The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-04-13

California Spectators Who Became
Suddenly Rich and Died in Poverty.
San francisco Letter in the Globe Democrat.
Two curious careers were recently ended
on this coast, both showing the extraordi-
nary reverses that befalI in many SPECTATORS
California. In rude cabin in Virginia City
last week was found the dead body of II.
ID. Griswold VINO had persisted by his own
hand. Grisworld was one Of the early pio-
neers who came with Harry Meiggs after
ward famous as the railroad builder in
Chill and Peru. Meiggs was soon worth
millions, but Griswold didn't prosper so
rapidly because he didn't have no fortune
TO start with
Still he soon owned a trading schooner
which piled between this city and Mexican
ports, and he amassei comfortable for
tune. But when the Comstock excitement
broke out, be went to Virginia City with
the rush Of adventures, aud there sank all
he mad made in California. His old asso-
ciate. Melggs, was threatened with ruin
here in the sos, when he took one Of his
clipper ships, loaded her with miscella-
| neous cargo of goods. aud one night slipped
the cable and made his way out OF the
Golden Gate
There was gnashing of teeth the next
| morning among his creditors; there was
racing and chasing down the coast to capt
| ure the fugitive vessel with the biggest de-
| fanlter California had ever then known, but
| Meiggs made his escape and was never after
ward seen in his old hauuts. His defalca-
ton and fight ruined dozen men in tins
city, whose only mistake was ia trusting
him implicitly. Six years after he left here
Aeiggs was rich, and for twenty years
before his death he was many times a
millionaire yet in all this time he made no
inquiries into the affairs of his friends
whom he had ruined, nor did he make the
least effort 70 repair the great wrong he
had done.
Another Spectator whose ill-starred ca
reer closed, like Griswold's, in financial
gloom, was Daniel G. Barton, who died re-
Gently at his little vineyard near Cuca-
monga, in San Bernardino county. Bar
ton was q cousin of tho great flnancier Rails
ton, aud was young and handsome bro
ler when the Big Bonanza excitement of
| 1910 struck San Francisco and converted
ever curbstone 'chipper" into prospective
| millionaire. Barton was snrewd and bought
| enough stock in the big Consolidated Vir-
| ginia and California mines to yield him
over half-mIllion in few months.
His friends thought he was on the high
| road TO great wealth, as he seemed to have
| that invaluable instinct which tells a specu-
lator when the market is going to rise or
| fall. His actions were closely watched, and
many sinai OpSIdb0ls AitutlS HtOilSN Dy Ddl
| ing when they saw Barton loading up, and
| selling the moment he began to dump
stocks. Yet, despite his extraordinary run
Of luck, Barton suddenly left the excitement
OF Pine street and Pauper alley and paid
visit to the east and L lrope.
In Saratoga he cut an immense swath.
| he had suits by the dozen, and he wore the
costliest and most unique jewelry. He hob
| nobbed with old Commodore Vanderbilt.
| who graciously allowed the Californian to
bear more than his just burden of the cost
| of entertaining the select crowd of railroad
millionaires that he gathered about him.
| Barton shone ikea meteor for single sea-
| son. and he told friends on his return that
| he had dropped 1000 in setting it up for
| the boys and in bad bets on horses
The same run Of ill-luce followed him in
Europe. He took q flyer" on all the
| English and French race courses, but there
was a hodoo on him, and he couldn't win.
He became desperate plunged into all kinds
of dissipation, and dropped the remainder
| of his coin at Monaco in the vain endeavor
| to retrieve disaster. He saved Just enough
out of the wreck to pay his fare back to
| California Barton was so thoroughly dis
| heartened when he returned that he never
| visited his old haunts i'll the stock exchange,
but went to San jose and started small
business. He couldn't make it 60, however.
and he soon retired to his vineyard at
Cucamonga, which he had taken for a small
debt years before and had regarded as
worthless. For the last seven years of his
life he lived like recluse, seldom ventarina.
away from home.