Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-09-23

material on this island In one year.
And these horso-boilers ore grumbling
because the number has decreased.
RICH MANS QUEER MASCOT.
Colonel Samuel A. Scott, OF Kansas
City, st. Louis, and nearly all the
thriving cities in Missouri and Kansas,
has been attracting a good deal Of at
tention here during his visit not alone
on account OF his opeD-handed liberslity,
but his breezy, western style. ASIDE
from Levi L. Morton Colonel Scott is
said to be the second largest contributor
to the Republican campaign fund. and
he is known as the Napoleon Of real es-
tate transactions in the West. He Is es-
timated to DO worth $4,000, 600, which
nc has made out of real estate within the
last ten years His career has certainly
been n remarkable one.
To party OF prominent politicians
whom he was entertaining at the Holt
man House he told the story OF how he
got his start in life.
He began by trying 10 do real estate
business on commission. he easily Sc
cured property to sell, but it was another
thing 10 secure customers. The Colonel
was finally down to his last dollar when
no traded off lot Ia exchange for a team
Of horses and Jersey bull The owner
Of the lot took the horses and the Colonel
took the bull for bis commission.
BULL oS HAND.
Now how to dispose adyantageously OF
the bull was a matter OF no little concern
TO him. Fortunately, he happened TO
mention the matter TO Eugene Field, the
now famous humorist OF Chicago, then
tho managing editor OF one OF the prlnci-
pal daily papers in Kansas City. just at
this period Fields's paper was adding to
it's then meagre income by conducting a
lottery. Every person who subscribed for
the paper received a lottery ticket. The
articles offered as prizes were such things
es the paper had received in return for
ADVERTISING, money ut this time being
scarce. Field thought it would be an
excellent thing TO offer blooded bull as
one of the prizes, and it would be sure to
excite interest among the farmers. SO
he proposed TO take the animal of Colo
mel SCOTS hands, and gave him the price
OF it in advertising. 1t was then an un-
heard-of thing for real-estate dealer to
advertise, but anyway the Colonel
thought the experiment worth attempt
ing, and he accepted Mr.. Fields sugges-
ton.
A REMARKABLE SCHEME.
In exchange for the animal Colonel
Scott received a column advertisement
in the newspaper every day for a
month The people considered this little
short of reckless enterprise, but any
thing reckless IN Kansas City III those
DAYS took, so, of course, Scott secured
plenty OF customers. At once he became
the most prominent man IN his business
and made money rapidly. Naturally he
was SO highly elaied with his bargain
that he offered to the person who should
draw the bull as prize 500 for the
first calf.
The animal finally went TO farmer in
Kansas, but 1t proved to he utterly worth
less. The farmer came back on the
newspaper and the newspaper III turn
had 20 look TO Colonel Scott, who went
% the man who originally owned the
bull As n result the man gave Colonel
Scott three hundred-dollar interest in
the property which was the price at
which the bull was valued, and the
Colonel sent the farmer a sewingmachine
and the matter became satisfactory all
around.
R1CH N SPITE or HIMSELF.
Shortly after this the Colonel left the
real estate business and turned his at
tcntion to a new system of sewerage and
went to Denver IN hope of making for
tune out OF it. Tins proved failure,
aud he lost everything. and the only
thing ne had left was his individual III
terest in the Kansas City real estate, in
which transaction the bull figured 80
prominently.
in the mean time Kansas City had
been enjoying a remarkably rapid
growth, and what was a year before q
suburb had become the heart OF the city,
and the increase in the value of proper
ty was simply astonishing. Colonel
Scott found his property surrounded
with fine buildings, and that it had made
him a comparatively rich man. He sold
a half interest for So, 900 and in about
a year the other half was worth nearly
twice that amount
Believing that bis good fortune was
due to the bull Colonel Scott hunted up
the animal aud repurchased it. lie has
the animal to-day, and although it has
eaten its head Off a thousand times over
Colonel Scott could not be induced to
part with it. He firmly believes that If
it had not been for the animal he would
not be millionaire.
DOES OPIUM CURE YRLLOw-FEvER?
When the death by yellOw-feve of the
eminent English astronomer, Professor
r. A. Proctor, in this city, brought
home to the popular consciousness the
alarming fact that the dreaded scourge
OF the South was actually among us,
some anxious excitement might reasona-
bly, have been expected. New Workers,
however, do not scare easily, and though
certain newspapers have seemed de-
sirous OF cultiyating a panic by
their sensational articles on the sub
lect, the public seem to view the stu
alton with gratifying coolness and conf
dence. Among one large element of our
population the feeling is placid indifIer-
ence. Those exceptionally unconcerned
ones are the Chinese. No fear of yellow
fever agitates them, nor would they be
frightened were that pestilence raging
here with even greater virulence than it
has attained in Jacksonville. tits not that
they fancy that there is any race immu-
nifty for them, but they have unbounded
confidence in the preventive and
medical powers OF habit to which nearly
all Of them are, more or less, addicted.
That habit is opium smoking. They aver
that one who hsbitually "hits the pipe -
whatever his race, color, or previous con-
dition OF servitude--is proof against yell
low-fever germs. And if, not being thus
protected. one gets the disease prompt
and certain cure is afforded by resort to
the opium pipe. 1t Is affirmed by them
that although there are a number Of Chi
namen in Jacksonville, not one of them
has died or has even been sufferer
from yellow-iever, and they affirm that
the same fact has been observable in