St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-01-25
ing to do with politics or anything else

and his present condition OF af1uence
vindicates his Judgment. He is the plain
old sheep-herder still, though he is sew
eral times millionaire.
Seven OF eight million dollars can
David Jacks, of Montery county, count
as his, and he can ride twenty miles IN
a straight line over land of his own.
man. In 1S49 he slowed himself away
in vessel bound for California. lie
was hidden for days in an empty barrel. !
He started as humble clerk IN a gro
Gerry store, but soon developed an as
t0nishing gift of assimilation" When
the Pueblo lands of Monterey-about
DO, 900 acres-were sold to pay off the
indebtedness of the old capital, Jacks
"assimilated" them at the nominal
price of 5000. They are Invaluable now.
He is also a heavy owner of real estate
in San Francisco. And he is power
full Presbyterian pleader and deyout
man.
Orange county possesses the novelty
of cattle Cr9suS to the manner born.
He is Don Marco Forster. whose lands
came to him from his father. who owned
mile and league beyond league OF the
finest land under the sum-" Born in
the city of Los Angeles in 1889, Don
Marco has lived always upon his broad
acres at San Margherita and San Juan
Capistrano. He succeeded upon his faith
eu's death. to 10000 acres of land, upon
which there are now grazing about 5000
head of cattle and upwards of 10000
sheep. Don Marco is six feet in height.
His face shows the bold Celtic lines de-
rived from his father, while dark eyes
and hair come from his mother, who
was sister of Don Pho PicO, and a de-
scendant of an old Castilian family.
He has wife, four sons and two charm
ing daughters. He Is a wonderful
horseman and typical grandee.
Don Marcos early life was filled with
adventure. "Once," he says, "a band
Of cattle under my charge was stam-
peded by grizzly bear weighing 800
pounds. Before giving the matter a
second thought, l lassOed the bear.
Then | wished l hadn't"
Here again is the opportunity to COM
pare Eastern and Western men and
methods. An Eastern man, upon dis
covering that he had indiscretly lassoed
a grizzly bear which he did not want,
This piece of strategy appears not to
have occurred to Don Marco. and pres
emily "the cinch broke' and he found
himself in the griZzly's embrace. Don
Marco stabbed and shot the bear and
was triumphant. And he tells of days
before the boom, when there were bull
fights and horse races and grand fan
dangOes.
After paying for his passage from the
Massachusetts, coast around Cape Horn,
j, Parker Whitney, now the wealthiest
man in Placer county, landed on Cali
fornia's shore with capital of 10 cents.
He started at once for the mines. He,
too, soon realized that there was more
reward in brain work than in manipu-
lating pick, and after shooting game
in the coast range for the San Francisco
market and realizing little money, he
returned to Massachusetts and invested
in goods for use in California.
He became manufacturer and
bought large tracts of California land.
Returning with a large fortune in 1866,
he wrote book upon Colorado's re-
sources that attracted wide attention,
and he was sent as sole commissioner
from the territory of the Paris exhibit
ton of 1867. Through his efforts Colo
RADIO was awarded the gold medal. On
Colorado's admission to the Union MIR.
Whitney was nominated for the senate
by both parties, but he declined, hay
ing no political ambition.
John D.. Laugenour, YolO county's
richest man, had 25 cents when he got to
California in August, 1850. He was a
North Carolnian. He mined near
Hangtown, as Placerville was then
known, and In the spring of 1851 his %
cents had grown to several hundred
dollars. He went to Yankee Jim's in
Shirttail canyon, and, with two broth
ers, opened a miners trading post. He
made money,fand bought tract of land
in Yolo county, which he planted with
grain. Extensive speculation in cattle
added to his rapidly growing fortune,
and now he has, it IS said. a million
and half.
AS a banker and farmer Herbert
Kraft has drawn to himself more of the
worlds goods than any other man in
Tehama county. He is from Wurtem-
burg, Germany. His parents came to
this country and settled in Pennington.
ILL.,. from where, in 1852, he started for
California. His capital was SO, which
had shrunk to 50, after a
trip of hardship and privation,
when he reached Hangtown. He
worked as timer in Placerville.
saved his money for two years, and
opened tin store in Red Bluff. He
prospered speedily, and sold ont his
business in order to devote himself to
general investments. He lent money
at advantageous terms. He has tried
dearly every sort of business venture
with profit, and now he has S9,O00,000,
and good many years before him in
which to enjoy it.
The woman in the case is Mrs. Mary
Murphy, of Santa Clara county. She is
eighty-five years old, and she went
across the Rockies with Martin Murphy,
her late husband, as early as 1874, and
before the Bonner party commenced
their memorable journey Nh. and Mrs.
Murphy had settled in the then wilder
ness near the present city of Sacra-
mento. Mrs. Murphy is the heaviest
taxpayer in the rich valley of Santa
Clara. She was a great aid to her hus-
band, and the business capacity OF the
couple was tradition years ago. The
| foundation of the great fortune which
she now controls was laid by judicious
| investments in real estate, followed by
| extensive dealing in cattle.
| News of the discovery OF gold reached
| Col. George Hagar, now the foremost
| capitalist of ColuSa county, when, al
though only twenty-three years old, he
had already established himself in bust
ness at Keene, N. II. The Infection
took violent hold on him. and on
on March 1, 1919, he sailed for
the golden West. Two months of rough
experiences in the mines at Big Bar, on
the Mokelumne river, satisfied him that
he had started wrong. He went to
Stockton and started a general store. In
1851, he went to Colusa. and, with J. G.
Whltcomb, purchased nine of the eleven
leagues of the Jimeno grant, extending
from Colusa to Grand Island. He is the
largest resident land owner in the
county. He has amassed over million
dollars in lands, houses, and large in
terest in the Colusa County bank.
Vermont gave Kern county its richest
man in Solomon Jewett. president and
principal stakeholder of the Kern Val
| lev Bank, owner of valuable tracts OF
irrigated and other lands, and extensive
breeder of sheep and cattle. He did not
win mis- fortune without having been in
sight of disaster. He settled in the foot
hills near the mouth of the canyon OF
Kern river and engaged in the sheep