Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1884-07-20
A WIDOWS GOODLUCK.
bow Jim Keene Was Enabled to
Get Into the Bonanza.
The Discovery which Tom Crtttene
denis Work Weary Widow
Made-A Clew to the Con.
stock Mystery.

IN. Y. Cor. Pittsburg Commercial-Gazette.l
Innu;nerab,e stories are told of jim keene's
rise in tie world, and of those be helped TO
better fortunes, and l shall try to tell one Of
these as il was told to me ut Saratoga two
years ago do You see that little woman
with the India shawl who is Just going to
driver inquired an ex-senator FROM Califor-
mia Of the writer, as we sat together on the
great hotel piazza one afternoon. -She has
had wonderful experience. Would you like
to hear how Jim keene helped her TO a for
tunes" Kelighting his cigar the Forty-niner
proceedea:. i remember very well in 1856,
when Tom Crittenfen came back from New
York with pretty little wife. he was a
daring operator then, and for while all he
undertook succeeded. But times changed.
Crittenden got on the wrong side Of the mar
ket and could not get right. One cay he
came home ruined, and after brief illness
died, some said, Of broken heart. 1t was
hard lines for his WIFE She had been gently
reared, and was no more fitted 10 battle with
poverty and the world than is a turtle do e.
A few friends who had known her husband
in his better days interested themselves in
her. and their wives gave her enough work
In the shape Of plain sewing to keep the wolf
hunger from the door.
in 1874 Flood, O'Brien, Mackay and Fair
organized the largest scheme of mining specu-
lation ever known On the Pacific slope. The
stock Of Bonanza mines was then very low
about %, believe. One afternoon Nackey,
who was the general superintendent of thess
mines Call part of the great Comstock
SYSTEM, came in hurry to San Francisco
and went at once to Flood and O'Brien. He
said that they had struck the most wonderful
lot Of 'bonanzas,' or pockets, full Of almost
pure gold that he in all his experience had
ever seen He proposed to the two gentle
men named and Fair that they should quietly
get hold of all this stock that could be had
before the news of this wonderful strike was
made public. This was Oh Thursday by
SATURDAY. evening they had three-fifths of all
the stock Only two outsiders-Sharon and
Bill Ralston-were allowed to come in, and
h. only reason the latter was told, they
wanted the Bank Of California 10 carry
them through. Keene, shrewi and sharp
f,t that sot1etbiuy was in the air, but for the
lie of him he could not tell what it was.
One afternoon a little woman in rusty black
came into tie Office and, with timii air
asked a cler,, if she could see Mr.. Keene.
he Young fGJn addressed was very EuSt
inst then telling n story to another clerk Of
how he and several others had painted the
town red the night before. He looked over
her heai and everywhere, and finally saw il
was only a shabby-looking woman. He sup.
posd il was some one who was begging, and
ms identity answered that Mr.. Eeene was very
busy then and could see no one. She waited
n moment and motestly said: will YOU
take my name in to HING Just then tall,
slender man came out of a back Office with
two or three others. and. hearing the CONVEX
sstion. said: Il am Mr.. Keene; did you
wish to see lnef Come into my office,
madam She went with him. He offered
her chair with as mich courtesy as if she
had been the reiening belle of San Fran
cisco and waited for her to speak.
Mr.. Keene.' she said, Il am the
widow of Tom Crittenden. of whom
Won once knew, and | have been used
I, hearing of mining operations all my mar
ried life. Yesterday was at the house CT
naming one Of the bonanza set--and heari a
conversation which convinced me that a
great operation is being engineered by Flood,
O'Brien, Mackev and Fair. They say tia.
they lave made wonderful discovery that
will put up the Conls,ock certificates Of stoc:,
800 or 400 per cent She then opened a little
box. and handing it to Keene, said: These
diamond cur ornaments were my mothers
present t. me the day l was married.
throughout all my distress and poverty
have kept them They are worth $500 viii
YOU take them as security and buy for NE on
margin all Of this mining stock they are good
for!'