The Dawson journal., 1884-01-17
A BLIND POOL.
LITTLE SKETCH OF THE PRESIDENT
OF THE NORTHERN PACIFIC.
He Starts cut in Life Poor, but Succeeds in
Making His Way Into n Fortune Through
Pluck and Cheek.

4 &AC Out A4IIb HOOE, bub succeeds IN
Making His Way Into n Fortune Through
Pluck and Cheek.
I met Henry Willard the other day,
says a newspaper correspondent. He
looks like just what he is, shrewd, big
idead man, whose biggestidea is Willard.
He's about fifty years of age, but is
good for thirty years yet, in all human
probability.
He was born In little town in Ger
many, in easy circumstances, and after
havin' been German student and soldier
and all the rest, has folksswanted himsso
settle down in Germany and marry a
nice little girl they had picked out for
him.
The girl was nice enough, but Ger
many was too quiet place, and young
Willard didn't feel bit like settlin' down.
So he gave his good folks a spasm by
telling 'em he had made up his mind not
to marry, and to go to America. The
old folks tried to coax him to stay, but
he wouldn't be coaxed. He bade his
mother good bye and the girl, took his
fathers blessin' and little of his fathers
money with him, and came to America.
Dnrin' his career as newspaper man
he came across William Lloyd Garrison
and his daughter. The young lady
took fancy to him, and as Willard by
this time had forgotten his German
girl, who, by the way, had got married
herself, he ''settled down" at last and
married Miss Garrison. He then set to
work and dabbled in stocks so shrewdly
and successfully that he soon got rich,
and not only made money, which is
easy, but kept it, which is harder, and
invested it so as to make fortune,
which is hardest Of all.
AS awell-to-do capitalist and mar
ried man, he made visit to his native
town and his family, and was introduced
to the man who had married his first
love-with whom he became fast friends.
He also made the acquaintance of leadin'
capitalists at Frankfort, and induced a
good many Germans to invest in western
railways in which he was interested.
| Among others, the husband of his first
girl invested under his lead, and Willard
took double pains to see this man all
right, both for his own sake and that of
his wife. 1t amt every man who gets a
chance to make money for woman he
don't marry.
Willard formed an Oregon company,
of which he was the head, and this Ore
gon company obtained control of the
Northern Pacific, in very skillful and
DARN fashion. Willard is a great be-
lever in the one man power, that is in
havin' one responsible head for every
thin, and lettin' the head have all the
power, as we'll as all the responsibility.
Well in this Oregon company he was
the zone man." And he didn't propose
to take any advice or listen to any in
structions from anybody else, but to do
precisely as he thought best. But at
the same time he couldn't do anythin'
without money. And he couldn't get
any money unless the stockholders were
willin' to advance it, and they wouldn't
naturally be ready to advance it unless
they were consulted as to what they ex-
pected to advance the money for. Here
was problem. But Willard set to work
and solved it in very simple and bold
not to say cheeky subIimely
cheeky-way.
He called a meetin' of the stockhold-
| ers, and in a few words told 'em he
wanted 'em to advance him eight million
dollars, for a purpose which was unwise
just then to make public, or even to
communicate to anybody, but which in
his opinion was bound to be magnifi-
cent investment.
This kind of talk almost took the
breath, and quite took the starch out of
number of the stockholders. But the
colossal impudence of this request was
an argument in its favor with the rest.
They argued that no man could possibly
ask for such money if he didn't have a
good thing to place it in. The very
secrecy made the thing more mighty us
well as mysterious. Besides Willard had
| always been known as n shrewd man,
and man of good judgment and charac-
ter. Such man most people argued
wouldn't ask for eight millions unless he
had something to do with it. So the
majority of stockholders agreed to Vii
iard's idea, and absolutely lent him over,
not less than, but more than, the eight
million he asked for, thus 'goin' it
blind" to an enormous amount. Willard
| thanked his friends in few words, and
| then set to work to show that their con-
fidence in him had not been misplaced.
| And he soon proved it.
In few months it was found out that
the Oregon Company which had not
hitherto amounted to much, had
through Wizards fine work, got control
| of the greater part of the stock of the
Northern Pacific road. This job had
been done very quietly. The stock had
been bought, not by the lump at once,
but gradually lot by lot, in various
names, by various parties. But it all
got down to the Oregon Company and
Henry Willard after all.
1t was the most tremendous ''blind
pool" on record. believe. 1t reads like
a fairy story, this asking business men
to lend man eight millions on mys,