The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1880-02-26

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81 u @esg t8s fH
A Bonanza King Residence in California.
i IN THE VALLEY OF LONELINESS THE
-I1E DIFF ERENCEs BETWEEN THEN AND NOW
| f-BAS 81 ROOMS AND BONANzAS-MoSAIC
.FLOO4.s AND MARBLE MANTLES.
Especial Correspondence OF the VIRGNrAN.]
Perhaps I have slipped from your sight
so long that you have overlooked the fact
that still live, and still delight in the beau
tiful things which God has given US, as
well as the elegancies wrought by the hand
of man.
When last left you, the gates OF the
grounds of Leland Stanford, the railroad
king. were just closing upon us. We had lin
gered awhile In the home of millionaire,
and had come forth therefrom still able to
say our soul is our own, which Is better
than somecan do.
Again, taking our way toward San Fran
cisco, we come but little distance before
we halt at a stately mansion, fast approach
ing completion. It is difficult at first to re
alize that we have not been trans
| planted to- old England and are not standing
upon the outer grounds OF some Lords es.
x
che proportions OF the mansion before our
eyes, for weare not yet, quite accustomed
to the thought that a mans residence and
| grounds may cost him a good portion Of q
million dollars,ar1d still be need not feel any
stringeney in hsEnoney market.
| So it is with the man before whose gates
we now stand, for this is one of the resi-
dences of James G. Flood, one of the b.
nanza auarIetre, and said to be prospective
father-in-law to Ulysses Graat, jr., the Gems
erals second SON.; 49,
Most Of US rejoice with exceeding great
! Joy over the possession of twenty five feet
front. This Flood has covered land enough
to give thousands OF usour front feet and q
garden patch beside. ...;.as5
| But this Was not always thus. He was
not ''born in the purple. He used to keep
| little GROCERY down near the city front;
he and Billy O'Bren, the Bonanza Jewel
| which was taken to its final setting more
than year ago. The little shop was IA
vorite place with miners, and as the chain
lightning he furnished slipped down their
| threats their tongues were loosened and
carefully guarded secrets crept out from
their hiding places, and seeing their oppor-
tunity, slipped off the miners tongues, TAX
ing refuge in the willing ears which the
Isle of Erin had furnished to Jim Flood
for he was only Jim, the barkeeper, then.
And so he gathered the valuable bits OF in
formation which they dropped, along with.the
other s'blts'' which rapidly filled his till.
By and by Jimmy Flood and Billy O'Brien
''caught the fever" and manifested more
interest in the mines in Nevada than they
did in the little grogshop in town. And
they purchased odd claims from men who
had grown discouraged and lost their grip,
adding to them other claims owned by rest
less men who were glad to shift to other
quarters. The people talked, as people
always will, and said they we're choice
pair of fools that the savings of the little
bar-room would vanish loug before they
could strike pay ore that the claims would
not pan out we'll; and so on to the end of
the chapter. 14a.
But these two Irishmen shoveled and bias
ted, working diligently in season and out of
season, until one day the world suddenly
knew that, in spite of croakers. they had
struck it rich, and were the owners of large
slice of what is known as the ''famous Com
stock Lode" The stock of their mines went
up like shooting star, changing from five
dollars to hundreds in two or three days. |
CalifOrnians were nearly driven crazy over |
the sudden stroke of fortune, and gambling
in the shares Of these mines made fortunes
for few and made beggars and suicides of
many. II ati
At some point of their adventure, James !
Fair and John W. Mackey were added tothe |
firm which now waxed rich with marvellous |
rapidity.
: eHow many millions are they worth 4? / |
'dinna know. nor do / think they can just |
tell themselves. Probably good many |
when there are marriage settlements to make, |
but only few when the tax gatherer passes |
by. They own bank with a paid up capt. |
tai OF between ten and twelve millions; they |
own a controlling interest in several mines;
they own, individually, large sums in gov
eminent securities, FLOODS interest from
four-per>cents, amounting to $lS0,O00 per |
annum); they own in Nevada. water works, |
mills, timber lands-everything under heav-
en- they can make monopoly of and make
money from. They are constructing mar
row gauge railroad down the coast, and agood
one. too; they are erecting palatial residen
ces in and out of town. The fact is, they |
own-well, a good deal; among other things,
the reputation of making beggars of more
men, women and children, though bnlling
and bearing the stock market, through care
fully managed misrepresentation aud dis
tortion of facts, than all other causes in Ca
ifornia. I've seen people who maintained |
the idea that they could manage to worry
along with the reputation, if they could be
sure OF the money and power it brings.
Maybe could II could get my judgment
day postponed until the last day OF eternity;
but do not believe should like to face one
man then who could say: "You cheated me
out OF my hard earned money by le."
let alone thousands Of them, with the wives
and little ones to whom death comes as
welcome messenger.
During the excitement over the Sierra Ne
vada mining stock, which, in a few days.
rose from 81 to near $500 share, and then
in day, dropped to $50, begRaring many
who had staked their all and were carrying
on a margin, then was q time when, per-
haps, James Flood looked back to the rol.
licking bar room days and thought them his
happiest, Tor an indignant public felt it,
iii gers itching to grasp the throat ct the
nan who, because he coald not rule had de-
termned to ruin.
Somebody, presumed to be we'll informed
on the subject, says ''the devil Is net as
black as he is painted So, perhaps our bo-
nanza bouquet is composed Of angels 10 dis
guise, their full-grown wings tucked care
fully beneath the fine broad cloth they wear
Their prayer-books their constant compan-
ion, and their particular mission to scatter
blessings. If blessings brighten as they take
their flight, how jolly will be the brightness
in San Francisco some time or other.
But the new mansion of James C. Flood
was the subject in hand, and like Widow
1 /
20 directly to the point. AS was a-saying
Mr.. Flood has broad, liberal ideas-where
"me or my folks'' are concerned he doesn't
like his plebian neighbors to come too near
him he doesn't want curious passers-by
staring him out Of countenance be hasn't
forgotten the ''owld ancestal hall IN mi ma
tive land" where there was
"Parlor and kitchen and pantry
And pig-sty-all in one,"
and so he builded with due regard for his
elevation from Jim Flood, B. K, (Which the
same means bar keeper to James G. Flood,
Esq, Bonanza King-allee same B. K, a.
John Chinaman would say.
AS was a-saying, James c. Flood, Esq,
B. K, has rather more than twenty-five feet
front, he has-well, figure it out for your
selves, my arithmetic never was frst-class.
He has a house and lot, the latter contain
ing trife over fifteen thousand acres; quite
a slick little garden patch, you see, where
he might raise s'truck" and things. But it |