Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 132, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 June 1916 — LITTLE RED ROCK SOLD FOR $32,000 [ARTICLE]

LITTLE RED ROCK SOLD FOR $32,000

Cowboy Saye He Chanced to Pick it Up In Draw One Day. Omaha, Neb.—How A. C. Olson, a well known young horseman of Pine found $32,500, is related in a letter written to the Bee by P. G. Rosa of Buffalo, N. Y. Mr. Ross states that he was returning from the San Francisco fair when a cowboy boarded the train at Sidney, Neb. This cowboy proved to be an old friend, whom he had first met in Welser, Idaho, when but 14 years old. Ross was in the smoking car talking with a New York precious stone dealer when Olson boarded the train and ■ took a seat opposite. They recognized each other. The letter continues: "Olson pulled out a bottle of beer and while searching his pockets for an opener pulled out a shingle nail, two small stones and one large red looking stone. Brown, the precious stone dealer looked at it carefully, ana asked what he called it. “Oh, It’s just a little red stone I chanced to pick up in a draw one day said Olson. “Brown asked what he was going to do with it, and Olson said he was going to have it mounted and present it to a friend. “Weil, what’ll you take for it?” asked Brown. “Oh I don’t care to sell it,” said Olson. “They dickered for a while and finally Brown said: “I’ll give you SIO,OOO for it.” “Well, Mr. Olson came near fainting right there. You could have knocked his eyes off with a stick, and he reached for the little red stone, looking at it for a while. —Finally Brown said, “well are you going to sell?” - Mr. Olson studied a while and then said, “What is the best you will give ?’’ "And finally, after parleying till we were near North Platte, Neb., Brown had come to $30,000. “Wanting to go to bed,” said Olson, "I’ll take $35,000.” Brown said, “No, it’s more than I’ll give,” and left the car, but soon returned and offered $32,500, and they finally came to an agreement, after Brown had promised to cut two small stones out and mount them. I asked Olson what he was going to do with the money. “Well” he said, "I’ll go home in a couple of weeks, pay my debts, buy some more calves and start a new business that I have always wanted to go Into since I was a boy.”