The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1885-04-15
A oRArEruL FOREIGNER,



Very seldom do the authorities at Castle
Garden hear from any one who has received
any favors at that institution, but letter
received by Mr.. Superintendent jackson
from wealthy hotel proprietor shows that
there are some people who are grateful for
the assistance they receive at the hands of
the Emigration Commissioners. The story
sold in the letter is remarkable one, and
illustrates what perseverance and industry
can do.
Some eight years ago q young Arab with
an unpronouncable name reached Castle
Garden. He could not speak word of
English, and, no Arabic interpreter being
employed at the Garden, no one could I'M
derstand word he said. He was smart
young fellow, and made himself very handy
around the Garden, and as he was not afraid
Of work, and never hesitated TO lend hand
whenever he saw he could be useful, ne
remained about the place doing chores.
Eventually he found n place on one of the
doors and remained there for about year.
As he could not give any one an idea of
what his name was he was christened " Joe"
He had been on the door some time when
he commenced to use little English The
first sentence he learned was, 'tShut the
door," and from the frequent use he made
of the expression as people moved in and
out of the gates he was called "Joe Shut
the door," and by this cognomen he was
ever afterward known. He had been at the
Garden about two years when the Philadel-
phia Exhibition opened and Mr.. jackson
got him position with some Arab merchants
who came there.
Mr.. Shut-the-Door rapidly rose in the
favor of his employers, and he then went to
California, after having travelled through
the majority Of the interior States. From
San Francisco he went to Montevideo. and
engaged.in the business of carrying goods
over the mountains. Here he became the
wealthy ownerof large quantity of pack
saddle mules, the chief means of transrorta-
ton in this part of South America.
When the war in the Transvaal, South
Africa, broke out he took his cattle to the
Cape Colony, and made great fortune by
transporting supplies to the seat of war.
The English were then fighting the Beers,
and when the English were driven out OF
the Transvaal by the sturdy Dutch settlers
Mr.. Shut-the-Door had $l60, 900 to his
credit.
Moving to the Kimberly diamond fields
he opened large hotel, but eventually lost
the whole of his money. He then took
shelter under the wings of the Boer republic
and settled at Pretoria, the capital, where
he opened small hotel. Fortune aeain
smiled upon him and he now owns the In
ternational Hotel, on the principal street,
and another large hotel in the same CITY.
Both establishments are doing good bust
ness, and Mr.. Shut-the-door, who now calls
himself Joseph Ackma, writes to Mr.. Jack.
son to know how he can repay Mr.. jackson
for having given him the start in life.
Mr.. Ackma also desires to get out his
papers of naturalization, he having declared
his intention Of becoming citizen when he
frst landed here ten years ago. Mr.. Ackma
was born at Cairo, Egypt, aud is thirty-six
years of age. TO the letter is attached the
sworn statement of Henri Conrad de Hart
notary public of Pretoria, and also the off.
cial stamp of the Government of the Re.
public.
ooh, Mickey, here's luck I" he exclaim-
ed, picking up small-sized silver quartz
They both examined it, and discovered IL
was genuine rocky quartz silver, and they
possessed themselves of 1t. Not long after
paper published not fifty miles from
Chicago gave sensational account of two
lrishmen, with pistols and ct ceteras, Jump
ing q silver mine, the rightful property of
an old Scotchman, the whole thing origi-
mating in the fertile brain of the writer Dr.
Wood, then on the New York Sun, had
suspicion that oil was magnifed, and wrote
long article to Western paper, arriving
at the truth. The Red Jacket Mariposa,
Little Miami and other mines have romance,
attached to their discoveries The Rec
Jacket was found by struggling snowed-in
party of miners the Mariposa by o Mexi.
can, who sold out at q sacrifice; the little
Miami by an Indian girl, who was attached
TO sergeant of company of United
States infantry. She brought him the evil
hence of her rich find and he staked of the
claim and sold 1t in the California market,
the girl, as was rumored, dying of broken
heart. In each one of these instances cor.
respondents Of Eastern Journals wrote up
sensational tales and made mountains out
Of molahills.