The Helena independent., 1890-02-21
The Fates Which Have Befallen
Many of the Once Wealthy
California MilIionaires.
Fortunes Made in a Few Weeks
Dissipated in Almost as
Short a Time
The Rise, Reign and Fall Of Dan Barton
The Kingly Broker OF The
Early DAYS.

vho bad p,nshcd boy bus nwn nhd, lie
Ind taken ruzof md inflicted n deep gnsh
in his wrist. Then lac had placed his arm
over pan aud calmly allowed hl. lllc-blood
10 cbh away. Gr.swo.d was onc 0f the csI.y
pioneers who cane here with Harry M9g,t,
aftnwnrd famous ms the railroad bliidcr lH
Chill and Perm. Me. 81 wa sooa wosth
millions. bot GtisSoll d.dnf prosper 40
RAPIDLY because ho had 40 tu,iune 10 stti
with. Still he soon owned tridlng schouu-
er which piioI betw On this city and Next
can ports. md he nmasscd comfortable
fortune. l,ut w!cn the Comsiock excite
ment broke out he went 10 Virginia C,ty
with the rush Of odycnturers, and there
sunk al 10 had nmas-cd in California.
Hs old assoc aic, Mcil g. was threatened
with ruin heIe in the dOs. Uh,n be took ono |
If his clipper ships, loaded her with a mis-
c, llaneous cnrgo of goods md one night |
slipped the onbc and made his way out Of |
the Golden Gate. The was gnnshing Of
teeth the noXt morning among his crcdito p;
there was ruclng and ch lsing down the
const 10 capture the fugitive vessel with the
biggest dtituiteT California had ever then |
known but MeigCs mude his escape md
wis never afterwards se' n IN lis Old haunts. |
He furnishes one Of the few examples of the /
prosperity of those who commit great
wrong, His dtfaloatlun aud Hight ruined
dozen men III this city, whose only M stake
WAS IN tmsiinV him Implicitly. Six years
after lac left here Moiggs was rich. and for
twenty years hefojc his death he was many
times nhllona re, yet in all tins time lie
made no inqulTes es into the AFFAIRS of tie
nleuds whom lac had ruined, nor uId he
make tie least effort TO repair Tie great
wrong he had done. lie did fine work for
Perm; he bui her great Or'So railroad. de.
veloped her trade and WIS worth score ~
the inactive statesmen WHO regard Their ma
tive country ne inlr game foi piundrr.
The graf, fnl P,myians, when ho died
about 1--WE yenrs ngo raised monument 10
his memory, but not this monument nor his
services AS rnilrond builder and ndminisir,I-
tor can remove the California blot un his
name. In tho sketches ot Muiges which are
written by historians and taNeltrs, II IL
mentioned Lat WHEN RICHES came TO him IN
South America he carefully seitedall his old
debts m SHn francisco, repaying every claim
with interest," but this IL puie fiction, rs
Meggs not uniy tailed 10 make tins simple
reparation, hui he even neglected io inquire
about the matter Rt all. II you wish To make
IN old pioneer merchant OF San / iRncsco
ue strong language all you need 40 Is :"
mention 80 10 OF tho current action about
Harry Meiggs.
Anuthei sptculator whose ill-stnrred cn-
rccT closed like Griswolds IN financial
gloom WAS Daniel q. Barton, who di d re-
Gently At MS butte vineyard near Cucanon
ga, iIi San BeinaIdInO county. Barton WIS
"A cousin oi tue reHt funncicr IL lsiOn, anu
WIS "A youny and handsome broker when the
BIG Bonanza exc enitnt Of / a. i0 struck
nan FrunoiscO ma converted every curD-
stone "chippcf' INTO a prospective million
aire Barton WIS sbIewd aud bought
enough stock IN The big Consolidated Va II
GINA and California mines 10 yield him
over halt million IN few months. His
friends thuughi he WIS on The high road 10
great wealth as he s. eined TO have that IN
valuable instinct which tells speoulatur
when the market is gong to rise or fail.
HIS actions were closely wntched, ana many
small operators made money by buying
when they saw Button loading up, and sell
ing the moment he began TO dump stocks.
Yet despite his extraordinary run of luck
B rtun suddenly left the excitement of Pine
street aud Pauper alley, and pald VISIT 70
the east ana Europe.
in Saratoga hv cut mn immense swarth.
He .ad suits 10y the dozen Nd he wore the
costhest and most unique j,wclry. lie
hOhnobbed with old Commnuore Wander
bit, who praciousy allowed the CalifOr-
man 10 bear moie Than his Just burden of
tie cost of entertaining the select crowd Of
railroad millonaires tugt ho gathered about
him. Barton shune likn meteor fof u
single season. and he told friends on his re-
tum that he had dropped 5000 ~ setting
IL mp Tor the boys and IN bad btts ON
horses. The same terrible run of ill-luck
followed him IN Europe. lie took n dyer
ON al the English ana French race-courses.
but there Nts hoodoo ON HIM and he
couldn't win. lie became desperate.
plunged into lil kinds or dissipation ana
dIopped the rcmandcrof hIs cola at Mex
co III the wan cndcayur 20 retrieve disaster.
lletnved Just enough ont OF the wreck to
pty his fnrr hnCk 10 California. lie w.s So
thoroughly d .sli, toned wi hen be rctuInud
TINT nc never visited his old hunts M tie
Stock Exchange, but went 10 san Jos
aud started n smHll business. lie conldut
nuke II 60. however, und he soon ret red tu
his viueN ard 0t Cucunouga, VII ch ho lad
taken tor a small dcbl ychIs before aud hhd
regarded rs worthless. For the last seven
wears OF his llfa he lived like a rocluso, sell
dom ve. turing away from homo.
The places which Bmtun usCd 10 frequent
IN Pine street nave suffered as great cunnpes
MS his fortunes. If man who knew the
san Francisco Mining stock exchange IN
1915 c.u.d visit II now he would mover rec.
oCn2e tie place. Then cyciy broker cUmc
2
swell lunch nt one of the magnificent res.
taurMts that lin PnupcI All,v and went
Ion q dtvr 10 the Chi Ut o'clock. haynl
n1dc on Jmmlfs uus N IN SlO0 20 $50
during his four working hours. not to uicn-
tiOn tue amounts gathered IA itom his own
prut i,yi - na tlNorlte Storks. II WAC an
era whtn champagne flowed lbo wnt,r. and
whtu silk unU,rciuthi nnd Rll tho olAtr
rnintui that -, mon would have affected
i he hHd liv,d IN the latter ualf Of tins cen.
tuty was worn by the luy and uCLolmr
bfuker. Tho iraHs ctinns IN stocks some
OF winch were quoted ~ 500 sbart. fire.
qurntiy IAN over tlc million luu.t IN day,
ilu tue ln-h of huYtrs wis so great that
b'okefs hhd difficulty IN filing urdcTs.
NtHt ehUhEu has come uY,t tho ss(ne
IN fifteen ye0r-. Now tho dnly transnc-
tons sonlctuHes Go NOT amount To 5000.
For thiee months the mpiunty OF the
stockholders have not made ulcO ront Ii
IL curTuntly reported. md there are many
facts TO bear tbs nj. that the large opsfn-
toTs dnmted all their stock nt high pricrs
about two yCurs ago. ana now want t. TAX
II ~ ~ ouc.teith what they sold n for
The snail owners who bold on like rrlut
death letus, tJpnrt With wuat cost thcu so
dear hence the deadlock. Whatever be
the causc. tue ~ .ning stoca busints, hots
~ gong TO the dogs. and unless somtthing
be done shortly u Will be impossible 10
arouse pubhc Confluence If amy good strike
should be made on the ConstOek.
Uncle sam Makes Haul.
WHEELING, W. Va. Feb. 2l.-rhe large
tobacco factory of Black Bros was taken
possession of yesterday 10y revenue officers.
the proprietors being charged with swind-