Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1883-12-27
SUDDEN WEALTH.
Some Interesting Recollections of the
Flush Times in Colorado.
How New Made MlliiOnafreS Ccle.
brated Their Good FOrtune--.
Anecdotes OF the Kings
for Day.
["Vera" in Kansas City Times.

comes to think about 1t, that Wnen men VINO
have toed and delved nearly all their lives
and never succeeded in scraping together as
much as 800 at time were suddenly masters
of $1,000 or 500, 900, their greatest trouble
was to know what to buy first. The luxury
of purchasing intoxicated them, and no won
der they bought diamonds before dinnera
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 OH street corner
In Leadville, when q hollow-eyed woman,
olutching a ragged shawl about h shivering
shoulders, drifted up and stopped irreso'
lutely There was famine in her eye and
desperation in her rags. The miner was un-
used to ladies' society 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 ler fearful thanks
The outcast opened the package eagerly. II
contained pair Of silk stockings.
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 should he happen to strike it. When for
tune did smile on him one day, he launched
Immediately upon several enterprises not con-
tcmplateu in the original prospectus. Among
other vagaries he became enamored OF
vivacious little soubrette who was playing at
the opera house, and arranged 81 unique and
remarkable testimonial to her beauty and
talents. At great expense he procured from
Denver some twenty or thirty hot-house
bouquets. The holders of these he had
weighted with leaden spike-point down
ward so when it was thrown upon the stage
it would stick in the boards and stand erect.
His idea was to prccipitate the whole number
at once when the soubrette made her appear
ance, and, to Use his own language, ''trans-
form the stage into a bower of Roses" To
this end he had number of friends stationed
at different points in the audience, each bear
ing deadly bouquet.
The curtain rose, the actress tripped on,
when bang! bang! bang! the hower-decked
missiles hurtled through the air. The poor
GIRL who had read something of wild west
ern ways, thought it was plot to kill her,
and fled to the cellar, from which she had to
be subsequently dragged by main force, utter
ing piercing shiieRs. The Blalen party
were all somewhat nrbriatcd and the more
enthusiastic fired their bouquets with such
reckless aim that one of them hit the leader
of the orchestra on the bald head, and he
hal to be held by two men while the gore
was being mopped off and explanations
made All went a great ways toward
marring what mig Int have otherwise been a
pleasant occasion. This is a fair specimen of
the pursuits in which Braden spent a very
decent fortune and succeeded in three brief
months in getting back into scrub. journalism
and prospecting again
A contemporaneous gentleman of fortune
was Capt. Connors wel known to all resi-
dents of the camp He has often told me the
story of his first stake" He received S41-
COO for his interest in some mineral property,
and it was paid to him at the bank i'll four
rectangular packages of bills of 10000 each
The captain had kept his good fortune a So
crct from his wife and he hurried home to
tell her. She was sitting down after hard
day work, and without word he dropped
tue almful of greenbacks in her lap 1t was
a loyal and touching thing to do. For mo-
ment she sat yzed with astonlshment,
and then, husging the mass up to her, she
soLbed out:
''Oh, Tom, how dirty they are! Let me
put them in u tub and wash them"
"Do it il you want to, dear" he replied
with tenderness that it would be we'll for
other rich men of Colorado to emulate "but
you will never wash anything else again"
One of these kings for dal, l can't recall
his name, but a subsequent trial in the Grim
inal court Of Leadvlle in 1851, created quite
a sensation, made a lucky strike that netted
him $50, 600 in cash. He at once wrote to his
wife of his good fortune, and intended to
leave for his home the following day. That
evening he was taken in tow by couple of
these couriers Of crime, and in less than two
hours was gambled out of every dollar. He
made complaint to the police, and the
larger portion Of the money was recovered,
but too late, for, hopeless and distracted, he
had locked himself i'll his room and comaltted
suicide
1t was by no means the rough and tllitorate
who succeeded in making the most glaring
idiots Of themselves under the stimulus Of
sudden fortune, but degree of prior culture
seemed to have the effect of adding sort OF
weird and eccentric variety to their freaks.
A miner named Luke Fuller, graduate Of
Bowdoin and man of really brilliant mind
and wide information, one afternoon, en-
tirely unanticipated by himself, consummated
n sale that placed in his hands over $4,000.
1t was to be supposed that three O, four years
of grinding poverty had given him an appre
citation of the value of money, and he had
never been known to drink or dissipate in
any form. To the surprise Of everybody he
went on monumental spree which he wound
up by taking four OF five boon companions
on sort of triumphal tour into the east.
The party stranded in Chicago and the next
time l saw Fuller lie was in Saul's saloon do.
stroying free lunch and furtively watching
the bartender.
Another man of his stamp known by q
good many in this city, too. awoke one day
to find himself tolerably atfluent, and in the
midst of an unusually fantastic celebration,
ride around wus suggested The host in
sisted that for the purpose of observation
the glass sides OF hearse were peculiarly
adapted and two were hired. In these the re-
velers esconced themselves and played poker
on the bottom while the paralyzed populace
looked ashast.
The lucky ones formed sort OF aristoc
racy, and do not recall anything more ex--
traordinary off the burlesque stage than the
soirees they used to give. Big, hulking fell
lows, who didn't know a quadrille from
quadroon, would ambe around the hall in
dress coats made in Denver, and their fingers,
unused to gloves sticking out, separate from
each other, like radiating rays from central
sun of white kid. Many Of them were, in
deed, whited sepulchels, and would not stand
too close analysis, even into their raiment
On one OCCASION while in the midst of a set