The herald., 1895-06-13
E. j. BALDWIN'S SOUBRIQUET
How the Millionaire Came to Be Called
"Lucky"
The Story Told by the Californian in Cin-
cinnati-He Broke Gigantic Mining
Deal in the Seventies

CINCINNATI. June L. Lucky Bald
win. the great California horseman, has
been at the Grand hotel for few days
past and talks horse. Incidentally, in
the course of conversation, he was asked
how and where the appellation OF
Lucky" - by which he is universally
known, was given him.
1T arose." be said, "out of the big
Ophir deal, where 1 fought againt the
combined capital of $3.50. 900, 900 and won,
breaking the Bank of California, causing
Ralston's S suicide, and breaking such men
as Senator Sharon and Senator Jones. |
cleared IS, 900, 900 out of it, and had
So, 100000 in the Bank OF California
when it failed. At the time the deal was
made l was given the name OF Lucky
Baldwin, and it has stuck to me.
THAT Ophir deal would make a rich
novel: it would be stranger than ficrtion,
and read like tale from the Arabian
Nights, there are so many incidents lead
ing up to it,
"For example, the president and trus-
tees fixed up job by which an addi-
tional trustee was to be elected. by which
they would obtain control of the proper
ty. / was notified one night that the
meeting would be held next morning at
IL o CLOCK. went 10 my attorney anu
told him to en- DIN them from holding the
meeting. He went to court and returning
said: Baldwin, cit is impossible to get
the writ before II 20, which Will be too
late Hurry up the papers, l said; 4
will fight until they come.
Meeting William Grayson, now a
prominent miner in California, | told
him to bring revolver and come with
me. | did not want him to kill anyone
but wanted him to stand back of me.
entered the office OF the Ophir company
and President Stack was alone, the
other trustees not having arrived. There
were two doors, and l started to lock
them.
81 locked one before he knew what l
was doing and was locking the other
when Stack seIzed me. struck him under
the ear ana he started after me. | hit
him again and knocked him under the
table, When the others came up they
could not get in, kept up the fight un-
til the sheriff came with 1.-THE injunction.
Ii that had not been served before the
meeting was held, [ could never have
made the deal.
"Those twenty minutes were worth
over SO, 600. 600 to me. there was series
Of such calls and quick turns, and in
looking over tho past | can see no place
where 1 would have acted differently had
] been able to know the future
"Were you a forty -niner?''
NO. | was raised at Mllville, near
Hamilton, Ohio. My grandfather Bald
win came to Cincinnati when there were
but three or four log cabins. He helped
build and defend the first block house
at Hamilton.
Racing is in a bad way in the west
worse than it is in the east, said Mr..
Baldwin, dropping back upon the subject
OF horses. Racing lie continued. "is
being ruined by too much gamb bling. it
has produced the stule of affairs that
closed the Chicago tracks. and there will
be legislation against them next year.
Then, too, there are too many short races
"A balf-mile race is distinctly gamb S
race. | have twenty-eight horses at La
tonia and Oakley, and some of these I
have sent to New York. They are going
to try to run in New York without the
bookmakels. Ii there is not something