The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1889-01-10
A Tramp Millionaire.

A Tramp Millionaire.
Florence Long, of Shippensburg, Pa,
aged II, pretty, bright and yiyacious, has
by madcap marriage thrown away her
opportunity for brilliant social alliances,
and destroyed her prospects for an inheri-
lance of at least half million dollars. BY
pedigree Miss Long has 10 special claim
to social distinction. She is the only
daughter of "Old ChristyH Longs son.
"Old Christy' Long is one Of the wealth.
lest men in the rich Cumberland Valley,
but he is miser. and affects the garb and
manners Of the characteristics of the
tramp.
He owns almost sufficient stock in the
Cumberland Valley Railroad to control it,
and quite sufficient TO keep the Pennsyl-
vania Railroad out of long-coyeted posses
sion of that lire, the stock of which is
worth nearly double its par value, and pays
enormous dividends. Besides lis large
holding of this stock. Christy Long owns
5000 acres Of the fertile Cumberland
county farming country, and thousands Of
acres of mining, timber and farm land in
other counties and various States. Valu-
able as is his railroad stock, he obtained
ownership of the bulk of it without in
yesting dollar. When he got possession
of it, in fact, he did not have dollar. 1t
was in the early days of the Cumberland
Valley Railroad. The stock on which the
money was raised to pay for building the
road was mainly taken by the farmers
along the route, between Harrisburg and
the Maryland line. For years after it was
quilt the road did not pay. Many of the
farmers who had put their money in it
come to look upon their stock as SO much
waste paper. Christy Long was then a
tramp clock-yender and tinker.
He travelled occasionally through the
Cumberland Valley. seeking a livelihood
among the farmers. They regarded him as
a half witted. harmless yagrant. and he
was general butt for the juvenile rural
population. 1t was not until be began to &C.
cept from the farmers their almost forgot.
ten and entirely despised certificate of stock
in the Cum berland Valley Railroad, in
payment for odd jobs in clock mending
and kettle tinkeriDg, that they came to
| look upon Christy Long as downright
| lunatic.
| A well known farmer still living in the
Cumberland Valley has to day a clock
which Christy Long put new band on, g
job worth in those days perhaps IS cents
for which the farmer tossed him a stock
certificate which is now worth $1,000, and
on which Christy Long has drawn double
that in dividends. That was only one in
stance among scores in which the tramp
| clock member took stock certificates fol
trifiing jobs, while the farmers laughed al
him for fool.
These little jobs to day represent oyel
$500, 900 as the price Christy Long received
| for doing them. He gathered up in tha
way nearly all of the available stock there
was in the Cumberland Valley and put i
securely away. He did not hold it many
years before the farmers woke up TO tht
fact that the tramp clock mender had sud
denly become the richest man in the val
| lev, and that they had been the fools
He is worth at least million dollars to
day, but he clings to his habits as tramp
and will now, although 20 years old, ant
palsied, walk any distance rather than pa,
railroad fare. He carries his own lunch
con with him, and it usually consists of
pocketful of pretzels. The work he did il
clock mending and tinkering for farmer
in return for the stock that makes hin
more powerful Shan the great Penn
sylvania Railroad in the CHAMBERLAIN
Valley Railroad management, would no
have brought him $50 if paid for in cash.
It was TO the g!ea. we 18th OF this eccen
trio old man that the girl Florence Lon
was the prospective heir until few day
ago. Then she ran away with and marrie'
young man OF questionable reputation
after her other had forbidden Ler to re
ceiye his attentions. The young man
name is Horace Schreinar. lie is in th
employ of the Western NJ sryla! d r; ilroa
at Shippens5urg.
Mis-, Stone had refusad t. encourage th
attentions OF young Ell # good tamil
AMI high 81 C al standing. One Tlur ola
she told her mCtte. she was going to max
some calls. sh9 went t, tie lailroa
station and bea .1ed a train going south
Young Schfeiner joued her. They wen
to Smith ;bl rgl, Maryland, where the
were married The elopen eat ieeam
known in Shippensburg half an no II afte
the tr i left.
Schreiner' s character va; SO We know
and he was so generally unpopular hat t,
excited crowd of over 800 people assem-
bled at he depot in the evening deter
mined to moo Sclleiner on the arrival {
the traInirom Smi bsburg n which b
runaway couple wers returning ONE. :
brother of Schre nar's mana d TO ii foIl
him by telegraph Of his danger. and IL
couple left the train It Waynesbor(
where they larrea.l II il the next day.
Before they reached ShIrrensbarg wist
+ counsel prevail ed Their, aud Sci refine WI
simply greeted with boots and groans ;
he hurried with his bride to his brother
house, where the couple have still I
NAMED. Upon hearing of his gram
daughter S runaway marriage with your
Schreiasr old Chri ty Long at tnee d
clared that the Sch. Elm II S scheme in e
ticing the girl away would fail utterl
and be then and t! ere dlsinherited h
granddaughter. declaring that her nan
would not appear 10 his will.
!