get the small pox from him, but I was lucky and didn't.

A HASSLE WITH THE BANK

     In 1926 I rented a 200 acre farm from a local bank.  This farm only had a second mortgage on it.  I farmed it and made a fine crop.  The nest year they came to me to sell me the farm.  I told them that I did not want to take on such a big obligation.  Still they insisted that I buy the farm.  The story was that they had to much real estate mortgages on their books and had to get rid of some of it.

     A few days more went by, and the President of the bank sent his head cashier over to see me one day.  He said,   "Dacus, I came over to tell you what the President of my bank told me to tell you.  He said to tell you he would sell you the farm on a five year contract and you won't have to pay even one dollar down and nothing for five years.  At the end of this time if you haven't accumulated enough money to start paying on it you can deed the farm back to the bank, and we will release all your mortgage."

     I told him that I still didn't want to buy, but if they wanted to give me $500.00 cash that they could go ahead and give me the deed.   My first thought was that any fool would jump at the chance to make as much off of that 200 acres as possible and live there rent free for five years.  Also $500.00 cash to begin with.

     I went along two years and made good crops.   Everyone seemed happy about the whole deal until January of the third year.  I got word through a good friend that this bank was going to throw me out and take all I had in the way of farming tools and livestock.

     I made a trip to this bank at once to see what the story was.  Sure enough, when I got there, the President of the bank told me that he wouldn't consider anything further with me, that he had already rented it out to some one else.  I pleaded with him to let me make one more crop and I would deed the farm back to him without a lawsuit.  He still said no!  He

49

Forward to Page 50

Return to J. U. Dacus Index Page

Return to Authorsshowcase Page