Following Enoch’s Money…

Comments about Addie Hoyt Fargo blog dated 2/15/2012

Another start to another conspiracy theory based on scant information....or none at all.  Watch the phrasing and the keys are in the text where this is going.

The whole first paragraph is probably hear say from the Fargo Mansion boys, or Rosemary made it up as foundation for more outrageous claims later.  The point I'm making is there isn't any historical support for the claim that there was anything 'highly competitive' between the senior members of the family and E J.  Each family member had interests all their own.  L D built the library, E J built the electric plant.  It was a very philanthropic group that contributed large sums for the betterment of all Lake Mills residents.  Very commendable, I would think.    The idea of jealous competition is a figment of Rosemary's imagination.  The boys had large houses because they could......E J remodeled his home after he purchased it to suit his own style and activities, and he probably had some help from his wife.  Not a competitive effort at all.

The purchase of live stock was consistent with E J's interest in farming.  He manufactured dairy equipment and when life got comfortable he wanted to be a gentleman farmer....and he had the money to purchase whatever he wanted.   Wegeman was his busines partner.....it's not unusual for partners to collaborate in areas outside of their core business.  Farming was more a recreation for E J than an income generating effort.  I guess he could have bought ceramic lawn ornaments of horses, cattle and pigs and set out in his yard with his herd.

Purchasing from siblings was pretty common since family members would often help each other.  Buying land, equipment or livestock from a sibling, or with a sibling, is a common practice.....even today. There might be some contributing factors that caused in interest in selling the land.....like age, health or changing priorities.

Building homes on Reed Street.....without doing more research I cannot be certain but I have a pretty good idea what was going on at the time.  The theory that Rosemary is trying to conjure up to make some erroneous point doesn't add up......but that's never stopped her before.  It's clear Rosemary has her teeth in the house story and will follow the very predictable course I laid out in a previous blog. 

Then in the spring of 1900 E J took Addie to Cuba for a vacation.  This is the wife he beat regularly according to Rosemary.  He must have taken her on vacation so he could beat her up in other states and countries......   And Addie writes a travelogue that never once mentions getting beaten up by her husband.  How could this be?  Rule of thumb and all that garbage.

It would have been more convenient if E J had thrown Addie off the boat on the return trip from Cuba.  That way there wouldn't be any discussion on the depth of the grave or the jewelry.

I've seen some interesting documents and heard some anecdotes from the Cuba trip that were fun. Someday I might provide those to the LM Historical Society.  The point is that E J mixed business with pleasure on this trip and made more expenditures....hardly the sign of a man short on cash.

The Rosemary suggests E J was spreading his finances pretty thin with the expenditures he made in the spring of 1900.  This is unfounded and contrary to Rosemary's previous claim that he was the richest man in town......or one of the richest......or something along those lines.  He had made quite pile of money already.......and he still was collecting income from his dairy equipment company.  Rosemary has no idea how much money E J had and is about to make some irresponsible statement about what she doesn't know.

The summary from this Addie blog entry is that Rosemary is about to launch two conspiracy theories.  One regarding the houses on Reed Street and the other about E J's money.  Neither of which will have basis in historically supported fact.......although there might be a little factual information mixed in to try to add legitimacy.

It's too bad Rosemary can't write about her great, great aunt instead of making up false information about E J.  Unfortunately, Addies accomplishments could be compiled in 8 point font on a tri-fold page and there would be plenty of white space.