The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-09-25
a RICH MANS QUEER MASCOT.
He Firmly Believes an Animal to Be
the Secret of His SuccesS.

the Secret of His Success.
NEW YORK, Sept. Cool Samuel A.
Scott of Kansas City, st. Louis and nearly
all the thriving cities in Missouri and Kan
sas, has been attracting good deal of at
tention here during his visit, not alone on
| account of his openhanded liberality, but
his breezy western style. Aside from Levi
Z. Morton, Col. Scott is said to be the second
largest contributor to the republican cam
paign fund, and he is known as the Napoleon
of real estate transactions in the west. He
is estimated TO be worth $40, 100000, which
he has made out of real estate within the
last ten years His career has certainly
been remarkable one.
To 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 III, but it was another thing to
secure customers. The colonel was finally
down to his last dollar, when he traded off
lot ia 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 advautageously of
the bull was a matter of no little concern to
him. Fortunately, ne happened to mention
the matter to Eugene Field, the now famous
humorist of Chicago, then the managing
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. Ev-
cry person who subscribed for a
paper received a lottery ticket. The
articles offered as prizes were such things
as the paper had received in return for
advertising, money at this time being
scarce. Fled thought it would be an ex-
cellent thing to offer u blooded bull as one
of the prizes, as it would he sure to excite
interest among the farmers. So he pro-
posed to take the animal off Col. Scott s
hands and gave him the price of it IN adver-
tising. 1t was then an unheard of thing for
a real estate dealer to advertise, but any
way the colonel thought the experiment
worth attempting and he accepted Mr..
Fields suggestion.
In exchange for the animal Col. Scott
received a column advertisement in the
newspaper every day for a month. The
people considered this little short of reck-
less enterprise, but anything reckless in
Kansas City in 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
n lturally, he was so highly elated 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 it proved to be utterly worth
less. The farmer came back on the news
paper, and the newspaper in turn had to
look to Col. Scott, who went to the man
who originally owned the bull. AS result
the man gave Col. Scott a three hundred
dollar interest in the property, which was
the price at which the bull was valued and
the colonel sent the farmer a sewing ma
chine and the matter became satisfactory
all around
Shortly after this the colonel left the rea
estate business and turned his attention to a
new system of sewerage, AID went to Den
yer in hope of making fortune out of it.
This proved failure AID he lost every.
thing, and the only thing he had left was
his Individual interest in the Kansas City
real estate, in which transaction the bull
figured so prominently.
In the meantime Kansas City had been
enjoying a remarkably rapid growth, and
what was year before suburb had be-
came 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 SIS, 900, and in about
year the other half was worth nearly
twice that amount.
Believing that his good fortune was due
to the bull Col. Scott hunted I'D the animal
and repiirchased it. He has the animal to-
day. and although it has eaten its head off
thousand times over, Col Scout could not
be induced to part with it. He firmly be-
lieveS if it had not been for the animal he
would not be a millionaire.
HARRY WALKER