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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 1, 1901)
s The Only Man Who Beat Out Rockefeller AIS 1), ONK ROCKEFELLER GAVE TARRYTOWN A HO AD FOR THIS WHICH HE IS CLOSING, JOHN MOLIN. Tim ONLY feller MAN WHO EVER HHAT ROCKE- (Copyright, 190'. by Herbert Wallace.) W ll ..I .t in 4 nillilll piece ui biuihuk Kiuuim Lj I fronting on tho Sleepy Hollow 1 1, 1 1 1 HUUIUD U UllVOLUULU tllllUU building, which a small sign des ignates as "John Mclln's Inn." From the back windows of tho main room there Is a magnificent view of tho Hudson ns It makes a broad curve In Its seaward course; oft to tho right lies the old Sleepy Hollow cemetery; from tho front ono may look down on the village of Mount Pleasant, a part of Tarrytown and up to tho I'ocantleo hills. The Inn stands almost at the Junc tion of three roads and so Insignificant Is tfto little building set In tho side of the hill and partly concealed by a few houses that It cannot be seen until one has approached within a few yards of It by any of tho high ways. Jii3t around the turn of these roads be gins the front lawn of one of Mclln's neigh bors. Indeed, If tho house were similarly situated to tho Inn, only tho width of Sleepy Hollow road would separate them, lint the front lawn of Mollu's neighbor hap pens to be a half mile long and altogether some 15,000 acres lie nbout tho house. It U Impossible to see Mollu's little Inn from front porch, window or cupola of the palace of the I'ocantleo hills nnd this might be the reason why John Melin anil h!s next-door neighbor, John 1). Rockefel ler, nro not neighborly but it Isn't. Tho remon Is that Rockefeller sought to get possession of Melln's place nnd tho Inn keeper not only frustrated him, but cnrrled the war Into the enemy's country und beat out tho Rockefeller candidate last election. Melln, tho Innkeeper, had the advantage of being llrst on tho ground. For seven teen years his thlrst-iiuenchlng establish ment hns been a familiar landmark In tho neighborhood and" the smiling Swede nnd his wife, who together run tho place, are known to everyone In tho countryside for miles nround. Mr. Rockefeller cannot claim so much on this score, though no ono will doubt that In tho fewer years of his rcsldcnco In the community he has dono more to merit attention than has his hum bio neighbor. Melln "tho only man that over beat tho Rockefellers," as bo Is locally described Is a big, broad-shouldered, slow-moving, hcnvy-bullt Swido. Shrowdncss and good nature beam from his pleasnnt, gray-blue eyes. Ills speech Is slow and mild nnd what ho says Is characterized by a woll consldcrcd common senso. Tho man's wholo personality breathes from personal lnilcpcmlcnco combined with a tolerant charity for others. Ono can sco that his 05 years havo mellowed Instead of hard ened him. Ho would rnthcr bo friendly with tho wholo world than qunrrol with anyono, but there Is that In the square Jaw and heavy-set eyes that tolls of grim persistence to be apprehended once ho Is In a qtia-rol. He would light without bit tcrncFs, perhaps, but with unconquerable tenacity, nnd that Is what ho has dono In his difference with John I). Rockefeller. ."Ho fight mo nn' so I fight him back," says Melln. "I guess he's n pretty good man, Rockefeller. Ho docs plenty good around hero. I got nothing against him, but when ho fight mo I light him back, I guess," Tho trouble between tho two nroo over their both wanting tho same thing. Helng tho richest man In America John I). Rock efeller Is accustomed to getting what ho wants. John Melln Is by no means rich, but ho has a habit of holding to what he got8, nnd ho already hnd that which tho other John wanted, tho llttlo six-square-rod plot of ground with tho roadsldo Inn on It. Possibly Mr, Rockefeller wished thnt par- tlcular spot to put up an nrbor, or n lodge, or a bnm on; possibly bo only wanted it to get rid of tho Inn. At nuy rate he went about It In the wrong way. "If ho enmo to mo, man to man," says John Melln, "I most likely sell him my place right off. I sell it to him for less than I get offered after ward, too." Hut John the millionaire didn't go to John tho Inn keeper with a mnn-tn-man proposition. Ho sent nn agent. Tho ngent made an offer. Melln refused thnt. He went nwny. Another ngent came This ono made n still better offer. Melln questioned him shrewdly ns to whom he was acting for. The ngent went nway. In n few days still an other mnn enme offering nbout twice ns much ns tho place was worth, Melln was bored. Ho asked the ngent to hnvo a drink and please not talk business any more. "I guess I keep my own plneo myself," ho said em phatically. The agents reported back to Mr. Rockefeller and It Is a fall guess that ho was surprised Hut ho wasn't benten, He heard that Melln's placo was violating the excise laws Shortly after private doted Ives appeared In tho neigh borhood and took moro than a friendly Interest In John Melln's Inn. Their Interest culminated In tho nrrest of Melln and the closing of tho bar. When Melln, out on bail, returned to crat, Is nn old friend of Melln, who Is n the placo nnothor ngent enmo to him with stnunch republican. One day ho camo Into an oner. I no ngent didn't got tho place. Melln's plnce, much dejected. ) MILK AFTER MILK FELLKR ESTATE, OK THESE ROADS TRAVERSE THE ROCKE X33 m WORK ON ROCKEFELLER ESTATE GOES YEAR ROUND, ON STEADILY THE Ach, I I got sick, he hnd been tho one man who hnd brought victor) to them, but also because, in their elec tion, ho had brought to him Mlf a greater triumph than had come to any of them. Ho bad beaten John D. Rocke feller. To tho prejudleecl minds of many of these parti sans Melln's victory took on a gigantic slgulllcauce and they tallied In large phrases of tho humble citizen who bad de feated tho alms of the most powerful Standard Oil trust. Melln, to them, was tho mod ern St. George, who, single handed and alone, had chopped off the grasping tentacles of the I'ocantleo hills' dragon nnd had forced It to llee from the limits of the Mount Pleas ant corporation. Hut Melln himself has no such notions. Do understands how much tho Rockefellers hnvo dono for the community. Now thnt he litis won his light he Is thinking of giving up the place. Ho talks of this en tirely without rancor. Ills view Is that It has been n glve-nnd-tnku light between himself nnd Rockefeller and ho harbors no resentment nf the thought that In the end his millionaire neighbor will get his plncc. "I work hero for seventeen years," ho says, "and I get very tired. Mnybo I sell out uftcr while, nnd then Rocke feller get my plnco. Maybe I go back to Sweden then for n visit, I don't know. Anyhow, I win this tlmo. work hnrd for Mutton, nnd ton, but I win the light." woman its she turned her face nwny from her eross-questloner. "You nro? Well, well! Ami how long hnvo you been married? You are only a girl yourself. Too young to have two such big children." The train drew up at a station Just then ami tho young woman gathered her chil dren together ns she answered, with n snap of her big brown eyes: "I'vo been married long enough to bo able to attend to my own business. Have you been married ns long us that?" and she swept out of tho car to wait on the plat form for another train that would not con tain such nn unwelcome questioner. "Well!" sabl the old unman ns the train started again. "I wonder what wns the matter with thnt girl. She seoined put out." Hut ho got out alive, and that was some tiling. Thoy got Melln's lleenso away ("I gnvo hem nn old one," ho explains, gleefully, .cn)i Bnmo ns mo." iuuuhii ne iioesn i explain wunt good that did him) nnd he decided to fight. Ho nnd his wife had been thcro for seventeen years; they were well liked nnd respectnd In tho neighborhood nnd the sentiment of tho people was In their favor, but everyone ndvlscd them to glvo In nnd sell tho plnco. "Rockefeller has 11.000,000 for overy 110 you can raise," snld thoy. "You can't heat him." "All right," said Melln. his big Jaw set ting firmly. "I try It, nnywny." Tho Autl-Salnon league took up the cose against Melln and It was tried In White Plains. It cost him JS00 to defend the cafe, but ho won. nnd John Mollu's luu opened ng.iln. It has been open ever since. Its p pularlty has Increased locally, but of tho hundreds of men employed on tho Rocke feller estnto nono buys his beer there It is generally understood that patronage rf Melln Is perilous to permanency In tho Rockefeller employ. Still, the Innkeeper did a good business and was satisfied. Ills ehnneo to got back at his rich neighbor came last month Tho Rockefellers nro going to beat mc, John," ho said. "Don't let them," said Melln. "Fight "What's tho ,U8o?" said Iliitton. "They've got nil their workmen's votes." "All right," snld Melln, "If you won't light 'em, I'll light 'em for you." Ho throw himself heart nnd soul Into the campaign. There wns nothing at staku for him, but ho wanted to bent John I). Rockefeller. Night nnd dny ho worked. At 0 o'clock In tho morning ho was on tho road nnd often would bo still nt work nt midnight. Ills wife looked after the Inn while ho traveled aioiuul getting votes for Iliitton. Meanwhile tho Rockefellers wero 0lhor passengers. winning mini nir ineir limn, .no iiouiji muy could, "by n Judicious use of monoy," hnvo gotten enough voles to win, but Mr. Rock ofollcr Is not a mnn who docs that sort of thing. It was n fair light and n hard one. Tho Rockefeller wagons carried tho Rocke feller laborers to register and aftorwaid to vote. Hut when tho count was ovor John D. Rockefeller's mnn was beaten by twenty-four votes. "When ilutton got tho nows," says Molln In relntlng his victory, "ho como to my Short Stories Well Told Passengers on n South Side elovnted car last Tuesday evening listened to an amus ing colloquy between two women whom chance had thrown Into adjacent seats, re lates the Chicago Tribune. Tho older ono was shrill of volco nnd garrulous; tho jounger wns quiet and was devoting herself to two children who nccompnnled her. "What nice llttlo children! How old are they, dear?" began the old lady, Somo quiet responso by tho llttlo woman. "What's that? I don't hear well." Tho young woman raised her volco ns she blushed because of tho attention of tho The Rockefellers tnko great Interest in lln,'0 ho ll,row llls nrmB 'r""' m nn' road building. John D. and his brother ' 1 ,row nrma rnu "" " "u "One Is II years and tho other Ib 2." "My! Aro thoy sisters." "They aro brother and sister." "Which ono Is the older, tho boy or the girl?" "Tho boy." "Well, well! How many months aro them between them?" Tho young woman Boomed much annoyed and answered shortly: "Fifteen." "Indeed! Aro you tholr slstor?" "No." William hnvo built nt their own expense mnny miles of roadway for tho public good. It Is lirportant to their Interests that tho road commissioner should bo In sympathy with them. They did not like tho road commissioner, Wllllnm Ilutton, nnd secured tho nomination of ono of tholr own work men, named Roosa, Ilutton, though a demo- Ily HiIb tlmo everybody In tho car was You enn have anything looking nnd somo pitied tho young woman, 'I don't want It.' An' wiioso fnco wns Hushed nt the nnrsonal questions, but wero obliged to smllo at tho persistency of tho older ono. "Perhaps their cousin or tholr mint?" she hazarded. "No? Hut you are not their John, you did It I got.' An' I say: wo both dnnco on tho lloor." Probably Molln was the happiest man In tho township thnt night. For several days following tho Inn was a sort of ratification hall. Tho successful candidates lost no tlmo mother, nro you?' In congratulating Melln, not only hecauso There camo a decided nod from tho llttlo "It was settled some time ngo that he wns to mnrry my daughter," said the father of a girl to a Detroit Freo Press mnn, "but It yet remained for tho young man to get my consent. It was merely a formality, however, as I had cut no figure whatever during the campaign, my girl arranging matters to suit herself without consulting mo or my wishes. "Now, I lemembored with what liopida tlon 1 bad approached my wife's father when I asked him for her hand and 1 made up my mind that when that young man showed up to nsk mo for my daughter's bnnd I would havo revenge, not only for what I had to pass through when I urged my suit, but for being shoved to the bait ground during the present proceidlngs. "Well, ho called at my olllce yos.crday and I told my olllce boy tw admit him and leave us alone and sen that were not disturbed. " 'Just dropped In,' snld ho, easily, do cllnlng to take a seat, 'to toll you that I am going to mniry your daughter tho mid dle of next month. It will ho nn Informal nffnlr, so you mny consider yourself In vited without further notice. Good day.' "Hoforo I could catch my breath ho wns gone, nnd when I cotnplnlni-d to my daugh ter iibiml bis treatment of mo, nil tho com fort I got wns that I could consider myself fortunate In getting nn Invitation, us It wns to bo an exclusive nffnlr." The recent inuiiiage of Eugene Field's daughter recalled to an old school chum of Mrs. Fieldthat rliiiiu being now the wife of u prominent New York nttorney -n hitherto unpublished story of the erratic western genius. There were visitors In prospect one afternoon In the Field household nnd a strike In tho culinary department. Mis chief was at lloodtldo mid Mrs. Field was vainly endeavoring to bo everywhere at once, when the man of "Sharps and Flats" nppeared In the kitchen doorway with u folio In his hand. "Oh, won't you watch these ple.s for mo whlln I run upstairs an Instant?" his wife exclaimed. "He sure not to let the mo. lingiie scorch It would ruin hem -you'd better glvo mo Hint book or they'll bo burned to n crisp." With mock meekness Mr. Field nllowed her to carry off his treas uro. On returning she wns horrified to Hnd tho oven door wide open and tho rich, Unify inetinguo flat, tough and lentherllko. "Thoy'ro ruined!" she exclulmod, In dls iiiny. "Why didn't you keep tho ovon door shut?" "Keep the door shut?" Mr. Field re pented, In very genuine nmazomont. "Why, you told mo to watch them overy Itutant nnd I'd like to know how I could do that with thu oven door shut!"