if by magic and killed him.
Baldwin had worried ever since the failure of the attempt. Kettleman had the reputation of a man who did not forget an injury, and it was whispered that the gambler had talked before he died. How much had he talked? That was the question.
Baldwin had seen a chance at a tidy profit. If Kettleman was killed there would be an immediate reaction on the market. Baldwin prepared for it -- but lost again.
There was nothing to do now but wait and let Buckdun handle his part of it, and the cattle would do the rest.
Baldwin had never seen Kettleman. For that matter he had never seen Jay Gould or Commodore Vanderbilt, either. He had seen Harriman, a shrewd young man who would go far, and he knew Jim Fisk.
There was time. He was only forty years old and tremendously strong. In the twenty years since
Few would be able to keep up payments on the land they bought, and the land would revert to him. Whenever possible he meant to assure himself of a reasonable title, but Baldwin knew few of the buyers could afford extensive litigation.
Once he had sold the land, he would sell off his cattle and go East, retaining title only to that land on which payment had been defaulted. Quite coolly he planned to sell land to which he had no title at all, knowing that if the matter went to the courts, he would no longer be within their jurisdiction.
It was a swindle, and he regarded it as nothing else, but a swindle it might take years to unravel, and there were always ways of getting such cases delayed or thrown out of court.
Baldwin knew that few of the ranchers in the area had title to the land they grazed, and he had thought of ways to make that fact work for him. Rolling his black cigar in his jaws, Baldwin contemplated the future with satisfaction. He had lost a good bit of money, but this deal would give him more capital, and it would also give him a good deal of collateral.
Flynn was out of it. Nugent soon would be. That Kerrigan girl would cause him no trouble. Pete Gaddis he had estimated and dismissed. Undoubtedly a tough man in a fight, he was no businessman and no leader.
Flint had no real stake in the fight, and his friendship with the Kerrigan girl must be scotched at once. Buckdun could take care of that.
Baldwin was pleased. He allowed himself ninety days to be in complete possession of three million acres.
He picked up his newspaper that had been delivered to his room and took it down to the restaurant. Harriman was in the midst of a fight with the Morgan-Vanderbilt interests, and Kettleman was expected to intervene. Baldwin stared at the name irritably. He had lost money on the Union Pacific stock deal, for he had attempted to follow Kettleman's lead and had been caught short.
Kettleman had been a major stockholder and a director. He gained control of the Kansas Pacific and declared his intention of building another transcontinental railroad to rival the Union Pacific. Frantic at the thought of competition, the Union Pacific moved to buy Kansas Pacific stock. That stock was way below par, and when Kettleman sold he forced the Union Pacific to buy at par, and cleared ten million on the deal.
Port Baldwin learned from Kettleman's father-in-law that Kettleman was buying Kansas Pacific stock. Rushing in, he bought Kansas Pacific himself, but the deal with Union Pacific was made secretly, and Kettleman had sold out before Baldwin knew it. The stock took a nose dive, and Baldwin was all but cleaned out.
Ten million! Baldwin rustled his paper angrily. Every time he thought of it, he was enraged. Lottie would have it all, someday, if she just outlived Kettleman.
How could Kettleman have killed that gambler? The man was notorious on the Mississippi riverboats, and had been hired several times for killings, each of which had gone off successfully. Baldwin had been careful not to be close by, yet from all accounts, the gambler had drawn his pistol and was about to shoot when Kettleman produced a gun as if by magic and killed him.
Baldwin had worried ever since the failure of the attempt. Kettleman had the reputation of a man who did not forget an injury, and it was whispered that the gambler had talked before he died. How much had he talked? That was the question.
Baldwin had seen a chance at a tidy profit. If Kettleman was killed there would be an immediate reaction on the market. Baldwin prepared for it -- but lost again.
There was nothing to do now but wait and let Buckdun handle his part of it, and the cattle would do the rest.
Baldwin had never seen Kettleman. For that matter he had never seen Jay Gould or Commodore Vanderbilt, either. He had seen Harriman, a shrewd young man who would go far, and he knew Jim Fisk.
There was time. He was only forty years old and tremendously strong. In the twenty years since
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