The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-06-08
HANDICAPPED AT THE START.
An Ex-Convict Who Begins Anew a
Battle for Fortune.
From the Neo York Recorder.

Battle for Fortune.
From the Nelo York Recorder.
Bearing the brand OF a criminal and Don
vict, possessed OF the manners of a gentle
man and the genius Of a Gould, handsom
and strong Of face and frame. a man no
young In years, but with experience S
broad, with adventures so romantic, will
success 50 brilliant, and failure so complet
that his young life would seem an eternity
to men of less nerve and force of character
Ray Nelham has, after several years o.
wandering, settled in Chicago, engaged II
business In a small way and hopes, although
beginning at the very bottom Of the ladder
to climb once more to afflGence and fame
And honoTl Well, that depends. The
memory Of man is long for the evil deeds OF
his fellows, as Ray Nelham already hal
found through sad and trying experiences
| But he has also learned that money act:
| like an anaesthetic on the mind, and that
! the genius TO make money draws to itself
with magic power poor fools VINO hutter
| like charmed mIllers around the flame OF
fortune, aud causes them to forget the
shame and crime If only they profit through
| the criminals.
Less than twenty years ago, in a little
town nesting among the mountains OF
Pennsylvania, lived the family of Nelhams.
| The father was one OF the most respected
citizens OF that portion OF the state. He
was the cashier Of the village bank, and by
years Of careful attention to business and
| high integrity had won the confidence of
| every citizen. The poor entrusted their all
| TO bis keeping, and the rich felt safe when
their thousands were in his hands. Ray was
| his fathers assistant, and his bright, hand
some face and frank ways made him the
| most popular young felow-populer alike
with Young and old-in the town. For
years life flowed ON like peaceful stream,
and no one dreamed Of trouble.
THE BANK LOOTED.
Like a thunderbolt from clear sky came
the announcement one morning that the
banks doors would not be opened to the
public. The doors were locked and barred,
and the curtains were closely drawn. The
and heavy depositors were making an ex-
animation aud soon all would know the re-
suit 1t might not be 30 bad as first APP
peared. But the time seemed long to the
waiting widow, with the orphaned babe in
her arms, whose dying husband had babe
her trust their little fortune to the safe
hands OF the Nelhams. The crowd became
impatient and demanded to know what hap
pened aud how badly the bank was affected.
The climax came when the sheriff was
called in, and by order OF the directors
Cashier Nelnam was ordered placed under
arrest. He was charged with looting the
bank.
The trial which followed was one Of the
notable events in the history of PEN
nsylvania's criminal courts, made more no5N
able when young Ray Nelham stepped for
ward and said he was the one, and should
bear all the blame and all the punishment.
Was this true, or did he volunteer to suffer
for his fathers crimel None but those two
knew. But refusing stolidly all explana-
ton further than this, Ray went to the
penitentiary, and with conduct most ex>
emplary served the weary years of the
courts sentence.
When he emerged from the state prison
Ray Nelham had no wish to see the familiar
village in the foothills. He did not wish to
look again upon his old friends, and In turn
be curiously, perhaps threateningly. stared
at. The press OF the country was filled
with glowing pictures of the golden oppor-
tunlties offered in the wheat fields of Dakota
Territory. Land was free, and needed but
to be touched with the pillow to produce
large, golden harvests.
SOUGHT FORTUNE IN THE NORTHWEST,
So to the northwe he went, and his old
father accompanied him. Out on the broad
prairie, on the Northern Pacific railroad
not many miles west Of Fargo, Ray started
life anew. There no one knew his past and
friendship of the little community, in which
he became almost at once the principal fig
ure Everything he touched turned to gold.
His farms yielded in abundance, and wheat
was high. His village store soon became an
emporium. and for miles around drew GUS
tom. He built one elevator. then another
and his operations extened to the larger
world OF commerce, and soon. Duluth,
then Minneapolis, then Chicago became in
n Hnan hos
great operations were conducted with so
much skill and proved SO completely suc~
cessful.
Ray Nelham amassed fortune, but his
ambition was not satisfied, and leaving his
father and brother to look after the Dakota
business, he went to one of the great grain
markets OF the north west, and fitting up
elegant offices, he became q veritable
"plnnger" on the market. His luck seemed
never TO desert him. and he was fast becom-
ingpne OF the wheat kings OF the country.
But 1885 was fatal year for many who
based their hopes on the tickle wheat pit.
Nelham bought everything in sight. The
price constantly went higher. He counted
his gains by hundreds OF thousands.
HE BECOMES A PAUPER.
One day he felt the time had come to SELL
He wrote dispatch to bis Chicago brokers
to.sell every bushel he held. Nelham had
d young heOteW, JULIUS DY name, IN MS
employ as office clerk. Julius had an alb
normal nose and was ruled by powerful SUI
perstitions. He watched the markets vary
ing moods with the eye of au expert, but
the position OF the moon or the signs Of the
zodiac governed his opinions concerning il.
Evidently the sign was right. for Just as
Nelham completed his dispatch he heard
Julius say to the bookkeeper: "If had any
wheat l wouldn't sell it noWn
IL seemed fate. Nelham allowed his
Judgment to be set aside by the remark of
the boy. The next morning when he came
to his office he was pauper. The bubble
had burst, the maaket had dropped, and all
the labor OF years had been lost. Nelham
became a wanderer. He mined in Montana
and went to the coast A few years Of tn s
aimless sort of life convinced him there was
nothing in it, and, scraping together the
few hundreds still remaining OF his once
splendid fortune. he came to Chicago.
Here am going to stay and recover the