Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1878-06-13
IRON Arr LrENcE TO POVERTY.

AL old residents OF Virginia md uoiu
Hill, Is we'll a. Of San Francisco. re-
member VI. l.. VIM. In the early days
OF the Bay City he iOurished as The
landlord Of the Fountain Head res'a"'
rant, and also as n hrst-elass eoniec-
toner. Open-hearted and free as no
eccentric. hs generously led MS
fellow.man, whether his fellow-man had
any money or not. and no one was
turned away hungry from his door' Inc
result, was that the smiles OF the GODDESS
Fortune were very ickle as far as VIM
was concerned. She allowed VIM to
win occasionally. but hs as often
scattered his winnings to the winds.
In the early days OF "washos
he came over here to the land Of
silvs-, and il We mistake not was at
one time landlord Of the International
Hotel. at Virginia. He was at n time
principal owner in the Irving mine. on
Cedar Hill. at the north end OF Virginia,
and under the direction Of the spirits, for
hs was q strong spiritaalist. no ran a
long tunnel until he ran the whole thing
into the ground, so to speak. and vas n
ruined man financially. This, however.
was no unusual circumstance to him,
and aiterward he went back to his old
business as candy manufacturer on
South c street. Then he set himself up
As q s~piritualistic physician and healer.
went back to the candy business. subsid-
ing finally to San Francisco. where the
writer Of this. lost run OF him entirely.
Yesterday Postmaster Marshall OF this
town received q letter from New York.
| under date OF June 18th. enclosing Ill
item clipped from one Of the New York
daily papers, with the following request;
"wll you please hand tho enclosed
clipping to some newspaper editor in
your vicinity and ask him to publish 1t
for the information Of all who knew
Mark l.. VIM in California or Nevada.
I called on him yesterday. and found
him so weak from the want Of food that
he could not walk without assistance.
l gave him a few dollars, all ! hal. aud
left the poor. good old man in his gar
rst.room. weeping like 4 child" Fol-
lowing il the item referred to. the read
ing Of which will cause feelings Of sim
csre sorrow. regret and sympathy in the
hearts Of many true friends Of the I'M
fortunate man who. with all his eccen-
tris notions. was liberal. kind and gen.
erous to a fault /:
There isA singular case Of restitution
al No. II StuyvesAnt street. II Is that OF
q man sixty.four years old and his wife,
who we're once very wealthy, but who now
occupy q small room In the above prem
ises. All they have TO eat Is what is sent
TO them by the lAndlady aud one or two
persons who CHANGED To make their &C.
auaintance in better days. The old man,
| whose name il N. L. Vim. was born in
| Clinton, Me-, where he learned the carpen-
ter's trade. Aiterward he opened 4 small
| grocery store In Boston then he came 10
New York and embarked In the contec-
tionery business. He aiterward moved TO
Albany. where he enlarged the sphere OF
his operations. In is4y the gold fever
broke out. and leaving their two children
and all his business to the care Of his wife,
he sailed for San Francisco with 500 Dor
rowed. lie landed In California without q
cent. and began business by manufacturing
candy. which he sold from = tray in tho
streets. He made money very rapidly. and
In Q short time was In . position TO pay all
| his Indebtedness. This done, he opened 4
| confectionery store. but 1t WAS destroyed
by ire. He began again. when once moIe
| his building with all its contents was
burned to the ground; but he soon ro-
trisyed his losses, and in four years WAS
worth 500. 900. lie became the proprietor
| Of two large restaurants and employed 100
persons. who were paid an average OF 800
. month and board. lie was q very char
liable man, and made IL q practice TO give
$40 q day to the poor OF San Francisco.
| lie gave $1,000 q year 10 the churches VI
the same city and liberal donations to the
sufferers by Its great fire.
"All the noted men and women Of that
day." said Mr.. Vim yesterday to the wri.
ter, "dined ut my establishment. and
many who were poor and unknown then
are rich and famous now"
Mr.. VIM was asked tho cause Of his
anai failure. IL was robbed" said he,
by my confidential assistants. Every
man I employed was u thief. In four
| years more. with honest help, i would
have been worth half . million dollars.
NY secretary and cashier squandered SiO.-
600 over the gambling table. Ny cook ran
. boarding house with my provisions.
| Then I endorsed notes for friends, and
| desolation and ruin soon came" g.
Tho aged man spoke correctly and clear
" but his eyes shone unnaturally bright,
and he could scarcely stand. he was 80
weak from want Of food.