Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1880-08-28
The Bonanza Firm.

A spicy letter from San Francisco
saws the reign of the bonanza kings is
about over. Their wealth has been
largely over.estimated, and instead OF
being worth hundreds of millions the
firm is said to have assets equal to about
forty millions. OF this John Mackey
owns two.tiiths and James G. Flood,
James q. Fair and the estate OF W. ;.
O'Brien the remaining three-fiiths in
equal proportions. For two years a
suit has been prosecuted against the
firm with great vigor to compel them to
account for some forty millions OF dol
lars claimed to have been feloniously
withheld from stockholders in the vari-
Gus mines controlled by them. All
preliminary law points have been de-
cided in favor of the plaintiffs, and the
cause will now be tried upon the facts.
OF course there is no telling now what
the result will be, but there is at least
a possibility that the bonanza firm will
have to disgorge a goodly portion oil
their gains.
Mackey is the best man Of the four.
He is a miner, and remains at Virginia
CITY because he is most at home there.
His handsome wife, who is said to be an
excellent woman, lives in great splen.
dor with her children at Paris. Mack
ey's generous nature, it is said, has been
soured by his experience with sharper
and more unprincipled men than him.
self, and he has become morose and
suspicious. Fair has retired from ac-
tive business, and is travelling for the
benefit OF his health. OBren died Il
few years ago, and his estate, which did
not "pan out rs largely as was expect
ed. is now in litigation.
Flood, who is the keenest OF the party,
and who has managed the stock manip-
ulation, is probably the most heartily
despised man on the Pacific coast. He
has bled the people for ten wears most
mercilessly. He distributes mis- points
through a private secretary and num-
Der of "cappers" The public bites and
in turn is invariably bitten. Flood gave
Johnny Skae point once. Johnny
was worth g 100000. He is worth
s25O,0O0 less than nothing now. Points
were given to thousands OF others and
most of them lost by their ventures.
Many prosperous merchant and
thousands OF well-to-do people in the
middle walks OF life lost their all in the
meshes of the net so adroi,ly set by
Flood. One man, however, was too
deep for the big firm. They sent jim
Keene point by one Of their parasites.
Keene was delighted, and set up the
champagne. Then he went and cop
pered" the point-did the opposite OF
what was advised. When he went 10
New York to wrestle with the bulls and
bears OF Wall street he took six millions
with him-six millions that the bonan-
"a men could not reach.
Flood, however, undoubtedly was
sincere when he told L. 5. Grant, Jr.,
what stocks to invest in il he wished TO
make little pile. The young man ven.
tured and pocketed about $500, 900.
But this was only a roundabout meth
cd chosen by Flood to give his prospec-
tive son-in-law a lift. 1t would look
much better Flood thought, no doubt,
than for him to give Young Grant the
money outright. Miss Jennie, Flood g
daughter, has 81 500, 900 in government
bonds, and the young couple will have
a very fair start in life. The acquaint.
ance OF the Flood and Grant families, il
NAV be stated in this connection, Is no,
OF recent origin. 1t began many years
ago over the pine counter OF the little
saloon kept by Flood and O'Brien in
San Francisco during the days of the
Argonauts. where Capt. Grant was q
frequent visitor. A greta political re-
yulsion caused the heads OF the two
families to drift apart. The one VA
tossed into fame by the chances Of war