The Bozeman weekly chronicle. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1883-1889, 1883-06-20
lCK HlyERLY'S RIFLE.
His Luck Going Down in q Flooded
Nine and Scatterbrafned
Investments.

The financial embarrassment of J. H.
HaverEy, the theatrical manager, is found
to he the result of wildcat investments
and gambling. His troubles began three
wears ago, when he bought silver mine
in Colorado. The tract was somewhere
in Wertern Colorado, and contained some
ore, but not as much as was represented.
lie planted mills and all the necessary
appliances for working it, and when he
finally struck "lead" came in contact at
the same time with a stream of water
which flooded him out and ruined all of
his apparatus. He paid S65, 1000 for this
worthless concern, $4,000 in cash and
$4,000 month. and when the flood
struck him he hadn't money enough left
to buy machinery and pump the water
out. This mine was called the Invinci-
BILE, and it remains to-day as Hayerly left
it, with ore in it, but not enough to pay
for the immense expense of drying and
getting at it.
In addition to this disaster the mana
ger met other reverses in other mines in
which he owned interests; and altogeth-
er his losses in this branch of speculation
alone footed up to nearly $250.O00. Be-
side this he bought two cattle ranches
in Colorado, and while looking after his
Western interests fell into bad company,
and, on the authority of an intimate
friend, sustained additional losses at
cards. During his preoccupation with
these matters, which claimed nearly all
of his attention, his theatrical enter
prises were taking care Of themselves.
His Mastodon minstrels were meeting
with great success, it is true, but some of
his many theatres were not doing as well
as they would have done if they had
given them more direct care and atten-
ton. One of his old ventures, which is
better known here even than his mining
speculations, was his purchase of the
Chicago race track. He bought control
ling interest in the course from Lawrence
& Martin and paid them $24, 600 for it.
The greater part ofthe money was given
in cash, and in short time that Haver-
ly run it, he lost $4,000 clear. These
facts are well known in Chicago. The
results of this reckless and indiscrimate
financicring became manifest in 1882. In
that year Haverly found his affairs were
beginning to look blue, and he gave
everything into the hands of C. H. Nc
Connell, president of the National Print
ing company of Chicago, to superintend,
while he took trip to Europe. He left
here in March, and was gone five or six
months. In his absence Mcconnell
steered his business for him with great
success. He found it no easy task, how
ever, to get matters in shape, and to do
so he paid considerable sum Of money
out of his own pocket. When Haverly
returned in the fall he found himself
debtor to no small amount to Charley
Mcconnell, but business had picked up
and the crisis had been tided over. Since
that time his affairs have taken more
unfavorable turn. He was obliged to
dispose of his Chestnut Street theater,
Philadelphia, some months ago, to Nixon
4 Zimmerman Of the Chestnut Street
opera house, to raise money he was in
need of, and to further increase his em-
barrassment his opera company had but
very meager business during the season
just completed. His other principal COM
binations are the Mastodon and the New
Ministries, and while the former have
kept up their houses very well, the latter
have done very poorly.
These are the principal causes leading
to Haverly's present trouble. Whether
or not he will get out of the difficulty
ultimately, as he has got out of similar
embarrassments, is purely matter of
conjecture. While he has integrity, an
indomitable perseverance, and wonder
full resources to aid him, he has the
drawback of very limited assets. 1t is
stated on good authority that his only
moneyed resources are the leaseholds-
which are free of incumbrances-on his
three theaters in New York, Brooklyn
and San Francisco. These only are ap-
proachable-the Chicago house, although
Haverly has the lease, being SO tied up
that he cannot get at it. To these may
be added his two Colorado ranches, for
one of which he received and refused an
offer of $4,000, and the remnant Of his
mines.
His first appearance in Chicago as a
manager was as lessee Of Hooley's thea
ter which he succeeded in getting hold
of through sharp. maneuver. He
changed the name of it to Haverly's
thcater and ran it for about year, when
it passed out of his hands. He next &C.
cured the Adelphi, which stood on the
site of the First National bank, corner of
Monroe and Dearborn streets. The
building was originally the custom house
the walls of which were left standing
after the fire. Itwas fitted up as first
class variety theater by John Allen, and
was afterward run by Len Grover. Hav-
erly succeeded in getting possession of 1t,
rechristened it with his name, and con-
verted it into first-class place of famuse-
ment. When the property was bought
by the First National Bank, Haverly be-
gan hunting around for some man to
back him in building another theater,
and found John NJ. Carson, a capitalist of
Quincy They built Haverly's theater
across the street from the old Adelphi.
Haverly and Carson disagreed in regard
to the management, and finally the latter
let the theater to Haverly under an IRON
clad lease, which is still in operation, the
weekly rent being s542.
Barking up the Wrong Tree.
From the Pioneer Press.