The herald., 1894-07-08
YARNS ABOUT GOULD.
INCIDENTS SHOWING cHARACTERIS-
TICS OF THE FiNANCiER.


Reporter Trapped IEim Once-sent Ono
Man to Jim Keene-How He Learned
That Whisky Was a Bad Surveyor.
There was nothing he detested more
than newspaper notoriety. He used to
lodge reporters and only one Of them,
as far as known, ever fairly outwitted
him. Fred Skiff, the city editor Of the
Denver Tribune, detailed reporter after
reporter to interview Mr.. Gould during |
pne of his visits to Colorado but each |
brought back word that the little rail- !
road HgY would not be seen and had
posted ssentinels all along the hotel cor
ridors to drive intruders away. So Skiff |
set out to do the job himself. He hunted
up q friendly Pullman car conductor
and borrowed his uniform. Then he
walked into the hotea and up the stairs.
Look a-here, -, said he to the first
sentinel he met, "what does Mr. Gould
propose to do about that car? / must
know right away, for if he isn't going
to use it tomorrow I've got to take it
back to Chicago"
The sentry knew nothing about the
car, of course, and advised Skiff to see
Gould about 1t himself. So Skiff success.
fully ran the gantlet Of the half dozen
lackeys, growing all the time about the
bother of being compelled to attend to
other peoples business. Judge Usher,
one of Qould's attorneys, who was in
consultation with his chent when the
bogus sleeping car conductor was shown
in, Immediately recognized Skiff, hay
ing known him back in Kansas
"When did you get out Of the news
paper business?" inquired the astonish-
ed lawyer. "I amt out Of 1t, )" replied
Skiff, "but I had to put on this disguise
in order to get in here to interview Mr..
Could
"Young man," said Mr.. Gould stern
ly, eff you're reporter, you can take
yourself right out Of the room, for am
not to be interviewed.
Skiff argued the point and not being
invited to be seated coolly sat down ON
the floor.
"Unless you put me out" said he,
1T shall stay here till you tell me what
your plans are"
This audacity pleased Gould. He
looked at Usher, and seeing the lawyer
chuckling heartily broke out into loud
laugh.
"Well, what do you want to know?"
he said finally in the tone Of man who
is wearied with objecting.
Skiff knew he had triumphed. He
produced his notebook, drew up to the
table at which Gould sat and set indus
triously to work putting out questions
and noting the replies. The result was
reliable forecast Of the immense rail
road enterprise in which Gould subse-
ouently embarked, and of which the
public would not otherwise have been
forewarned.
Less happy was tho fate of the Chi.
cago reporter who followed Gould by
rail down inte Indiana and finaoatcke inrnaocked al
the door. Mr.. Gould responded in per
son, and tho reporter hold up his oard
so that his victim could read it through
the glass window.
'"The Chicago Bugle wants your opin.
ion, ;" he shouted, con tho question oI
refundipg the 6 per cents.
Mr.. Gould regarded him through thl
glass with such q rigid expression tha
the interviewer has shiyered at the Nero
memory Of it ever since, but finally
opened the door. on a crack and asked:
"Young man, do you want me?"
eyes, sir. l want to interview you
on the subject off,
Mr.. Gould began to shut the door.
"On the subject OF the devil!' yelled
the indignant reporter as he saw all his
hopes fading away.
"Young man." said Mr.. Gould, open.
ing the door once more an inch or two,
ION that subject you had better see jim
Keene He's got all the points and is
anxious to give them away to spite old
FloodP'
Gould always believed that the secret
of his ability to overcome others in any
contest Of wits was his temperate habit
of life. He never tasted whisky but once.
In the days when he was a surveyor in
small way and was mapping county
on the practical line Of getting lodgings
and meals of the farmers in exchange
for marking correct sundials on their
doorsteps he became tired one hot,
dusty afternoon. He came to country
tavern. In his pocket was cent piece.
It suddenly struck him that as medi-
cine to relieve faintness he ought to buy a
glass Of whisky with his nickel. II was
ignorant of bar usage, he said once in
describing the incident to friend, "and
so when a glass and q bottle were set
before me + filled the tumbler choclz
full. The bartender made no protest,
and swallowed the big horn. Then
went my way, trundling my wheelbar-
row like measure of distances and Qeca-
sionally taking tho bearings with sex
tant. Never in my life had my work
gone off half 90 blithesomely, and for
awhile I felt as though making map Of
the starry heavens instead of very
dusty portion Of this mundane sphere
After an hour or more OF exaltation l
grew sleepy and took o long nap under
a tree in field. awollo with an awful
headache and found that the figures en-
tered in my notebook during the time Of
extra steam were quito incohorcnt. |
was fully convinced that whisky was a
bad surveyor and I have never tried it
for any other purpose. Cor. Kate
Fields WASHINGTON.