Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1894-04-15
IJm coLroN Ann MS LUCK.
strange career OF the Richest Man in
New Mexico.

dlnncr In front Of tho hotel With a lricnd WHO
was interesting mo In tho local celebrities
who passed. when hne team driven by a
handsome. brown-bcarici man, OF about Ave
and thirty, went whlrlng past
"Thore goes ono Of the richca, mon In the
territory" said my friend, pointing after the
driver, Whatever he touches seems to turn
into gold"
"llo must have ability, and no doubt had
q good start I and.
We'll as 70 that, YOU will find COLLEGE |
graduates driving teams out hero, and men
that can hardly sign their names employing |
them. THIS mot has somewhat shaken my |
belief In education and ability, but lot mo tell |
you story
My friend, himself prosperous minor and !
cattle alscr III n fresh cigar, balanced his
CHAIR hack against tho wall, aud then spoke
about ~ follows;
"Jusl twenty years ago this summer there
was a boy living In Chicago, named James
Cotton a. nobody ever used his last name
nor ever called him James, he had come to
believe that hin full name was Jim He
might have forgotten all about his christian
and surname. had not his father, who was a
sailor on the great lakes, wheru he was SUB
seduently drowned. picked It Into hs arm in
India Ink, while he was got avery little boy
"Aner IimH hthor WIS drowned, his
mothei fratl, gonle woman, died IN tho
poor house and so NJ tho ago OF tou, and
with barely enough education 20 read the
Iapors he WIS forced to sell, tho boy was
| thrown ON the world.
"Ho had au uncle. his fathers brother and
an engineer on locomotive On tho Chicago
and Alton road. who made protonsc Of look
Ing after him, but as ho often did not soc tho
nephew for three months at u timo you may
| ba sure the boy derived but little benefit from
the relationship,
III were writing sunday school story
lnbtead u telling you The unyarniahcd truth,
might nay that Jim Cotton, although sleep
ing in cellars with vicious aasoola'en, and
eating az slrcot stands whonoycr he had tho
money grew upa model OF all tho proprio-
ties hut wo are made by our associations,
jim smoked when he was thirteen, had
acquired tho habit Of chewing whom hc was
iourteon. aud by tie limo hc was httecn he
could thrush anybody Of his age In Chicago,
aud Tor the vgor and originality OF his pro-
family lac was unoqualod by any man or boy
In tho city.
"whcneyor he could afford the money, he
went TO the gallery OF some cheap theatre and
ate peanuts and polted tho shells at the bald
headed mon below during tho performance.
no Was always olcan In tho summon time,
for no delighted to put in hia spare time
swimming In the lake tin the winter, when
tho water was cold or trozon, II must be con
Tossed. no allowed himself to get irightullN
dirty.
"Good people oiton gave him old clothes
usually ak Sizes too large 10 That ms ooA
sleeyea and trousers legs were always ROLES
up. Missionaries took him to meetings au'
trlol 10 impress him with tho wickodneea o
his iifo but ~ he knew nothing better, ant
, meant all right, he didn't believe them, an'
rather scorhod thoir condoscendlng aolicl
tudo.
III jim Cotton had stayed In Chicago III
he was twonty-ono, all the chances are b
would have been a drunkard. and u very ski
= ul thief. Tor ho had tho requisite audaclt
and cunning. but chance changed the cuI
= rent of his No.
r "A drunken engineer whom ho met one da
y ON Clarke street. told the boy that his unc
Ind been Killed In New Mexico, aud loft
2 l6t OF money. New Mexico IL, ~ you know
= yory large territory, but 10 tho boy chicas
a Ma larrer than all the rest OF the world p,
p together.
% aIt wac not love for tho uncle, no ono ha
~ won the boys love but tho hope Of gettir
'e tho money. tlat decided the boy 10 make b
y way 10 New Mexico.
,'Ho hung aronng the freight depot I,
"a some days IN no ag.w a oar boing loaded, {
fbo Aoor Of whleh uoro was d align print,
ID FOR Ias yeaas In this jim determined
conceal himself.
m a4ls stook h. irnde conalatod Of a raggi
80 .u,t 81 clothes poosot eomb. a big jac
r. tnife win oro bInde and sixty cents In cas-
VIII t,o mL uov he bourht some tobacco,
r ia N sonal,lcbos and thee bottles Of DO,
~ ono Tor egch dny. ior no learned from nj
Ct a y, ~ ~ ,ot W., Il ,ook thra days 70 10
no lAp Vegas 1u' VIZ 'i'l' W nvs .i',ht -
WAS oY u iiAnenfe' o'' "'i' N''''' "''"''
~ Jam colton's provisions ana pYer, ioi
\. Was hid among the freight lasted ioI "
H three days, and tho next three no hunar
"a igr food and drink. The TINE was palnia
Az yoneiy aud long, and, fearing ne wol'd q
a, Etho bow began " shout one hlkhii Nh'h