The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-10-13
A RICH MANS QUEER MASCOT.
How Bull Laid the Foundation OF
His Fortune of $1O,OOo,OOo.

How a Bull Laid the Foundation of
His Fortune of $1O,oOo,OOo.
Ne,o York Special Cor. Philadelphia Press.
Col. 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 attention here during his
visit, not alone on account Of his open
handed hberality, but his breezy Western
style. Col. Scott is said to be one of the
largest contributors to the republican cam
paign fund, and he is known as the Napo-
leon of real estate transactions in the w est.
He is estimated to be worth $4,000, 600,
which he has made out of real estate within
the last ten years. His career has Ger ta;nly
been a remarkable one.
To a party of prominent politicians. whom
he was entertaining at the Hoffman house,
he told the story of how he got his start in
life. He began by trying to do real estate
business on commission. He easily secured
property to sell, but it was another thing
to secure customers The Colonel was f.
nally down to his last dollar when he traded
off lot in exchange for team of horses
and Jersey bull. The owner of the lot took
the horses and the Colonel took the bull for
his commission.
Now, how to dispose advantageously Of
the bull was a matter of no little concern
to him. Fortunately he happened to men
ton the matter to Eugene Field, the now
famous humorist, of Chicago, then manag-
ing editor of one of the principal daily papers
in Kansas City. just at this period Fields
paper was adding to its then meager income
by conducting lottery. Every person who
subscribed for the paper received lottery
ticket. The articles offered as prizes were
such things as the paper had received in re-
turn for advertising, money at this time
I'LL h1
excellent thing to offer a blooded bull as
one of the prizes, as it would be sure to ex-
ite interest among the farmers; so he pro-
>0sed to take the animal off Col. SCOTS
hands and give him the price of it in adj
vertising. 1t was then an unheard-of thing
for real estate dealer to advertise, but
anyway the Colonel thought the expert
ment worth attempting, and he accepted
Mr.. Fields suggestion.
In exchange for the animal Col. Scott re-
ceived column advertisement in the news
paper every day for a month. The people
considered this little short of reckless enter
prise, but anything reckless in those days
in Kansas City took, SO, OF course, Scott Sc
cured plenty of cut Nomers. At once he be-
came the most prominent man in the bust
ness, and made money rapidly. Naturally,
he was so highly elated with his bargain
that he offered to the person who should
calf.
TIE animal finally went to a farmer in
Kansas, but proved to be utterly wor bless.
The farmer came back on the newspaper and
and the newspaper in turn had to look to
Col Scott, who went to the man who origi-
nally owned the bull. AS result the man
gave Col. Scott a $500 interest in the prop
erty, which was the price at which the bull
was valued, and the Colonel semi the far
mer a sewing machine, and the mAtter be-
came satisfactory all around.
Shortly after this the Colonel left the
real estate business and turned his attention
to a new system of sewerage, and went to
Denver in hope of making fortune out of
it. This proved failure and he lost every
thing, and the only thing he had left was
his interest in the Kansas City real estate,
in which transaction the bull figured SO
prominently.
In the mean time Kansas City had been
enjoying a remarkably rapid growth, and,
and what was year before a suburb had
become the heart of the city, and the increase
in the value of property was simply aston
ishing. Col. Scott found his property sur
rounded with fine buildings, and that it had
made him a comparatively rich man. He
sold half-interest for S25, 900, and in about
another year the other half was worth
nearly twice that amount.
Believing that his good fortune was due
to the bull, Col. Scott hunted up the ami
NAL and repurchased it. He has the animal
to-day, and, although it has eaten its head
off thousand times over, Col. Scott could
not be induced to part with 1t. He firmly be-
lieves if it had not been for the animal he
would not be millionaire.