The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1884-07-16
A LUCKY WIDOW.
How Jim Keene Was Enabled to Get
Into the BONANZA.

Q ! AANA uaHC ACCCAfCu EAmOs
IS thy in misfortune than has James
- keene; the late California millionaire
e who lately lost in Wall street the las
s OF that great fortune of SO. 600. 90
n which he brought from San Francisc
u to New York ten years ago. Innumel
i able stories are told of his rise in tn
q world and of those he helped to bette
fortunes, and l shall try TO tell one O
|. these as it was told to me at Saratoo
Y two years ago. do you see that litfl
5 woman with the India shawl who /
: just going to driver" inquired an ex
: senator from California of the write
/ as we sat together on the great hote
? piazza one afternoon. s'She has had
wonderful experience. Would you like
: to hear how Jim keene helped her to {
| fortune?" Relighting his cigar, the
Forty-niner proceeded: II remember
very well in 1856 when Tom Crittender
came back from New York with pref.
ty little wife. He was daring opera.
tor then, and for while all he under
took succeeded. But times changed.
Crittenden got on the wrong sido OF
the market and could not get right.
One day he came home ruined, and af-
ter a hSief Illness siod,son said, Sf
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 better days inter-
ested themselves in her, and their
wives gave her enough 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 speculation even known on the
Pacific slope. The stock of Bonanza
mines was then very low-about %, l
| believe. One afternoon Mackay, who
was the general superintendent of these
mines (all part of the great Com
stock system), came in a hurry to San
Francisco and went at once to Flood
and OBrien. He said that they had
struck the most wonderful lot of bon
anzas, 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 of all this stock
that could be had before the news of
this wonderful strike was made pub
lie. This was ON Thursday. By Satur-
day evening they had three-fifths of all
the stock. Only two outsiders-Sharon
and Bill Ralston- were allowed to
come in, and the only reason the latter
was told they wanted the bank of Cali |
fornia to carry them through. Keene, |
shrewd and sharp, felt that something |
was in the air. but for the life of him |
he could not tell what it was. One af- |
ternOon 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 story to another
clerk of how he and several others had
painted the town red the night before.
He looked over. her head and every
where, and finally saw it was only a
shabby-looking woman. He supposed
it was someone who was begging, and
insolently answered that Mr.. Keene
was very busy then and could see no
one. She waited a moment and mod
estly said: win you take my name
in to him?' Just then tall, slender
man came out of back office with
two or three others, and, hearing the
said: 1 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 Francisco. and waited
for beg ta spaak- AIR Kaane, 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. am
sewing for my living now. Yesterday /
was at the house Obtaining one of
the bonanza set-and heard a CONVEX
sation which convinced me that great
operation is being engineered by Flood,
)'Brien, Mackey, and Fair. They say !
hat they have made wonderful dis !
'overy that will put up the Comstock :
certificates of stock 500 or 400 per
ent.' She then opened. a little box,
md handing it to Keene. said: These
liamond ear ornaments were my
present to me the day | was
married. Throughout all my distress
nd poverty l have kept them. They :
re worth $500. VIII you. take them
$ security and buy for me on margin G
Il of this mining stock they are good !
or?' c
"Keene saw it all in a second. Here
Tas the clew he had so vainly tried to t
nd. You have rendered me a most c
Important service, Mrs. Crittenden,' t
aid he. Keep your diamonds. l will O
ny you a line of shares in the mining s
took you mention and carry it for you. Il
Whenever you want your profits come {
} me, and he bowed her out There
ras no time to lose, but by working >
he had stock enough to make q
], ,o00 600 profit if the stock went above !
O0 Four days after the wonderful :
ews became public. At first the p
rokers thought it was a job, but the :,
xperts they sent down to examine said =
lat nothing like such a deposit had
yer been known in mining history.
he stock started. From % it jumped
, 60 in one day, then to 80, 100. 120, 9
so, 200, 285. The little woman watch 9
1 the upward rise with feelings that q
an only be imagined. She scarcely
ept; she could not work. At 285 she 9
mt Mr.. Keene note to sell whatever u
Q had bought for her. She had no
lea how much it was, but thought it p
light perhaps be two hundred shares Il
maybe not more than one hundred. a
his would give her at least $25, 900 b
tier all commissions are paid. That g
iternoon she went down to his Office. 81
he smart young clerk remembered "
sr and was more civil this time.
s.He said MIR. Keene was out just 81
len, but was momentarily expected. :.
Fould she take 8 seat and wait for e-
M? She sat down in a sort of daze, v
ardly knowing what she did. How Il
NO she waited she has no idea to this c,
w Mr.. Keene's voice awakened her n,
culties, and he was standing before d
r. I got your note, Mrs. Critten-
N, he was saying, and sold your :,
0ck to-day. Come into my Office, =
r. Gull. See how much money Mrs. =
rittenden has with US, continued the 3
.eat mining millionaire. In q mo- =
ent the clerk replied: Mrs. Critten- :.
IN has 500, 900, less commissions, =
aking her profits on 2, 600 shares =
162. $40. VIII you have check for y
noWF asked Keene. He heard soft
Oh. Get some water here quickly,
e has tainted. said he. lifting her q q
] from the sofa on which she had q
,en sitting. Well. my story is ended. q q
Id the Californian. The lady you y
Q wonder made good use Of her mon 2.
!. She was aided by Keene. who q
It il into good hands. and now there g
no happier person anywhere than 9:
1m Crittenden's widow. She has q
amonds. horses. and pretty clothes,
me Of them SO pretty that when she bt
mes into the parlor at the States the n
vieus women wish she was dead - 81
- York Cor Fiftsburg COMMERCIAL =
zzette 70
In
Plantation. Philosophy. in
De season bushes when the peach = =
ses bloom. .