The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1871-10-27
An EventfuI Career.


e, untTy, and after working as alabor
erf,0 \ New York for a few weeks
onana 4 small fruit store near tn,
Batferv and doing a good business
and Iein of an economical turn o.
mind no Nad amasSed small for
time at tbe NTeaking out of the Cali
fornio fever IN 1S49. In the samC
building and il 1mediately above his
salesrOom was a young FTehchIiiaIl
fo,gether nv transfe. ~Ting the cOunten-
ances of Csothamites 10 canvas, but at
times his best efforts gave promise OF
nothing but failure. Ohe morning
the artist stopped at the ifHt stand,
and breakfasted upon wv pennies
worth of apples. This wa repeated
every morning for two wv aeks, ana
the fruit merchant became saUisIIGd
from his sunken cheeks, and "huly
brilliant eyes that this morning meal
was the only one of the day anu LlaC
Monsieur was nearly finished. The
next day he proffered assistance 10
the painter, and it was accepted. an
acuuaintance sprang up that soon pc
came friendship. The fruit dealer
managed to obtain work for his artist
friend, but there We're times when
some Of the profits Of the fruit stand
were required to provide food Tor the
painter.
In 1880 the merchant was induced
by the golden promises that eXerteda
powerful influence throughout the
country. to sail for the land of gold.
His little wealth was nearly all in
.-ested in real estate in New York,
an placing this in the hands OF an
aiio for management during his
aSsa,,na he transferred the lease of
his frnif tand to the artist, with the
ady.ice to tn VOW bis easel out OF the
window and I've ms hllhd 70 DUST
ness which, tI.' .'ough Ili'liiHl IiI Ia iit't'
proved remuneratl F1; anu 2a ;Ii,l III
hundreds of other '9ers, III a saIlIiIS
I-esseI via Cane Horn. for California.
The wealth that came to others IN a
srniden shower fitted FROM before 7 is
grasp, a fever laid him for We5kS De
1ora fhe very laws of death, ana When
ot Iosf he had recovered his health
sufJioieDtlv to work, he was pc unless.
For two wears he wandered aD,1uC the
mining regions, working as Il iaDoIet
until he had earned a suIIIcIeI1t
amount when he Wou!d olaLU oEI
nrosDecting for gold on ms own nook,
Invariably to be disappointed. Ihese
trims through the mountainous regl-
.Cne Of the State had caused nm 10
boIieve that in the bed of the rivers
~ thc foot of the mountains was un-
9oId wealth that had been washed
down from the hills, and had there
been accommodating for ages. A teW
small creeks had been turned from
shcir channels, and their peas were
found to be rich in the precious dust
TIny- much more valuable must be
fhe accumulated dust in the larger
streams?
Firm in the belief that great wealth
awaited the daring man who could
command sufficient means TO turn
from its channel n river, he laboreoi
Sn a mine until he had earned sufll-
rient for his passage money 10 New
York, when he returned TO that Guy,
disposed of his property, toR sum
thof to most men would be wealth
;n,Ieed, but to him was but the Key
5hSt S-as to open a mine of gold: BE
60 sot,iur. however, he visited the
-.canc of ms early struggles with poV-
ort1- INIT a block of stores covered the
eitS and when m, last he succeeded III
frorino his former friend, he found
him in n miserable little room ~ the
ton of a business block, peiptSng ana
starving as usual. The CallIoriia!l az
once engaged room better st!lCeu 70
the requirements of an artist, iurnlsn-
cd it neatly, and paying o years rent
in advance, departed with the OIL
reDeafed blessings of monsieur.
Every one knows how bitterly dis
onnointed were those who sought
zTealtl in California by turning large
streams from their beds, and large
e,ornpanies representing a caplta
sstoeis nf hundreds of thousands OF
dollars, who lost their last dollar ~
sllcit etfterDriaeg, and such was tho
fate of the intrepid fruit merchant
sStripped of his last dollar, he became
an adventurer. Every fresh diScOYe
nv of gold would see him among tia
thousands who flocled thither, A
last he Joined party who had deci
Ja,l to return to the States by the
Abort nerilous overland route. A
last, whea they had almost reached
he civilize,. portions ot missouri
tba,, where nttN cked by n powerful
ho5d of Indiana. 1nost of them were
KILLED. but few, tnalHdinS himself
were taken prisoners. Thirteen
months among the Osages, daring
which time he enjoyed himself even
less than in draining barren Calltor
mia streams, and ne managed to Cs
cane, finding his way tO New Orleans
as he expresses it, with not cent %
money in my pockets, and rot Il poelN
ct ia my clothes that would hoiC
money!" The first employment OBJ
tanned here was as a labOrer on the
docks. but his extensive acquaintance
with the extreme West soon gained
him n situation in n tiud engaged II
fhe Western and Southwestern sup
l,Iv trade The store was located lIl I
block of four-storY buildings, and osi'
dav he saw a familiar figure passliis
up the stairway leading TO the uppe
stories, and following after, discovered
his old friend the painter located II
II little slIy-lighted room where IN
was earning as prccariouS an exist
.SyAlce as of old, by cOlOring photo
,ry;fOhs. Their friendship was renew
,cf but the breaking out of the wa
s.,fJ;.raf' field for adventure, and tn
-yhiIosls f.uit merchant soon drifte,
=y,tt, the ranks of a Louisiana regi
TuCnt. and uatsI the end of the wal
Ae followed the fortunes of the Con
federnte army, pes@a apdlng Inn
without Il dollar. Since that tiRsH n
has again visited California with hi
usual success, being one OF the nun
dreds who joined the Magdaiena 4>ai
colonization partS-y and neariystar%e
that ilI-siarred band ofNletinls 10
-. villiainous speculators. y Ic'
60 he reached Detroit, an
,.',r. SSSS ' ed to his carly love, opeI
i'''S lSo1'i 'l.,Il fruit stand in ROOM o
tbe ground hoor OF a ,;t.,e Wo-Sloi $40.
wooden building ana III - HI.ie ne, "if 'ii
room lust over his :, i VI : III ii''' - - :
covered that little r e go -.
painting a cigar sign CD ssi'i' -
Souires and knight-crrants ~
subject to much hunger and III b''0'