Omaha daily bee., 1884-11-24
AN EVEN TFUL LIFE.
The Singular Career of II Man Who
Started Out TO Be a Soldier
of Fortune.

San Francisco Alta.
Thousands of pages have been written
descriptive of the many extraordinary
characters who gained prominence dur
ing the era Of stock speculation, which
for a long time kept San Francisco in a
state of unhealthy excitement. But no
actor in the great drama of that period
can boast of a more eventful career or of
more romantic adventures than the sub
ject of this narrative, whose story is
Charles ingalls, kept a drug store in
Jackson, Amador county, where his
popularity served to elect him several
times as n of the supervisors of that
county. He married an estimsble young
lady from n of the eastern states, who
was visiting California, and became the
father of three children. Subsequently
he went to the White Pine mining dis.
trict in Nevada, and returned to his
happy family with $4,000 as
the result of his fortunate specula.
tions in that region. At that time
all the relatives of Mrs. Ingalls, lived in
the east, and she had long desired to
visit the scene of her childhood conse-
queptly this sudden transition from only
comparative comfort to that CT opulence
rendered it possible for her to carry out
the desire of her heart, and she was per-
mitted to revisit her parents hume and
exhibit her children as the browning
joys of her welded life. During the alb.
sence of his wife and children, Ingalls,,
who had sold his drug store and other
property in Amador county, came to
San Francisco, where, investing his
money In stocks, he boldly plunged into
the vortex of speculation which at that
time was fascinating thousands of cooler
calculstors than himself. His every
move was successful, and il q very few
weeks the modest Jackson druggist
could count his wealth almost by the
millions; but, like many another in those
days, he was too intoxicated with SUCCESS
to withdraw any of his capital from the
financial whirlpool into which thousands
Of spectators were sinking.
1t was not long before he was eneveig.
led into a deal i'll which, by a shameless
betrayal of confidence and brszen disre-
gard Of promises, the wolves of finance
tore from the quandam millionaire every
yestige of his immense fortune, and left
him, a stranded ruined wreck, on the
streets of San Francisco. he fell in an
hour from a dazzling height, ~hich-had
1t been attained by n less sangulne than
himself-might have permitted him to
rank to-day as a mighty factor IN the
financial world. The avaricious schem-
ers who had wrought his ruin presented
the ALLEN manipulation with a paltry sum
with which to dabble again at the bottom
but the gambling game had lost its charm
and the hitherto sober man sought III
dissipation to drown the memory of his
calamity. In the meantime Mrs. Ing Ills
returned only to find her husband madly
revealing with vicious and deprave1 men
Their meeting resulting in a separation
which was supposed to be forever. Over.
whelmed with sorrow, the heart broken
wife returned with her children to her
children TO her home in Jackson, while
lugalls continued steadily on his down.
ward course. After the first shock of his
collapse he was able to get a few huudred
dollars at any time for the asking, but as
his status became more generally known
his credit decreased accordingly. Diff
ing aimlessly about the city, he one day
stepped aboard a vessel about starting
for Honolulu He had Just enough
money to pay his passage, and when the
vessel sailed she carried Charles Ingalls,
away from the corrupt Influences Of San
Francisco to seek his fortune in foreign
lands. That was seventeen years ago,
and until recently his friends had ceased
to hope of ever hearing from him again.
Last spring the schooner ii. l. Tier.
nan, Captain Melander, arrived IN this
port from the islands of the South Pacl-
tic. On board was a planter who had
come to this city to purchase supplies
The schooner lay in port several weeks,
and the planter was seen daily on the
WHAT at which she lay, experimenting
the receipt of freight, of which he was
shipping a large quantity, AT first sight
Mr.. Phelps, the custom house officer in
charge, thought he had met the planter
b,fo'e. Continual meetipg s increased the
impression, until he finally located me
the man from the south seas as the
whrlom druggist Of jackson. Phelps in
quired of Captain Melander, who at once
! introduced the planter ss Dr, ipgslls 81
never knew a DR. Ingalls," SAID Phelps,
"but i once knew Charlie Irgalls, a
| druggist in Jackson, and you remiud mt
| Of him very much" "Well, / sm not