The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1879-04-04
A LUCKY HOLDER.

There are so many curious turns of
Fortunes wheel on the Comstock I
heard only yesterday of a case where
cold-blooded persistency of purpose and
tenacity of grit in the face of most dis
couraging circumstances won a big for
tune-and the case is the more remarka-
bic because, knowing the parties, meet
ing. them every day, being familiar with
their surroundings, ETC., never before
heard OF it. 1t leaked out only by acct
dent. Mr.. Root Is the man who design-
all the contracts, and superintendent the
work of building Gov. Stanford's wire
cable street-railroad in this city, which
runs nearly a distance of two miles
through the richest and best part of this
city, and Is to-day the model street-rail-
road OF the continent. Root is a Young
man, not over 36, thin, wiry, homely,
and-well, shabby. He is a splendid
mechanic, and though for long time in
Central Pacific employ nobody knew un-
til he built the Stanford street railway,
entirely on his own plans, that there was
so much in him. To look at HIM you
wouldn't think Root ever saw mining
stock certificate.
Yet one day when Sierra Nevada was
booming along at 200, Root walked into
the office of leading broker, an old
friend, and said:
Dan, guess we'd better get rid of some
of this now" and he handed over two
certificates, one of 500 shares and the
other of 100 "Dan" took them, looked
over them, and noticed that the backs of
both were perfectly covered with receipts
for assessments.
where in the world did you get
these 90 asked Dan.
Bought 'em four years ago." said
Root. Had 'em lying in my trunk ever
since. Paid, l think, so cents share
for some, six bits for some more, and got
some for two bits. Been paying assess
ments ever since, religious1y, and the
whole lot stands me in about So share
want to sell half of it now, for guess
it's time to call the turn" and within
three days 300 shares of Roots stock
found market at from $500 to 1920, and
his broker passed to his credit over 800.
600.
The other 800 shares he got rid of at
1925 and $240, and about $4,000 more
went to his credit. He hauled down
$4,000, and then, as to the rest, said to
his broker (and here is the point l want
TO makel, Il want you to put so many
thousand into Norcross, so many into
California, so many into Curry, and so
many into Belcher. Pay for them; let
them lie; and when assessments come
pay on them"
But" said the broker, "you may have
to wait, and''-
"Thar's just what l expect to do-wait.
But sooH"r or later some one or the other
of thosc socks win make me fortune"
And thai Is the spirit that our average
working Californian goes into specula-
ton on the Comstock with Few here buy
Comstock stocks for dividends. Let q
mine there begin to pay dividends, and
unless they are very big. or the mine has
a prospect of keeping them up, not q
dollar is added TO the value of the stock.
Our quiet buyers, our business men, our
shrewd capitalists, are all actuated by
the same idea. buy them when they
are cheap, lay them away, and sooner or
later, if any mine within q mile makes a
strike, we may make 500 per cent. If
the strike should come in our own mine
we may make from 5000 to 10000 Der
cent, and, perhaps, if we have stock
enough, walk OF with the fortune we az.
pected to have to work all our lives for"
San Francisco letter In Boston Com
mercial Bulletin.