The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1884-09-12

uoll W b<6 you. UO0t Wo06 A0yg0l08
now except ~ tell You that You are .
blanked snob, and you arc getting 3
leetle too big for your l,reeches. I"
With that he turned upon his heel and
left. Whether they ever made up the
quarrel-I do not Observation-Disclosures
Letter TO Cleveland Leader.
~
I, Z" WIDOWS FORTUNE.
Whexs Ten 0zittsaasa's widow Got 1sr
The Pittsburg Commercial Gazette
tells the following: Innumerable
stories are told Of Jim Kesne'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 to me at Sar-
atoga 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 writ.
er, Is we sat together on the great
hotel piazza one afternoon. "She
has hsd wonderful experience.
Would you like to hear how Jim
Keene helped hor to . fortune?"
Relighting his cigar the forty -nlner
proceeded; II remember very we'll in
1856, when Tom Crittenden came back
from New York with pretty little wife.
He was 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 brief illness, died,
some said, Of q broken heart. It was
hard lines for his wife. She had been
gently 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 let.
ter 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 IS47 Flood, O'Brien, Mackey and
Fair organized the largest scheme of
mining speculation ever known on
the Pacific slop?. The stock of
bonanza mines was then very low
about twenty-eight, believe.
Ono afternoon Mackey, who was the
ganeral superintendent Of the mines (sll
part of tho Comstock system), came
in a hurry to San Francisco, and went
at once to Flood and O'Brien. He said
that they had struck the most wonder
full lot of 'bonanzas' or pockets. full of
almost pure gold that lie in all his ex-
perience had ever seen. He proposed to
the two gentlemen named and Fair that
they should quietly get hold of all this
stock that could bo lad before the news
of this wonderful strike was made
public. This was on Thursday. By
Saturday evening they had three fiiths
of all the stock. Only two outsiders
Sharon and Bill Ralston-Vere allowed
to come in, and the only reason the lat
ter was told, they wanted the bank of
California to carry them thorough.
Keene, shrcwd and sharp, felt that
something was in the mir, but for the
life of him he could not tell what 1t was.
One afternoon littlo woman, in rusty
black came into the Office and, with
o timid air, asked clerk If she could see
Mr. Keene.
The young man addressed was very
busy just then telling a story to another
clerk of how he and several others had
painted the town red the night before.
He looked over her head and evcry-
where, and finally saw it was only q
shabby-looking woman. He supposed
it waA some one who was begging, and
imsolently answered TINT Mr.. Keene was
very busy then and could SEQ no one.
She waited moment and modestly
said: Will you take my name in to
himY just then tall, slender man
came out OF back Office with two or
three others, and hearing the CONVERSE
ton, said: 4 am Mr.. Keene; did you
wish to see me? Come into my Office,
madam She went with him. He
offered her q chair with rs much
courtesy as if she had been the rcigning
belle of San Francisco, and waited for
her to speak. Mr.. Keene, she said, I am
the widow of Tom Crittenden of whom
you once knew, and have been used to
hearing of mining operations all my
married life. Yesterday Twas at the
house of-naming one of the bonanza
set and heard q conversation that
convinced me that great operation is
being engineered by Flood, O'Brien,
Mackey and Fair. They say that they
have made . wonderful discovery that
will put up the Comstock certificates
of stock 300 or 400 per cent. She then
opened little box and handing it to
Keene said: These diamond ear orns-
ments were my mothers present to me
the day was married. Throughout
all my distress and poverty have kept
them. They are worth $500. Will you
take them as security and buy for me
on margin all this mining stock they
are good forY
"Keene saw it all in . second. Here
was the clew he had SO vainly
tried to find. You have rendered me
a most important service, Mrs.
Crittenden,' said he.' Keep your
diamonds. I will buy you line of
shares in the mining stock you mention,
and carry it for you. Whenever you
want your profits come to me- and he
bowed her out. There was no time to
lose, but by working diligently he had
SUSGA cAOueh w uu0hO PASOVVtUVO pIOllv
if the stock went above 200. -Four days
after the wonderful news became pub
lie. At first the brokers thought il was
q job, but the experts they sent down
to examine said that nothing like such
Q deposit had ever been known in
mining history. The stock started.
From % it jumped to 60 in one day,
thon to 80, 100, 100, 16O, 200, 2S5.
The little woman watched the upward
rise with feelings that can only be i'm
sgined. She scarcely slept; she could
not work. At 2S5 she sent Mr.. Keene
note to soil whatever he had
bought for her. She had no idea hcw
much it was. but thought it might he
perhaps 200 shares -maybe not more
than 100. This would give her at least
$25, 600 after all commissions were paid.
That afternoon she went down to his
Office. The smart young clerk remcm-
bered her, and was more civil this time.
HE said Mr.. Keene was out just
then, but was momentarily expected.
Would she take seat and wait for
him. She sat down in sort of daze
hardly knowing what she did, How