The morning call., 1894-10-30
A. j. Holmes, Millionaire
Mine Operator.
lis STRANGE LIFE STORY.
Dismissed His Wife When Rich
to Take Another.
AND THE OTHER DISMISSED HIM.
Hopeful to the Last to Find Another
Mine and Recover His Beautiful
Second Wife.

A. j. Holmes, twenty years ago one OF
San Francisco's millionaires, died recently
in the County Almshouse. relative
was notified and the body. by his charity.
escaped the potter's field.
Superintendent Weaver was sitting in
his Office when the name of man who had
died in the Last Chance was brought TO
him. "a. j. Holiness" repeated the super
intendent. 'can it be possible that this IS
A. j. Holmes of the Northern Belle? ?"
He walked over to the Last Chance. 1t
was not easy for one who had intimately
known the wealthy miner Of 1S79-S5 to
recognize him in the shrunken and withereG
old body that lay in the pauper's coffin in
the most wretched department of the
Almshouse.
''Surely this is the limit of retribution,"
said tie superintendent, "for il ever there
was man who earned, with gold eagles,
the right to die in the poorhouse this is
the man,"
He had been in the place but a few
months. The superintendent had not seen
him on his arrival or noticed particularly
the name upon the books. He had come
like the others-simply drifted into the
City Hall off the streets, had taken his
slow place in the van with the usual
wretched crowd, and in the extremity of
age. helpless and hopeless, ''sans every
thing" was set down at the rear entrance
10 the Almshouse. An attendant washed
him, dressed a sore upon his face, his
clothes were fumigated and be was sent
over to the Last Chance to sit and wait for
death.
Meanwhile the Office of the Holmes
Mining Company, which has paid over
S4,000,0O0 in dividends, and is still paying
them-chiefiy to the Hobart estates
still doing business at the old Offices,
which once were his, at 31S Pine street.
Why was it retribution?
They know who are familiar with his
lie story.
There is a Mrs. A. j. Holmes, a plain
and kindly old lady, In the enjoyment of
plenty, now living in the town of East
port. Maine, who after the fashion of
women. will weep when she hears this bit
of news, although the dead man had small
claim upon her sympathy.
There is another woman, who was Mrs.
a. j. Holmes, and very famous as such
ia San Francisco for her beauty and
hospitality, now living in Seattle, Wash
potent in heaven-that is pauper aud
starved and shrunken dead men, with
dirty clothes and tangled whiskars. but
who may have lived for time as million
aires, and when at their best were them
selves faithless-if the prayers Of these
are potent in heaven. she. too, may weep.
But that is not SO likely.
For, while plain and kindly old lady
r.
overtaken the hand that has smit,en her.
beautiful young woman will think twice
about marring her cheek just because an
old man who loved her has come to grief
for so doing.
A. j. Holmes was the original locator
and owner of the Northern Belle and
Holmes mines in Esmeralda County,
Nevada. He came to California from
his home in Maine as a young man,
forty-fve years ago. He brought with
him young wife, and the two expert
enced all the hardships that made up so
great a part of the =. life of the early
pioneers.
Holmes had no money but what he
earned and he earned it like most other
young men OF that time, at anything that
presented itself. BE had come west to 90
TO the gold fields and he made frequent
excursions into the hills, always at such
times, leaving his wife to look out for
herself in San Francisco. He became a
confirmed prospector, never contented un-
less following the elusive lead"
1t was about 1867 that he "struck it,"
He found near the town of Columbus.
Nevada, what he had been looking for.
But ii was away from everywhere and no
one who had money would look or listen.
He had taken ranch in the alkali marshes
and there he stayed and dug.
Il went over that way on horseback in
1865" said an old miner yesterday, land
found Holmes holding up the whole coun-
Try alone. He was the only man / met in
a journey Of seventy-fve miles. He was
quite as pleased to see me. l guess, as
was to see him. He had a little hut and
some hay which l remember he charged
me for at the rate of twenty-eight cents a
pound. / think it was worth it. He told
me he had good mine and meant to keep
1t. lie told me also, L remember, that his
wife was in San Francisc0-the country
being too rough to take her over there, and,
besides, he did not have the means 10 sup.
por: her. He was in very strateneu
circumstances. Sweet, Appleton g. Hazel
ting were running the store at Columbus
and they refused him credit He was liv.
Ing as best he could, which was not vel" :"
Holmes did as be said he would. how.
ever. BY hook or crook he managed in
time to get small stampmill on the
ground and after while shipped some
ore into town. People who had money to
invest in such things saw samples of it. and
Holmes troubles for the time were over.
Henry Allen, Isaac Bateman, DIR. Holland
and jeremiah Miller were among the frs;
to go into it.
The Northern Belle came to be the talk
Of Pine street A company was formed.
the stock of which was eagerly sought for.
Its value ran way up. for it paid dividends
of 81 month.
Then the discoverer of the mine came to
town. He had suddenly become wealthy
man. He had been hermit for years,
dreaming of just this consummation-as
all miners do He had another location in
the same neighborhood, which also proved
valuable property and which he called the
Eolmes mine. He sold this outright for q
large sum. but for some time afterward
held the stock of the Northern Belle.
All of the older miners and brokers
know OF the great lawsuit that grew on
OF a conflict between the Holmes and the
Northern Belle people, with Judge Boall
on the one side and Harry l. Thornton on
the other, In which il was shown that the