The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1881-08-05
The Freaks of Fortune.

A short stOry-nOt Lake Superior
romance, but story showing the freaks
of fortune and how the old dame some
times strikes fellow when and where
he least expects it. Once upon time,
in the early history of Marquette, the
son-in-law of a father-in-law doing bust
ness in a lower Michigan village came
here, and, for the want of something
better to do, became editor of the Mn
ing Journal, then weekly sheet, printed
on hand-press with old battered type.
The father-in-law was apparently a
prosperous merchant, and in the course
of trade had become possessed of some
land scrip and 12O-acre land warrant.
1t was in 1858, at the time Silas G.
Smith made pilgrimage to what is now
the Menominee iron range, in the inter-
est of Hon. Edward Breitung, that the
son-in-law wrote to his father-in-law,
saying that if he would send the scrip
and land-warrant here he thought he
could locate some land that in the
course of time might prove valuable.
The old gentleman acted on the sugges-
ton, and the son-in-law placed the scrip
and warrant where he thought they
would do the father-in-law the most
good. Subsequently all the entrees COW
cred by the scrip were cancelled by the
Government, it being ascertained that
the State had received more scrip than
she was entitled to, and the old gentle
mans landed possessions in the upper
peninsula were reduced to 120 acres COW
cred by the land-warrant. In the course
of time an adverse financial wave
stranded the old gentleman-left him
high and dry on Poverty Beach-and
he turned over to his creditors all his
property not exempt from execution,
including the 120 acres of land in the
upper peninsula. His creditors. after
examining the assets, concluded that
the land was worthless, and proposed
that he should keep it and turn over
something which, though exempt, could
be more readily converted into cash.
He did so, giving them in lieu of the
land other property worth about $3.50.
He then embarked in business as an in
surance agent, and for years has occu-
pied dingy little Office in the lower
peninsula town referred to, ekeing out a
bare subsistence on his commissions.
The financial wave by which he was
stranded, as suddenly and unexpectedly
returning, floats him once more on the
sea of prosperity. His name is H. A..
Chaplin, and he is the owner of the
Chaplin mine, and the richest man in the
little city of Niles, Mich. The despised
l20 acres, in lieu of which his creditors
asked and received $3.50 worth of ex-
empted property, will this year yield
him an income of 100000, and when
the mine which bears his name is fully
developed his annual income will be in
the neighborhood of 100000. Mr..
Chaplin is an old man, but if there is any
happiness in the possession of wealth his
few remaining years ought to be serenely
happy ones. One editor having located
the land from which his wealth has
been derived, another that we know of
would like nothing better than a chance
of making himself financially solid on
an option for its purchase within ninety
days, at a valuation ranging anywhere
from 100000 to S750,O00.-Marquette
(Mich.) Mining Journal.