St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-06-27
THE OWNER OF TROUBADOUR.
Capt. Sam Brown Made Famous by
His Rapid Runner.
How Charley Brown Gave Away
Bouquets and Diamonds.
Special to the Globe

Speclal 10 bne GlODe-
PITTSBURGH, June 26-Since Trouba-
dour, in winning the Suburban Handicap,
made himself and his owner, Capt. Sam
Brown, famous. all sorts of queer stories
have been published about the latter. Out
side of the fact that he is coal operator
and owns big racing stable, not much is
known of him. Samuel S. Brown IS an
ordinary, everyday, business man, worth
anywhere from two million to two million
five hundred thousand dollars. Twenty
years agO,-he is now about 43,-he was a
big, awkward sort of fellow who run
on one of his fathers tow boats at
odd intervals and attended to his business in
his fathers Office the balance of the time.
1t was while knocking around the river
that he got the title captain" Every tow
boat man not rouStabout OF coal HEAVIER
gets to be captain in course of time. Sam
Brown was not a Bible-clasS young man
in those days. He was one of the "boys''
with as large crop of wild oats to sow as
any them. His father was of Scotch Irish
extraction. He began digging coal up the
Monongahela valley half a century ago,
when the industry was in its infancy. After
a while he got an interest in small coal-pit.
He worked and saved in plodding, honest
way till his interest grew into great stables
of acres of coal lands, fleets of bargeS dot
ting the Ohio and Mississippi
FROM NEW ORLEANS TO PITTSBURG,
and when he died few years ago 1900
miners in his employ followed his remains
to the cemetery. Capt. Brown and his
brothers inherited the immense fortune. A
few years previous to his fathers death
Sam Brown became the virtual head of the
firm. He had sown his wild oats and a
good many thousands of dollars with them.
After the death of his father he became the
actual head of the business. 1t is now known
as W. H. Browns Sons. They are undoubt
edly, outside of Joseph Walton & Co., per-
haps, the heaviest coal shippers on the
river. Charley Brown, a younger brother.
after his fathers death displayed some
queer caprces. -Four years ago he organ
lied professional base ball club, paid all
the salaries and travelling expenses, Tabled
the club with his name and sent them out
West and into the Northwest. Al Black
more was manager. Charley Brown would
do the most unexpected things. One night
he fairly took the breath of Prof. Weiss,
leader of the Great Western band, by pre-
senting him with $500 cornet. When the
Metropolitan Base Ball club visited Pitts
burg four years ago, Charley Brown was so
taken with them that he purchased costly
floral tribute and sent it to the depot when
they were leaving the city. If he took a
fancy to a man he would present him a
diamond pin almost before he knew it. He
died about a year ago.
ONE OF THE NOBLEST WOMEN
in all Pittsburg was Capt. Browns sister,
fined, talented, Christian woman She died
about four years ago, leaving about $780,
900 to charitable Institutions besides the
fortune she left her husband and child.
Capt. Schoonmaller has married since, only
within the past sixty days and is now in
Europe with his bride. Capt. Sam Brown
is married and resides at Browns station,
On the Baltimore & Ohio railroad, just east
of this city and outside the city limits. His
home is plain. substantial frame house.
He has from $50, 600 to 5000. 900 invested
in horse flesh. 1t is a popular error that
he is new on the turf. His Buchanan
won the Kentucky derby in 1884, and also
the Clark stakes, the only time the same
horse won both races. He has been a horse
fancier for years past. This spring Master
piece W on the Meet and Chandon stakes
at Louisville, and also captured the Ripple
stakes at Latonia. Matinee won the hotel
stakes at Latonia. Among the other ia
nous ones in his stable are Lizzie Krepps,
Mona, jim Guest, Typho, Ascender, Blue
line and Right o'Way. j. w. Rodgers,
Ed Corrigan's old trainer, is in Capt
Browns employ at fat salary. The
horses travel in regal style, and Capt.
Brown spends money on them freely. but
with good judgment. The Office of w. H.
Browns Sons, Water street, this city,
rarely knows Capt. Browns presence dur
ing the racing season.