The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1886-05-20
A BOOTBLACK,S LUCK.
How Pat Higgins, of New York City,
Amassed a Fortune Out West.

How Pat Higgins, of New York City,
Amassed a Fortune Out West.
Pat Higgins, of Denver, Col, who is
estimated to be worth at least 500, 900,
formerly kept boot -blacking stand at
the corner of Broadway and Ann street
In spite of his wealth he dresses as he
did then, except on state occasions, and
is still engaged in blacking boots.
though he does less of the manual work
than he did when barely making liv-
ing IN New York city. He now employs
many assistants, and is said to have
stands in many Colorado towns, and in
Tombstone. Arizona. He was well
known to New Workers doing business
near the City Hall park during the latter
years of the war and for several years
afterward. He was in the boot -biacking
business previous to the breaking out of
the war, but gave up his brush to serve
two years in the navy.
He then returned to his old stand on
Broadway, and lived in a tenement
house in the fourth ward. He was able
to add to his earnings by selling papers,
but even when making s. day at his
blacklng stand he continued to live in
the cheap rooms he had occupied when
81 day was good pay. He was an
everyday sort of Irishnan, unpreten-
tious. hard-working and sober. He
could have dressed well, but he did not
care to, and wore only a common fan
mel shirt and trousers in summer time,
with the addition of pea-jacket in
winter.
Pat had ideas and aspirations that
were far above his station in life. He
was very proud of his two daughters,
whose mother was dead. They were al
ways neatly dressed, and went regularly
to church and to school. When they
grew up he closed his Broadway stand,
and, saying goodbye to the few friends
at the cruller and coffee stands near By,
he left New York and took his children
to their aunt in Chicago. He went on
to the Black Hills. Pat did not open a
saloon or locate claim or gamble. He
opened modest little shanty with a
chair in it, and hung out the legend:
Boots blacked inside" Whenever
miner came to town he always went
first to the barber's, then to Pats place
TO get shine, and then he was ready to
paint the town.
The miners paid Higgins in gold-dust
and % cents was the price of shine.
The dust was not weighed, and Pat got
more than a quarters worth oftener
than he got less. He saved every cent
possible. He had no expensive habits,
never dressed up, seldom drank, never
gambled, and was making from $40 to
$50 day. Then he sent to New York
for the illustrated papers. There wasn't
a newsstand in the Black Hills at that
time. Every man and woman subscrib-
ed through Higgins for one or more of
the illustrated papers He bought them
for 10 cents and less by subscribing for
the year, and sold them for 20 cents,
and even as high as 80 cents and 81.
Competition soon began. Higgins stay
ed till profits began to fall off perceptibly,
then moved on to the next frontier
town that had no bootblack and no
news-dealer.
When Pat got as far as Leadville he
found he was worth several thousand
dollars. He selected the First National
Bank of Denver as his bank of deposit,
and he has ever since done business
with them. Not long after he went west
Higgins began sending occasional
orders for 500 worth of blacking and
brushes to New York firms The scrawl-
ing handwriting and doubtful standing
of the unknown customer caused feel
ings of misgiving with some firms at
first, but the promptness with which the
little Irishman's drafts were honored by
the First National Bank of Denver set at
rest any doubts, and Higgins had be-
come a very valuable and much appreci-
ated customer at well known brush
house in Beekman street, and also at a
blacking mandatory which is adver-
tised on every rock and fence.
Not long ago travelling man for the
brush house hunted up Higgins. He
found him in Tombstone, Arizona.
Higgins was the same man, with the
same prudent ways and modest desires,
but with the same lofty ideas and fond
pride of his daughters. He had just
been to Chicago on visit to see them.
They were being educated at the best
schools there. Having seen them he
had returned contentedly, and with as
firm purposes as ever, to his cabin and
his brush.
The travelling man induced Higgins
to have his picture taken in his every
day clothes, with his pet dog at his side.
Higgins loved that dog very dearly.
They travelled together. When Higgins
went from the Black Hills to Leadvilic
he walked. only occasionally getting a
ride on an emigrant wagon. Higgins
was walked up one night by the barking
of his dog. The barking grew fainter,
and finally ceased. In half an hour the
dog returned, waggng his tail. He had
N. Y. Star.