The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1875-09-02
ROMANCE AND TRAGEDY.
TINE sToRYor WIILIim G. RIISToN.
How he Lived and Actcd-IIis FOur-in-Hnnd
Driviug-IIi- Palace NJ belmont Enter
thinning n Hundred Guest--IloOdA o. Bricn

~
edifce on the chief banking street OF the CITY.
built on columns, especially FOR its uses. The
large area Of the bank was mere waiting place,
and the counters were filled With piles of gold
coins, generally ia twcntS-dolar pieces. which
were paid and received b' the trOwel and the
scale. The inner Ofille overlooked the opera
tpns OF the clerks. and there sat Kalstun. a man
with the eye OF pilot and the despatch 81 a
ticket seller AZ \ theatre. lie was. as reinem-
Der him. clearly ebay, q. except at the Jaws,
where his beard was cltppeI; loose collar left
his throat open. and gave him something Of
shirt i'm which we're diamond studs small and
neat; he had q hail-fcllOw air, with "A touch
Of scrutiny in IL, ana aptness at doing bust
ness and courtesy 10y turn win aim It
Thomas A. Scott and other hghtnng men
Of period are noted-in-tant decision, fol-
parent in the man. W. had a good mead, and
particularly good forehead, with dark air
bis ewes, think. were hluiSh gray ait 20 snap,
and his teeth had acquired terrier Xix" hibit
Uf biting off hi decisions with species Of conf
mand which gave the onlY appearance OF want
Of feeling to his animated and democratic cN-
precision. liz j. r. allied to me- at this day as the
Image OF naval olhcer not lnanclcr asoit
of Nelson or Decatur AT the mess tanle. That
omen neck. those curling locks. the look 81 en-
terptisc ana courage, ana tho comclN. broad
shOudered trim aud springy figure arise upon
INV mind In this hour Of his tragedy ~ the por-
trait Of a eeanlan: ne lived his youth 10y water
ana he died in the hrelker-. He said To ric-uf
whom suppose he had heard at u snatch and
had merely "A yacro notion Of why aud whence
j cime-that must come that day to the Occi-
dental Hotel at . o'clock "Snan." he said.
'"for never wait :" At the same time he in.
Nited my host. zen. Hutchinson. whose son was
an officer ~ the bank. To accom- my me. In
the room NJ the time were D. q. Mills the Presi
dent, and SeltV. the Mayor. who was suspected
of being the banks candidate for Governor
against Newton Booth. At Selby' works Raj.
ston was drowned. ~elhy Is dead. Booth ono
of the parties go Che nght against the bank,
which has been one Of the causes OF the
gentleman. Of NJ great magnetic or business
force whom lai-fom- operations had made
richer than RasiOu. The latter kept the cashiers
place because u involved the personal Admin -
ira ion OF the lanN. the tOu-h- nd-i caly work
while Mills was made President. At that mo-
inont, A. II seemed t. ne, California was the
seat Of a power bait az hS Rulston, and a hate
Of that power naturally enlendereI 10y Its sa-
Racity, threatening tue general comfort aud
charity Of society. Ian IN had just come to
opulencc with rival bank built on English cap
ital, the London ard san Francisco. Latham
was an ohio huN. vino mad reached the Cover.
norship OF the state. - collier and moro cultured
man than Ealslou. The course Of Latha,n's life
was toward domestic elegance. paintings, and
refined society. Rdlston's enjoyments were
wholly physical and masculine. rapid team, a
yacht. the development Of the earth, and the
wrestling OF wealth from its recesses for the
sake Of more DEVELOPMENT and still moro wealth.
Latham was money lender mainly, Shylcck.
Ralston was an Antonio as well. with ventures
on the sea and bench on the Rialto also. As
banker solely, Latham's policy was the wise,
conservative one. He worked very little in COM
bination with other enterprises kalston GOV:
cred the coast with his faith and inundated
the populace by his COURAGE. The pun and
speed Of the steamboat on which he was bred
attended the man. There be obtained both his
coarJeness aud his method.
A LIVELY DRIVE AND PALACE AT THE END
or THE ROAD.
At 9 o'clock was al the Occidental Hotel
tel, Ralston was already on the box and climbed
behind him. on the seat behind were two Eng
lish engineers. fresh from India and yet tanned
with Its suns. who had been brought to the
coast bv kalston To- lay out a plan FOR rrigatng
horses On tr { AMI run as they liked. Ralston
driving III II the We he drove these hfty-two
miles day into san Francisco and back. 1t was
MS re, reatluh; ne hau no d!lver. Inc wagon
was one Of the c" spring, Kimball teams, in
whose manufacture he was largely Interested,
and II had run cvcrs competitive style Of " gon
on the coast Of the Pacific. We gallOped over a
long causeway. took = broad dirt road within
sight OF tie bay, passed Mlls's new house, and at
the thirteen, mile house came out to
sponge the horse. At seventeen miles we
stopped Ralston mixed drinks at the bar, where
he may formerly have operated, and the horses
were changed with the wagon tongue. At
twenty-six miles we turned from the high road
into the green valley OF Belmont. and stopped
at the bankers door at one hour and thirty
minutes, from san Francisco twenty-slx
miles, partly over cobble- stones and cause
ways. Belmont was the weakness Of
Ralston;, huge wooden house with
bays and veTandahs. with thirty OF forty
bed chambers, and all the lower floor series OF
saloons. with waxed floors and open sashes.
The stables were a museum OF wagons, new or
disabled meadow close toy was full Of Grip
pied horses. sick or sprung from such driving as
rounded the mansion, which looked like sort
OF fantastic summer hotel; Here. II wac under.
stood, the hAnk allowed halStOn a sum OF
money, t25.uJ or $4,000. TO entertain novelties
and distinguished visitors, A servant took each
OF us and showed us to bedrooms complete In
the comforts OF our period water, gas, spring
beds, &c. yet nothing was loud" or SNOWY
the extent 81 TIE hospitality rather than its tn-
tensity n led the Imagination. our host apuctr-
ed until the banquet began. The occasion II
this banquet was the retirement from business,
as the head Of the great Aimaden mine. OF sam
uel Butterworth, ESQ. IN, was the friend u
Daniel SicSles on the day he shot Philip Barton
Key; a militAr, -lonking man II great pride,
ff e. a
anticipated Ralston's death by dying 81 two
attempts to dissect his liver and seek the origin
OF his disease there. The stomach Is what ails
the successful Californian; ne lives too high.
There were seventy-slx guests present, all men,
Barrons both Milses. Duke" Gwin. the
brother-in-law Of The Marchioness Of Lorne,
Victona's daughter, Lord clifford, and all that
was distinguished on the coast. Nick Biddle,
in his greatest DAYS. never had such hospitality
10 give. or save Il with more quiet bounce.
drank his wine Ike a man, but no spec" hes
broke the variety OF the service with their dun
monotony. caught glimpse OF Mrs. Ralston
at balcony window opening on the stairway.
Al midnight special train took the compa ny
back to San Francisco. cut / remained, and The
next day Ralston drove me over the country "a
his neeghDoIs, the Haywards' barrons, How
cept at the dining hour. He was a gentleman N
his bearing, humorous, enjoying the air-the
pro pect and the vision Of the future OF Cali
furnll he presented with such terse, manly
practical strength.
STRIKING 4 BIo BONANZA.
Let me speak - some Of The circumstances oil
hts fail. he Bank of Nevada, which is to rise
ON the ruins Of the Bank of California, Is to be
the roperty Of Flood a. q Bren and Fair a
Mackey They are all irish, and Flood x
O'Brien were a few year, agO a sort OF down
town Delmonlco 10 the operators on California
street keeping the liquor ana lunch place there
They caught the air and secrets OF the patrons
Of their house. and tined mining speculative
stocks a little. As they increased they got al
engineer 10 look about the Comstock lode foI
them, and picked up mine supposed to be
won out called the Hale X NOrcross." This
mins they soon developed into new source OF
actual wealth. They paid for IL seventy cents
per share when the whole amount OF shares
ahoat was only i've thousand. As they brought
out the bullion they watcred the stock, and II
went up hundreds per cent. Then they built
crushing mills, and began 10 feel under theiI
shafts TO the west mine. There they discovered
real bonanza. for IN those mining ventures there
Is a reality IA well as a romance, and while the
proprietors Of the mine were asleep or igno-
rant, these Irish miners picked up their stock
and began 10 take $l,G100UO month OF bullion
out OF this new acquisition. The stock, OF
course, was watered and went skyward. Only
foui men owned all this wealth, Mackey Dos
s;ssing two-tfths OF all. Thus, mining bullion
nj the rate Of S2u0O0lO per annum, genuine
mining, these parvenues became power beside
or against the Bank OF California. But RastOn
and sharon owned hHlf the crushing mills aud
the railroad at Virginia City. The Flood q
- bren crowd began to build other mills and u
compete Tor the greatest mines and the bank Il