The weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1878-1881, 1881-09-27
ANCIENT
the vanderbilts, Jay Goulds and
Astors Of Antiquity.

oCSAS "a ~
Thousands Of men have envied Aston,
Stewart, Vanderbilt, Mackay, Keene, Gould
and the other fellows who can buy strawber-
ries at 81 per box; but the richest OF them
ale e vagranis when compared to some
| of the ancients. There was Minus, for in
stance. He was the son of Nimrod, the old
hunter, who made lions scratch for holes
and tigers take to bitches. Old MIN. left his
boy about fl3O,O 100000 in cash, besides
| 100000 cattle, a piece of land about as big as
Arkansas, and $4,000 likely slaves. There
were no lawyers in those days who made a
speciality of breaking W lis, and young Minus
quietly took possession and cast about for
some plan to keep himself out of the poor
house.
He was considered a poor young man, and
| had he been seen Juggling his girl TO an ice
cream saloon or riding cut in a livery rig his
friends would have said he would bring up
in a garret. BY a lucky capture of territory
from the Assyrians, together with 10000
slaves: l25, 600 cattle, ten wason-loads Of sil
Yer and Jewels, and a few other ~tritles, Minus
walked up the social ladder until big bugs
asked after his wife and babies and he could
lose three games OF billiards without wonder
| ing if the owner of the saloon would tax IA
..stand Of" He was worth 1850, OOO, 600
when he died, and yet for the last five years
of his life he went without mutton because
the price had raised to three cents per
pound.
The heiress with a $4,000 bank account
considers herself some pumpkins, but what a
three-cept-piece she would have been along
side of Queen Semiramis. She not only had
The lucre left by Minus, but in ten years she
had increased it fourfold. just multiply
$3.50, 100000 by two, and you have the
amount of her bank balance, to say nothing
of Jewels aud clothing and furniture and
palaces and slaves and cattle. Had she sold
out and cleaned up she could have drawn
her little check for about f700 100000. She
didn't worry shout where her spring bonnet
was to come from, and when a ne W style of
dress goods came out she didn't sit up nights
aud fear some neighbor would secure a pat
tern first. While she made it lively for her
enemies she was true on her friends. She
gave her waiting maid 100000 in a lump
for dressing her hair in a new style, and she
tossed the same amount to her dless-maker
asa r ward for the excellent fit Of one pat
ticular dress. One day when she saw a poor
old man travelling the highway OIL foot she
presented him with 500 asses to ride on, and
Insisted on his accepting $4,000 to pay his
toll and tavern bills.
Cyrus, king of Persia from the year 53S to
$50, had some little change to begin with,
and in ten years he could draw his check for
t600,0 1900. He didn't haegle over the
price of a slave when a man came to buy,
but presented him with l 600. He at one
time owned 10000 horses, 10000 cattle, 2OO,-
900 sheep, $4,000 asses and % 5000 slaves, and,
when he got tired Of a palace costing fl,OOO,-
900, he gave it away to a poor washerwoman
with seven children to support. He one Gay
sat down TO a dinner which had cost EDO,
600, and in the afternoon lie went on q toO,-
600 trunk. The police didn't run him III,
or he would doubtless have insisted on pay
ing a fine of f20,OOO and presented his
honor with a corner lot aud no Sc in the
toniest part of Babylon.
King Menes was another well-heeled man,
1t was too much trouble to count his cash, sc
he weighed it. One day when all old friend
asked him for the loan of a few dollars unit
Saturday night, he sent him a procession o.
90 asses, each animal loaded with 100 pounds
Of gold coin. He paid 100000 for a birc
which could whistle, the SAINT for atricK dog
and he had such fondness for whit oxen tina
he shelled out SO, 900 apiece for them, and a
one time had a drove Of 1000. When he 90
out with the boys lie made things lively. Dur
ing one spree in tile city # Memphis, he CAV
away $4,000 y and didn't get drunk at that
At one time he had SOC, 600 gold chains
200. 900 costly swords, 100000 daggers, an'
land knows how many fish lines, ia X knives
cork screws and tobaccO-boXes. His wife hat
IL ,OO0,O W a year as pin money, and whei
his eldest son went UP TO Thebes to see the
elephant. he was followed by 500 friends
LOCO slaves, 1000 horses and f5O0.OOO 70
faro checks and beer Detroit Ere
Press.