Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-12-04
SUDDEN WEALTH.
low ~ A1fects Human Nature-St0ries
Oh the Flush Times Of Leadyille.
from the Kansas City Evening Star.

VI tne Flush Times Of Leadyille.
From the Kansas City Evening Star
III had s10O, 900, or 81 .OOO, 900. I would do
50 ana so' The great chances are that the ONLY
ones who have not used the above phrase at one
time or another are those who already have the
amount In question, but leaving out the uppe,
TENT is matter Of grave doubt if any one OF
the lower ten thousand have any idea of what
they really would do if they suddenly had bari
or even a very small keg Of money on their hands
wealth, as rule, comes so slowly to those
VINO are not plumbers editors, passenger con-
ductOrs or bank cashiers that folks who ac.
qulre it have plenty of time to deyelop into
naughty capitalists by gradual process of evo-
Iutlon that has no Earring surprises or transfer
nations in it. But the man who pulls on last
year 5 pants in the morning and has a fortune
IN the pockets of them by night. is in the
language ofthe poet, a different sort of harpin
and OF him | sing. The only country on earth
where this sort of phenomena was even toer-
aoIy common was the mining regions, and in
,he year OF rush and boom that made Colorado s
history twice told tale of CALIFORNIA; early
M2ohauts. III was my privilege to note many an
instance with mingled sentiments of envy. in
terest and establishment, for they never turned
out as L fancied'the would
For instance, the crowd OF Us who used to
hang around the Windsor hotel in the DAYS of
Leadvilles hectic prosperity always said that if
Old Charley Hicks ever 'struck it rich his for
tune would do him some good and he would
not 90 and fool his money away bucking faro or
squander it at the shrine OF Bacchus or Venus
tie was Old and decrepit. and had been pros
pectlng so long that the memory of man ran not
TO the contrary. but without finding anything
except hard luck, wrinkles and a kind of grim
philosophy that enabled him to accept mstor-
tunes that have put a suicidal bullet into many
younger but less sturdy heart. 1t was really
hf,,la
the mountains after another unsuccessful tour,
never complaining, but always sanguine of bet
ter luck next time, while where he would eat
that day and sleep that MI ht were unsOlved
problems to him. "lf poor old Charley would
only strike it now" we would say when the
news of a piece of luck would come in; what
mighty fine thing it would be for him."
One day, in the fail of the year, old Charley
did strike it. and received $4,000 in cold cash
for prospect hole in the Tin-Cup district. T
can see now the flush of honest joy in his warm
old face as he told me about it. and went over
and over again how he would be comfortable in
bis old age. and shook hands many times, and
finally burst out crying from sheer excess of
happiness. / can also see him five short DAYS
later, as. clad In a stiff, stark, ready-made suit,
and his hair dyed weird. unnatural black, he
lead to the altar blushing relic of the DAYS of
the Santa Fe trail, known far and wide as Albu-
querque Alice.
She was an old-timer and regarded as one of
the landmarks of that part of the country He
had met her in dance-hall two days before and
in marrying her ignored the advice of his friends
and the fact that he already had wife back in
Ohio. He was reminded of the latter incident
by the arrival of the lady herself on the same
day that Alice decamped with the remnant of
his fortune and adisreputable character known
as Seven-up Bill, and a diff1dence about facing
her, as we'll as pre- udice against the statute in
relation to bigamy made him fly to the Businesses
of the mountains. from which, to my knowledge,
he never returned.
There was great passion for wearing Jew.
elry IN the camp in those days. particularly dia-
mOnds, which were regarded as sort of ticket
of admittance into good society. and the aristoc-
racy found its limits both ways from the man
who wore little splinter of stone that the
setting could hardly hold to he who sported
four Karat. Consequently diamonds WERE in
nine cases out of ten, the immediate purchase of
those who suddenly acquired wealth. and many
ana many man would buy gorgeous. flaming
stud which would remind him of the notifying
fact that he had no shirt to put it In. A diamond
was about Gov. Tabor's first investment; not the
gem that petrfed the Senate. but large straw
cOiOred brilliant. which a broken gambler had
pawned and on which the millionaire, then an
humble storekeeper. had often cast coyetous
ewes. He regarded it, at the time, as the ne
plus ultra of personal adornment.
1t is scant wonder. though, when one comes
TO think about it, that when men who have
toied and delved nearly all their lives, and
never succeeded in scraping together as much
as 800 at a time, We're suddenly masters of
$4,000 or $50. 600. their greatest trouble was to
know what to buy first. The luxury of pur-
chasing intoxicated them, and no wonder they
bought diamonds before dinners. There is an
old story-and it is likely a true One-that one
clustering winter night miner, who had just
made big haul, was standing on street cor
ner in Leadville, when a hollOw-eyed woman,
clutching ragged shawl about her shivering
shoulders, Grfted up and stopped irresolutely.
There was famine in her eye and desperation in
her rags. The miner was unused to ladies' So
ciety and felt embarrassed; but he felt. also,
that she was In Distress and, in the flush of his
prosperity and bigness of his heart. he wanted
to do something for her. Finally he said:
Wait here minute, missus; I'll be right
back"
In short time he returned and, pressing
bundle into her hands, hurried away before
she could stammer out her fearful thanks The
outcast opened the package eagerly. 1t con-
tanned a pair of silk stockings.
one OF Iabors partners when he struck his
first bonanza, was German, named Richie. who
was past the middle age. had been a cobb4ing
shoemaker all his life, and a $50 note was an
engraving he had never inspected at nearer
range than through the wicket Of a bank
counter. He got about 100000. The first
thing he did was to build large brick house,
red in color, and OF square and hideous archi-
tectural design, about two miles distant from
the camp or any other habitatiOn. Then he got
married and retired into his dwelling as the
Knights anu DarOnS OF medieval times retired
into their castle-keeps, and he only emerged at
long intervals to lay in provisions and chewing
TOBACCO. This was his conception of perfect
rest and consequent ecstatic happiness. He had
a profound mistrust of banks, and kept his cash
by him where thieves could not break in nor
moths corrupt. One would suppose that this
scheme was open to objections on the ground
of its lack of variety, but unkind rumOr credited
the capitalists wife, who was very yoluble
lady, with an ability to keep him entertained
and excited.
cOntempOraneOus gentleman of fortune was
Capt. Corners, well known to all residents of
the camp. He has often told me the story of
his first stake" He received $40 600 for his
interest in some mineral property, and it was
paid to him at the bank in four rectangular
packages OF bills of $4,000 each. The captain
had kept his good fortune secret from his wife.
and he hurried home to tell her. She was sit,
ting down after hard days work, and without
a word he dropped the armrul of greenbacks in
her lap. 1t was loyal and touching thing to
do. For moment she sat paralyzed with
establishment, and then, hugging the mass up
to her, she sODbed out:
"Oh, Tom, how dirty they are! Let me put
them in a tub and wash them"
"DO it II you want to. dear" he replied, with
tenderness that it would be well for other rich
men Of Colorado to emulate; ''but you will
never wash anything else again"
Among the people knew around the camp
was man named Ed Braden who divided his
time between reporting on newspaper and
prospecting, and who loved to tell what good
and noble and sensible things he would do