Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1885-10-01
Lucky Baidwin's Luck.


Times had got little dull and
stocks We're low. and so Baldwin, who
was always studying up some wild
scheme or other to make money, con-
cluded to 60 to China on some racket.
and as he happened to have 1000
shares of Crown Point. which had cost
him SIS share, he was mighty anxious
to realize on them. The price being off
several points he raised the wind some
other way, and. feeling that the time
would come when he could get even on
his stock, he left it with friend of his
to sell when the price rose to IS
share, and oil he went TO China. Soon
after his departure the Comstock got
into bonanza and prices began to fly
up. Baldwin's friend-who. by the
way, was carpenter-also watched
the market closely. and when his 50
limit was reached he rushed down 10
broker and told him to sell ], 900 shares
of Crown Point at IS. Where's your
stock? asked the broker. Here it is.
said the carpenter. The broker cx-
amined it and then said: Have you
power of attorney to sign Baldwin's
name? Not a power. replied the car
penter. We'll. then, said the broker,
4 can't sell this stock, nor will any
one else You see, Baldwin, in nc
cordance with his customary careless
ness. or rather ignorance of business
methods, had gone off without trans
ferring or endorsing the stock made
out in his name, OF course, his bust
ness trip TO China was a failure, as
were all his deliberately planned enter
prlses, and he arrived in San Fran
cisco strapped, but soon found that in
stead of having IS, 900 waiting for him.
it had swelled to an even million of
dollars
mo wonder they called him Lucky
Baldwin" said Chicago tenderfoot
Hold moment, pardner. re-
marked the old Californian, nobody
thought of giving him that name then
for little lucky tnrn like that. Wait
till | get little further along with my
story and you'll see a better reason for
the name.
lis there more comingp Great Scott!
Wasn't one million enough on such a
scratchp"
I'VE didn't give names those days in
California unless men earned them
you can bet your bottom dollar on that.
Baldwin cashed in his stock, and as he
was considered rather fresh the boys
put up Job to divide the million
among the gang. Jim Keene was Bald
wins broker, and he and the rest con-
cluded that they would saddle a big
stock of Ophir on Baldwin at from $40
to SIS per share, which they proceeded
IN a Ia
than half his pile. No sooner had
Baldwin got his bundle of Ophir into
his possession than the big bonanza
was struck in Consolidated Virginia
and California, adjoining the Ophir,
and that stock doubled up in SYM
pathy."
"'Rah for Baldwin," cried the Chi
cago tenderfoot.
keep cool, pard; that was only or
binary luck, growlcd the old Califor-
MAN.
Thunder and Mars, another million
and you say only ordinary luck'
That's what l said. Ophir kept
right on doubling up so fast that the
gang wanted 10 get Baldwin's stock,
and 50 they put up another job on him.
You see, The BAN; of Califor-
mia held most OF the balance of Ophir
stock AMI SO K llston sent for Keene
and sized him up 10 vote Baldwin's
stock at the annual election so that the
bank would have control of the mine.
keene, being still agent for Baldwin,
pocketed his plum and stood in with
the bank fit and went square back
on Baldwin. Lord, but wasn't Bald
win mad. The stock kept going up
ana Baldwin, knowing that the old as
sessment dodge would be played on
him, showed his stock on the market,
| just exactly as the conspirators ex-
| peeted and wished he would. until he
hadn't share left, obtaining the high
| est prices. which were from $3.50 to
| 1900 per share. No sooner had he uu-
loaded on the gang than the stock be-
| gan to tumble as rapidly as it had risen,
and it busted the Bank of California;
| but Baldwin had over S10,000,0 900 TO
his credit, and the name Lucky Bald
win was duly earned and accredited
| to him.
"Holy smoke, $4,000, 900 did you
say?" broke in the Chicago tenderfoot.
That's about the size of it, and you
see there was not bit of sense or
smartness from beginning to end so far
as Luck, was concerned. He blum
! dered into the first million, was trapped
into bad investment, and was an
gered into selling out in the nick of
time, and so luck, stupid niger luck,
made him the straw which broke the
back of the great institution known as
the Bank of California, and transferred
its gold into his own private pocket y
what became of Lucky Baldwin,"
"Oh, he built big hotel, got a big
farm, and plastered his money around
without any business judgment, but
he had such stack of gold that he
couldn't fool it all away, and probably
he has an odd million or two left yet.
No, boys, i don't pretend to say that
luck is a chief factor in mining, but I'd
rather have a heap of luck than heap
of sense without luck. - eRUer 1rt-
/ bul3p