Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1886-06-18


fore Wakeniau, and the latter died, ID
is presumed, supposing that ifs will
! was in the custody Of his trusted
| lawyer. The long -missing document was
opened on Saturday. The envelope con.
| taifiod two wills, one made in 1874 an l I'M
Wakeman's handwritin., and the one
made by Watson at the lictation of the
deceased maa in fS.G. The wills were
similar In purport and the entire property
was left to Mrs. Wakcman, 81 600 to be ;,aiL
to his two minor children at the death of
the mother, who were to be educated out
or the estate, aul then the remain lcr of
the property was TO be divided equally
aIfiong the fve children of the deceased.
But for the unfortunate mislaying of tho
VIII the Wakeman property would have
been kept together and would now be
greatly incr reased in it's value.
~
How Pat Higgins. of New York Citys
Anna sed n Fortune In tho Far West.
IN. T. staf.l
Fat Hig gins, of Denver, Col, who is es<
timated to be worth at least one hundred
thousand dollars, formerly kept a boot.
black stand at the cornor of Broadway
nnd Ann street. In spite of his wealth he
dresses as he did then, except on state oc-
casions, and is still engaged in blacking
boots, though he does less of the manual
work than he did wheri barely making d
living in New York City. He row em-
ploys many assistants, and is said to have
stands in several Colorado towns, and in
tombstone, A. T. Ho was well known to
Now Workers doing business near the City
Hall park during tue latter years of ths
war and for several years afterward. He
was in the boot-blacking business previous
to the breaking out of tho war, but gave
up his brush to serve two years i'm the
navy.
He then returned to his old stand on
broadway and lived i'm tenement i'm the
Fourth Ward. He was able to add to his
earnings by selling papers, but even when
making five dollars n day at his black
ing stand he continued TO live in
the cheap rooms he had occupied
when one dollar a day was good
pay. He was an every day sort Of Irish
man, unpretentious, hard working and
sober. He could have dressed well, but he
did not care to, and wore only common
flannel shirt and trousers in summer
time, with the addition of PED 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 always neatly
dressed, and went regularly to church and
to school. When they grew up he closed
MS broadway stand, and, saying good
bye to the few friends at the cruller and
coifce stands near by, he left New York
and took his children to their aunt in Chi.
cngo. Ilc went on to the Black Hills Pat
did not open saloon or locate n claim on
gamble. He opened modest little shantv
with chair in it, and hung out the legend.
"Hoots blackcd inside" Whenever a
miner came to town he always went first
TO tho BARRIERS, then to Pats place to get
shine, and then he was ready to paint
tho town.
The miners pail Higgins in gold dust
ana ~ cents was tho price Of shine The
dust was not weighed, and Rat got more
than quarters worth oftcner than he 20,
loss. He saved every cent possible. He
had no expensive habits, never dressed up,
seldom drank. never gambled and was
making from $40 to SO day. Then he
| sent to New York for the illustrated pa
rcrs. There wasn't n news stand in tho
Black Hills ut that time. Every man and
woman subscribed through Higgins for
ono or moro of the illustrated papers. He
bought them for 10 cents and lesn by SUBJ
scribing for the year, and then sold thcm
for - cents, and even as high as 30 cents
and 81. Competition soon began. Hig-
gins stayed till profits began to fall of
very pcrceptibly, then moved on to the
next frontier town that had no bootblack
and no news dealer.
Dof
found he was worth sever al thousand dol
lars He selected the First National Bank
OF Denver as his bank of deposit, and has
ever since done business with them
Probably to-day he has $4,000 on deposit
there. Not long after he went West Hig-
gins began sending occasional orders for
800 worth of blacking and brushes to New
York firms. Tho scrawling handwriting
and doubtful standing of the unknown
customer caused feelings OF misgivng with
some firms ut first, but the promptness
with which tho little Irishman's drafts
were honored by the First National Bank
OF Denver set at rest any doubts, and
Higgins had become a very valuable and
much appreciated customer at a WE'LL
known brush house in Beekman street.
nnd also at backing mandatory which
Not long ago travelling man for the
brush house hunted up Higgins. He
found him in Tombstone, Ariz. Higgins
was the same man, with the same pru-
don't ways and modest desires, hut with
the same lofty ideas and fond pride of
MS daughters. He had just been to Chi
cngo on visit to see them. They wore
being educated at the best schools there.
Having seen them he had returned con-
tcntedly, and with rs firm purposes as
ever, to his cabin aud his brush.
The travelling man induced Higgins to
have his picture taken In his everyday
clothes, with his pet dog ut his side.
Higgins loved that dog very dearly.
They Travelled together. When Higgins
went from the Black Hiils 20 Leadville
he walked, only occasionally getting n
ride on an emigrant wagon. Higgins was
walked up ono night by the barking of
his dog. The barking grew fainter, and
hnaily ceased. In half an hour the dog
returned. wasging his tail. He had led q
band OF Indians on false scent.