The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-12-16
there won't be enough left Of her to make
II

there won't be enough left Of her to make
shadow"
The prophecy has literally come true,
but the SHADOW OF utter financial ruin
hangs over the once bustling city of Ia.
coma.
Wheeler was genius in his way, and it
was his guiding hand that engineered the
schemes that made and lost fortunes for
Tacoma's bankers, gamblers and aldermen
and landed Boggs in the County Jail. 1t
was Wheeler who knew when the Jig was
up and took his departure from the city of
which he had so lately been Treasurer,
bank president and vestryman of one of
the prominent churches, with half mil
lion dollars of city warrants in his grip;
who after he had done" Tacoma pro-
ceeded to "do" his late partners in the
deal, and they are yet waiting for their
share of the proceeds of the half million
of warrants that went out of sight in
grip-with Wheeler, Wheeler used to lec-
laborers on their lack of appreciation of
the fine touch that made politics easy.
You are too coarse in your work." he
said. "You ought to look at me. You
ought to go and join the church and be-
COuuc LIcdSuIcI VI QSdCOu VI fcStTy ludu, So
people would have confidence in you.
You ought to join all these societies, and
once in while make little speech when
it will do you tue most good. There is
nothing like having the confidence of the
people"
Wheeler knew how. He began his
career in Tacoma by gaining the confidence
of Oscar Nuhn, who had money, and to-
gether they went into the book and sta
tionery business, until Nuhn had the con-
fdence and the experience, and Wheeler
had the money. Then he became one of
the prominent organizers and pillars of the
new Church of the Holy Communion, OF
which the late regretted and now gone
East Rev. Doctor Jeffries was sent out as q
"profit." He was a vestryman, and then
the treasurer of the church, and when he
passed up and down the aisles on Sunday,
in his long Prince Albert coat, his white
tie and immaculate shirtfront, with stately
and dignified tread, all the people said to
themselves, "Mr. Wheeler is certainly
great and good man, and whatever he says
in matters of finance must be worth listen
ing to"
But Wheeler - ex-treasurer, ex-bank
president, ex-great inancier-has dropped
out of the range of vision of the people of
Tacoma, and out OF the jurisdiction of her
courts. He now occupies luxurious apart
ments at the Windsor Hotel in New York,
where he is daily informed of the status of
affairs in the forsaken little metropolis on
the far-away shores of Puget Sound.
But where is Boggs, the successor of the
great fnancier? Like a pack of wolves
who tear to pieces and devour their leader
wher he is hit by the hunters bullet,
those who were engaged with ex-City
Treasurer George w. Boggs in looting the
city treasury on the lines laid out for them
by Wheeler, now that Boggs is behind the
bars charged with robbing the city of
half million, are clamoring the loudest for
his conviction, hoping thereby to divert
attention from themselves. Not one of
them came forward to furnish him bail,
nor even air or comfort, and blue-eyed
George waits day after day in the half
mllion-dollar Jail, as innocent and unruf-
fed, so far as appearances go, as any theo-
logical student or unjustly accused school
boy. George knows that he holds club
over the city: that he alone knows the
numbers and description of the warrants
which the Supreme Court of the State of
Washington has decided the city is not