The news., 1884-08-12

A WIDOWS GOOD LUCK.
Innumerable stories are told of Jim
Keene's rise in the world, and of those
he helped to better fortunes, and I
shall try to tell one of these as it was
told me at Saratoga two years ago.
"Do you see that little woman with
the India shawl who is just going to
drive ?" inquired an ex-senator from
California of the writer, as we sat to-
gether on the great hotel piazza one
afternoon. "She has had wonder
full experience. Would you like to
hear how Jim Keene helped her to a
fortune ?" Relighting his cigar the
old Forty-niner proceeded: II remem-
Der very well in 1856, when Tom Crit
tenden came back from New York
with a 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 market and could not get
right. One day he came home ruined,
and after a brief illness died, some
said, of a broken heart. It was hard
lines for his wife. She had been gen.
tly reared, and was no more fitted to
battle with poverty and the world
than is turtle dove. 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 sewing to keep
the wolf, hunger from the door,"
"In 1874 Flood, O'Brien, Mackay
and Fair organized the largest scheme
of mining speculation ever known on
the Pacific slope. The stock of Bonan-
"a mines was very low about %, be-
lieve. One afternoon Mackay, who
was the general superintendent of
these mines (all part of the great
Comstock system came in a hurry to
San Fransisico and went at once to
: -. d : 4 = .erss-Ie said that thex,
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 gentlemen named and Fair that
they should quietly get hold ofall this
stock that could be had before the news
ofthis wonderful strike was made pub
lie. This was on Thursday. By Saturday
evening they had three fifths of all
the stock. Only two outsiders -Sha-
ron and Bill Ralston-were allowed
to come in, and the only reason the
latter was told, they wanted the Bank
of California to carry them through.
Kecne, shrcwd and sharp, felt that
something was in the air, but for the
life of him he could not tell what it
was. One afternoon little woman in
rusty black came into the office and
with timid air asked clerk if she
could see Mr.. Keene.
"The young man addressed was very
busy just then telling a story to anoth-
er clerk of how he and several others
had painted the town red the night
before. He looked over her head and ev-
erywhere and finally saw it was only
shabby-looking woman. He supposed
it was someone who was begging, and
insolently answered that Mr.. Keene
was very busy and could see no one.
She waited moment and modestly
said; "Will you take my name to
him ?" Just then tall slender man
came out of a back office with two
or three others, and, hearing the con-
versation said i am Mr.. Keene did
you wish to see me? Come into my
office, madam She went with him.
He offered her chair with as much
courtesy as if she had been the reign
ing belle of San Fransisico and waited
for her to speak. Mr.. Keene,' she
said, i am the widow of Tom Critten-
den; of whom you once knew, and
have been used to hearing of mining
operations all my married life. Yes
terday was at the house of-naming
one of the bonanza set-and heard
conversation which convinced me that
a great operation is being engineered
by Flood, O'brien, Mackey and Fair.
They say that they have made won
derful discovery that will put up the
Comstock certificates of stock 300 or
400 per cent She opened a little box,
and handing it to Keene, said: These
diamond ear ornaments were my
present to me the day I was
married. Throughout all my distress
and poverty I have kept them. They
are worth $500. Will you take them
as security and buy for me on margin
all of this mining stock they are good
for? ?v
"Keene saw it all in second. Here
was the clew he had so vainly tried to
find. You have rendered me a most
service, Mrs. Crittenden,'
said he. Keep your diamonds. l
will buy line of shares in the mining
stock you mention, and carry it for
you. Whenever you want your prof.
its come to me-, and he bowed her out.
There was no time to lose, but by
working diligently he had stock to
make Sl,OOO,OOO profit if the stock
went above 200. Four days after the
news became public. At
first the brokers thought it was Job,
but the experts they sent down to ex-
anime said that nothing like such a
deposit had ever been known in min
ing history. The stock started. From
2S it jumped to go in one day, then to
so, 100, 120, 100, 200, 2S5. The little
woman watched the upward rise with