Omaha daily bee., 1885-10-13
LUCKY eALpWIN,s LEE.
The Noted Californian Talks About
HimsClc-From Poverty to Fabu-
Ions WCnIth

] NlNill.SNfNN NlitN'l 'lbllNN lillli, W llp -
usually attircd in u plain dark suit, with
coat of the doublc.brcaStcd sack cut.
There is nothing llashy about him. The
man is Il. j, Baldwin, familiarly known
as Lucky Baldwin" the noted Califor-
mia millionaire, Mr.. Baldwin has been
here for several days, attending the fall
races with his string of runners
Last night Mr.. Baldwin related to n
| COuricr-JOurnal representative much of
his early experience, how he rose from
| poverty 10 millions aud what dangers
and lahors he passed through before he
reached wealth. He was born near Cin-
Cinnati, O., but in 1853 was running Il
small store in Racine, Wis, rndcavorng
to take care of himself and Young wife.
For four years the fame of the golden
| California coast had traNprScd all parts
OF the east and the Mississippi valley.
Stories of how mon, one day the posses
sors of nothing, on the next the owners
| of fortunes, were common. and all were
believed. In that same year, 1853, Mr..
Baldwin sold his little store in Racine,
and he and his wife joined a wagon train
to make their pcrilous way across the
| plains to the new EldOradO, where for
tune bid fair to smile on ALL Indians
were the great danger to the cmigrantS,
and during the year that Mr.. Baldwin
| chose for his journey they were worse
| than they had ever been before or since,
although there is much reason to believe
that many of the robbcriCs and murders
were committed by the Mormons dis
| guised as Indians. Mr.. Badwin's train
was not an exception to the list of suffer
crs, and he graphically related how the
| attack was made.
"Whcn we came to the Humboldt river,
in Colorado, " he said, "our party Sepa.
rated, about thirty, among whom were
myself and wife, going to the north, in
| order to pass around the wells or head
waters of the Humboldt river. We had
left the main portion Of the train for sev.
eral days and had gone around the wells,
when we campcd one evening near II
spring of fresh water in II little valley,
with high bluff on one side. The night
passed AVA without trouble, but early
the next morning, Just after daylight,
shots were fired nj us from the blul.
"A party of Indians had concealed
themselves amid the thick Shruhbcry on
top of the cliff and were beginning u live
ly fire upon our party. We had placed
our wagons in II kind of scmi.circlc and,
barricading behind them, we returned
the fire. Our people were not at all well
well armed, for they had only II number
of old guns that could not be depended
on, and thus little damage was done on
either side. The Indians sent part of
their men around and they came down in
~ ny 'nl'u5' Wl,yu'l,E i,lI itoiii I"l 1%lTu, %
IN 'i'igH ~ Tt'" y ~" I,1v LILY we ", ~ ,aNc
a1Ne | tIISi'' m,.vhtG up pu, H"dNeF
canyon that led through the hills.
"I'hc Indians followed It's with Il yell
l ;"u Jo"ii & "o'LGTM nd our T"GohS ~ a,1dntlS9 JlS
Gouiu .t Hitac iN 5 h5'!cu US, nu. unIi,iciuS i
tuo,Sit '''oS i''U y SUI .'l,uS nl' pio,
IttrGw 20 9P"it Mi,'i US IGi nTIl,Ir, M"S
uI ',lH ~ ~ ,I ~ W',uh 10y my "Iio,
WIZ w M"S ~ W. i i XVII F Mil M.,ji
o4cMuI Lrs"i,ui S~,%'u NOW m w. tIr ,hir
9i my horsoS allu anu ihii 1loiiS pI 1nIil H'le.
gave III sen UP lot ios'' o"V 'i'o liio'''i9
oiu nou Sno9Vi .'1 f,4,,, a,,.oa r,..o4
=, JJur Soo'' iortunc SaNcu US. 'ual d.
Ile hea't Oh t!ie canyon was ehcali,Pc"
lIrSe OK t,i ,ra,h} zen oailprnGng ,laog hpmrV oi
ao0uC SeNtn'5 NY PvJPlt. Ih'S' tIo,
hMH neen aftaGkeu GS IN" Ih4hamS' th' nuI ny
nuiIulg lotui,,caI.2 .3 linIH mem ~ pnS,
atIhchHlS US ran upon lllis 'lain @ pGio!3
we Knew IL ;'tu tlic i'Wiais NJ Wr.e ;d al,aiI
70 pursue US M it'ltilGI, we nI pi,cG io',isu .to
forces WIN the 1.lItr c%rGM", % Wn'lo inc
tn MO PHLlic5 ~ iliu."il9 ulu .hI s"illJ'
lheE Surr9unueu our camp, anu crawl
il% around t'lc thll s sIuaS li'nu u1pn ie s US
WhViicNcE MN cNio'Gu l''I'isc'i' StC
thcy were nov s'lliic,9nIlS Str?hS 10 Storm
our lortIltaI,oilS, we itiilaIliemu ca IN tiitU
Spot TWO weeks, Wheh lne lnuianS IIifIy llInifaiay
IclI Us, ana we iiltmt ny our Mt{ W pl HailIol
ma unhoicSteu. ne pnhu lnht atIackeu
US nel9nSGu 10 lhe ApachG Irlpc.
Mr. baldwin fortune uld hoe come 10
nm by some sudden streak or luck' "S
ms miGklae Mouiu ino5Th[u, WIZ, pn' h1 was hcI
cumuiateu Sraduai'y: w nell ne reache't
San Francesca ne obtancd possession OF
small hotri, b'it ran IL ior only TWO
weeks a lrienu WhoIn ne iau known III
thc eaSt was ill'eresteu IN = g0gyerhn1lGiH5C 1i5
contract lor maklnS oT.Gk. ML. bal1
Wlh ontilihea II snare IN Ine venture, ~,
though ne Knew iioChihS III Tie "orlu
about making DTlck; :,
was dcteTLolheu 10 leafl, ne Sald,
Tor man can 90 anytnlng, ana IDought
book on the art OF PRICK k-maklhS: sat
up at night ana studied II, mastering the
details,
The brick-making venture ,prospercd,
and the emigrant began to make money,
clearing about Sl,5OO II month on his con
tract From that kind OF business he
passed to some other, and turned h,s
hand to almost everything as he himself |
has said Finally he drlfted to the stock |
market and began to make money rapidly: |
Mining stocks were the kind he traded |
in, and keen eye for business caused |
him to rarely lose.
"Ihat is the way | made my money!" |