All this time Keith was busy every minute of the day. The water-lot
matter was absorbing all his attention. Through skilful and secret
agents Neil had acquired a great deal of scrip issued by the city for
various public works and services which the holders had not yet
exchanged for the new bonds. These he turned over to Keith. Very
quietly, by prearrangement, the latter sued and obtained judgments.
When all this had been fully accomplished--and not before then--the
veil of secrecy was rent. Rowlee's paper advertised a forthcoming sale
of water lots to satisfy the judgments.
Then followed, for Keith, an anxious period of three days. But at the
end of that time the commissioners issued a signed warning that the
titles conveyed by this sale would not be considered legal. On seeing
this, Keith at once rushed around to Neil's office.
"Here it is," he announced jubilantly. "They held off so long that I
began to be afraid they did not intend to play our game for us. But
it's all right."
The matter was widely discussed; but next morning placards, bearing the
text of the commissioners' warning, were posted on every blank wall in
town and distributed as dodgers. These were attributed by the public to
zeal on the part of those officials; but the commissioners knew nothing
about it.
"Some anonymous friend of the city must have done it," Hooper told his
friends, and added, "We are delighted!"
The unknown friend was Malcolm Neil himself.
This warning had its effect. As Keith had predicted, nobody cared to
put good money into what was officially and authoritatively announced
as a bad title. At the sheriff's sale there were no bona fide bidders
except the secret agents of Malcolm Neil. The sheriff's titles--such as
they were--went for a song. Immediately the ostensible purchasers were
personally warned by the commission; but they seemed satisfied.
So matters rested until, a little later, the commissioners inserted in
all the papers the customary legal advertisements setting forth a sale
by them, under the State law, of these same water lots to satisfy the
interest and fill the sinking fund for the bonds. The next morning
appeared a statement signed by all the ostensible purchasers under the
sheriff's sale. This stated dearly and succinctly the intention to
contest any titles given by the commissioners, even to the highest
courts. This was marked _advt_, to indicate the newspaper's neutrality
in the matter. Rowlee commented on the situation editorially, He took
the righteous and indignant attitude, expressing extreme journalistic
horror that such a hold-up should be possible in a modern, civilized
community, hurling editorial contempt on the dastardly robbers who were
thus intending to shake down the innocent purchasers, etc. In fact, he
laid it on thick, But he managed to insinuate a doubt. Between the
lines the least astute reader could read Rowlee's belief that perhaps
these first purchasers might have a case, iniquitous but legal. He
hammered away at this for a week. By the end of that time he had, by
the most effective, indirect methods--purporting all the time to be
attacking the signers of the warning--succeeded in instilling into the
public mind a substantial distrust of the stability of the titles to be
conveyed at the commissioners' sale. Malcolm Neil complimented him
highly at their final and secret interview.
Again Keith's predictions were fulfilled to the letter. Nobody wanted
to buy a lawsuit. There were a few bidders, it is true, but they were
faint hearted. Another set of Malcolm's secret agents bid all the lots
in at a nominal figure. That very afternoon they all met in Neil's
stuffy little back office. Keith had the deeds prepared. All that was
necessary was to affix the signatures. The purchasers under both sales
conveyed their rights to Neil and Keith. The latter now possessed
uncontested and incontestable title.