The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1893-09-28
LUCKY BALDWIN'S LUCK.

!
share, he was mighty anxious to real
ize on them. The price being of
several points he raised the wind som
other way, and, feeling that the tim
would come when he could get ever
on his stock, he left it with a friend O
his to sell when the price rose to So
share. and off he went to China. Sool
after his departure the Comstock 90
into bonanza and prices began to fl,
up. Baldwin's friend-who, by tn,
way, was a carpenter-also watched
the market closely, and when his s:
limit was reached herushed down t.
a broker and told him to sell LOO
shares of Crown Point at So. Where
your stock asked the broker. Her,
it is said the carpenter The broke.
examined it and then said: Have yol
power of attorney to sign Baldwin,
name?' Not a power replied tht
carpenter. We'll, them said ths
broker. L can't sell this stock, nol
will any one else You see, Baldwin
in accordance with his customary
carelessness, or rather ignorance Of
business methods, had gone off with
out transferring or endorsing the
stock made out in his name. Ol
course, his business trip to China was
a failure. as were all his otherd eliber-
ately planned enterprises, and he ar
rived at San Francisco strapped, but
soon found that instead of having
$1,000 waiting for him, it had swelIed
to an even million Of dollars"
No wonder they called him Lucky
Baldwin," said d Chicago tenderfoot.
Hold moment, pardner." remark
ed the old Californian, nobody
thought Of giving him that name then
for little lucky turn like that. Wait
TILL | get a little further along with
my story and you'll see better rea-
son for the name
rs there more coming? Great
Scottl Wasn't one million enough
on such scratch?"
We didn't give names those days
IN California unless men earned them
you can bet your bottom dollar on
that. Baldwin cashed in his stock,
and as he was considered rather fresh
the boys put up job to divide the
million among the gang. jim keene
was Baldwin's broker, and he and the
rest concluded that they would saddle
a big stock Of Ophir on Baldwin at
from $40 to SIS per share, which they
proceeded to do, thus tapping him for
more than half his pile. No sooner
had Baldwin got his bundle of Ophir
into his possession than the big bonan-
"a was struck in Consolidated Nir
ginia and California, adjoining the
Ophir, and that stock doubled up in
sympathy"
"'Rah for Baldwin," cried the Chi
cago tenderfoot.
Keep cool, pard; that was only OF
dinary luck" growled the old Cali
fOrnian
Thunder and Mars, another mil
lion and you say only ordinary luck.
That's what I said. Ophir kept
right on doubling up 50 fast that the
gang wanted to get Baldwin's stock,
and so they put up another job on him.
You see. the bank of California held
most Of the balauce of Ophir stock
and SO Ralston sent for keene and
sized him up to vote Baldwin's stock
at the annual election SO that the bank
would have control of the mine
Keene, still being agent for Baldwin,
pocketed his plum and stood in with
the bank outfit and went square back
on Baldwin. Lord, but wasn't Bald
win mad. The stock kept going up
and Baldwin. knowing that the old as
sessment dodge would be played on
him, showed his stock on the market,
just exactly as the conspirators expect
ed and wished he would, until he
hadn't a share left, obtaining the high
est prices, which were from $3.50 to
$500 per share. No sooner had he un-
loaded on the gang than the stock
began to tumble as rapidly as it had
risen, and it busted the Bank of Cali
fornia; but Baldwin had over
to his credit and the name
Lucky Baldwin was duly earned and
accredited to him"
Holy smoke, Sl0,000,C00 did you
say?' broke in the Chicago tenderfoot.
That's about the size Of it, and you
see there was not a bit Of sense or
smartness from beginning to end SO
far as Luck was concerned. He
blundered into the first million, was
trapped into a bad investment. and
was angered into selling out in the
nick of time, and soIuck, stupid mig
ger luck. made him the straw which
broke the back OF the great institution
known as the Bank of California. and
transferred its gold into his own pri
vate pocket
'Nhat became of Lucky Baldwin ?''
''Oh, he built big hotel, got a big
farm, and plastered his money around
without any business judgement, but
he had such stack of gold that be
couldn't fool it all away, and probably
he has an odd million or two left yet
No, boys, / don't pretend TO say that
luck is a chief factor in mining. but
I'd rather have heap Of luck than q
heap of sense without luck"