Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1894-05-13
JIM.

| IL was out at Albuquerque, on the
RIO Grande, in New Mexico, a few
years ago. l had Just reached the city
and was sitting after dinner in front
| OF the hotel with friend who was
| interesting me in the local celebrities
| VINO passed when n fine team, driven
py handsome, brown bearded man,
OF about five and thirty. went whirling
past.
There goes one of the richest men
IN the territory" said my friend. point
| ing after the driver. "Whatever he
touches seems to turn into gold"
lie must have ability and no doubt
had good start" said.
well as to that. You will find col
| lege graduates driving teams out here
and men that can hardly sign their
names employing them This fact has
| somewhat shaken my belief in educa-
ton and ability, but let me tell you
| story"
MY friend. himself prosperous
miner and cattle raiser, lit u fresh
cigar. balanced his chair back against
the wall and then spoke as follows:
Just twenty years ago this sum
mer there was a boy living IN Chicago
named James Cotton. As nobody ever
used his Inst name or ever called him
James, he had come to believe that
ms lhAl lhlllt WIS JIM MS might
have forgotten all about his Christian
name and surname had not his father,
who was sailor on the great lakes,
where he was subsequently drowned,
picked It into his arm In India ink
while he was yet very little boy.
After Jim's father was drowned
his mother, frail, gentle woman, died
in the poor house. and so at the age
of 10 and with barely enough education
to read the papers he was forced to sell
the boy was thrown on the world.
"He had an uncle, his fathers brother
and an engineer on a locomotive on
the Chicago and Alton road, who made
a prctense OF looking after him, but
as he often did not see the nephew for
three months at time you may be sure
the boy derived but little benefit from
the relationship.
IF l were writing a Sunday school
story instead Of telling you the un-
vanished truth, / might say that Jim
Cotton, although sleeping In cellars
with vicious associates and eating at
street stands whenever he had the
money, grew up model of all the
proprieties, but we are made by our
associations.
Jim smoked when he was 10, and
had acquired the habit of chewing
when he was Il. and by the time he
was Is he could thrash anybody his
age In Chicago, and for the vigor and
originality of his profanity he was
unequalled by any man or boy in the
city.
whenever he could afford the money
he went to the gallery of some cheap
theater and ate peanuts and pelted
the shells at the baldheaded men below
during the performance.
He was always clean In the sum-
mer time, for he delighted to put In
his spare time swimming I'm the lake,
but In the winter when the water
was cold or frozen, 1t must be con-
fessed he allowed himself to get fright
fully dirty.
Good people often gave him old
clothes. usually six sizes too large. so
that his coat sleeves and trousers legs
We're always rolled up. Missionaries
took him to meetings and tried to
inspire him with the badness OF his life
but as he knew nothing better and
meant all right, he didn't believe them,
and rather scorned their condescend-
ing aolicitude
"If Jim Cotton had stayed in Chit
cago until he was 81 all the chances
are that he would have been a drunk
ard and very skllful thief. for he
had the requisite audacity and cum
ming. but chance changed the current
OF his life.
"a drunken engineer whom he met
one day on Clark street told the boy
that his uncle had been killed In New
Mexico and left n lot OF money. New
Mexico is, as you know. very large
territory but to the boy Chicago was
larger than all the rest OF the world
put together.
at was not love for his uncle. no
one had won the boys love, but the
hope of getting the money, that de-
cided the boy to make his way to
New Mexico.
for some days, till he saw car being
loaded, on the door OF which there was
a sign printed. For Las Vegas In
this lin determined to conceal himself
''Iis stock of trade consisted OF a
ragged suit OF clothes. pocket comb.
n big tackltnife with one blade, and
sixtv cents in cash. With the money
he bought some tobacco, lot OF sand
ylches and three bottles OF beer. one
FOR each day. for he learned from n
man at the depot that IL took three
| days 10 70 to Los Vegas. but the man
aid not saw that this was on n passen-
| ser car and that freight cars often
| took three times MS long.
"JIn Colton's provisions and beer
| ,o,. he was hid among the freight-last-
| ed for lust three days. ana the next
three he suffered for food and drink.
| The time was painfully lonely hnd
| hevan to shout one night, when the
train wns stopped. and he was let out
"IIe was sworn at. and n he had not
been SO thin and weak he might have
been thrashed. but the engineer or the
train heard his story and ohered 10
care for him. -. 500
not dead. nor was he In that part OF
| the country. e,.4o re-
"The boy made his way TO santa re
! and got employment with Gen. Palmer
| ~ the Denver and Rio Grande ROAD;
| TJe showed energy and industry ana
rose up step by step. studying IN ms
| spare hours. 1,.,.o,,
| In time he struck out Ior I,iinss,. , =
Married the daughter OF rioh man;
| and today he Is one OF our pest anu
rnost honared citizens. -.
"The handsome man Who lust utpt
by Is Coz. James Cotton. NOW, was y
mol, or ability, or both, thar maue
HIM And what II he had stayed IN
| c,hica 90 ?r---New Yord Advertiser
cheap Rates 10 Nashville, Tenn.
The Cotton Belt route will sell tick-
ats 10 Nashville on May -, u ana 10
/ account Of the general assembly OF the
| prasbvterlan church. at one fare for
me round trip Tickets good for re-
turn until June 4. O. A. CARNlNE'
c. p. g. t. A.. 40i Main street
A coiored man shocked Bar Haroor,