The San Francisco call., 1896-10-11
an employe. Miller was treated fairly as
an equal, so valuable had he proved him

self.
| He now undertook in one stroke no
only to show his appreciation, but tc
| prove how well he deserved their consid.
Grafton he would give them an illustra-
| ton OF how Southern gentleman oi
1 means could play the host. His dinner
ecllpsed the best efforts of all the others
The president of the company, who had
come out here to rest from the labor OF
spending over 81, 500, 600 in single winter.
was dazzled by the spIendor OF the fur
| nishings of Mr.. Miller's home. While he
laughed at the table jests and responded
with evident qualification to the fattering
OF the toasts, all the while he was thinking
| nightly.
How much does the secretary of the
Construction Company receives" he asked
of Cotton next day.
Cotton named the neat sum of $4,000 a
year.
But with that money I cannot under
stand how man may buy such statuary,
style.''
Cotton suggested that there were ways
by which man with such salary might
supplement- 1t. An inquiry was set on
foot, but it could not be discovered that
Mr.. Miller had made any successful in
yestments.
On the contrary, it was found that he
owned number of very valuable pieces
OF land, among them few choice City
lots, tract of ten acres of beautiful land
near Linda Vista, besides ranch or two.
Then it was suggested that he be sent
away for while. The affairs of an agent
OF the company some distance away was
suggested as requiring attention, and
Miller was given the delicate task. No
sooner was he out OF town than ]. OBJ.
Gum, expert, was turned loose among
the books of the Construction Company.
Some friend advised Miller by wire and
he attempted to get out of reach. He was
captured, however, by the company's
detectives near Bakersfield, and secretly
brought back to this City, taken to Fourth
and Townsend streets, and through the
little secret stairway was led into the ex-
ira private rooms on the second floor that
had been reserved for the doing of things
about which the public must not know.
The key was turned and there they kept
Mr.. Miller for six weeks, the impression
being allowed to get abroad that he had
escaped to Hawaii. Mr.. Gum went
on with his work and when he had
finished they told Miller what they had
found-that he was an embezZler in the
sum of million or thereabout. They
We're very severe with him at first, decar-
ing fixed purpose to send him to San
Quentin fer life.
To this Miller very coolly replied: "If
you send me | will carry you along. Do
you suppose have been such fool as not
to have prepared myself for q possibility
of this kind? have simply appropriated
my share of some stealings. You have
been bigger thieves than l could ever hope
to be. You have plundered the Govern
ment, you have let contracts to yourselves
at outrageous figures, and you have de-
stroved the books and think there is no
evidence against you. But was not such
a fool. l have copies of those books"
Mr.. Cotton, who was the diplomatist of
the company and with whom the busi-
ne.s of gaining a confession and tran s.
fer of the property from Miller was left,
reported this to the quartet, and they
were, of course, surprised and alarmed.
But they sent him back to threaten again
and express unbelief. But Miller simply
said: II have copies of those books and
proofs of all your stealings. Send me to
San Quentin ii you want to"
But they didn't want to. They wanted
now, first of all, to learn if it was true that
he had the books; if so, TO gain possession
of them. When Cotton asked him where
the books were he answered that that was
his affair. He furnished them copies of
documents sufficient to prove to them that
he really did have them and from that
moment they dropped their threatening
attitude.
1t got abroad that Miller was being kent
q prisoner In the big brick building and
such howl was raised that he was re-
leased and allowed to 60 home, but under
the surveillance of the company's detect
ives. And so this matter of 81, 900, 600
defalcation blew over. Just what the
terms of settlement were has never been
made known.
Miller gave up large part OF his hold
ings, but was permitted to still retain
fortune. In exchange, it is understood
that he gave up the copies of the books
that he had. On the othor hand there
was to be no prosecution. Both sides
kept to their agreement and division
was made between the big four OF what
had been turned over by Miller. His resi-
dence went to Charles Crocker and the
ten acres at Linda Vista to Stanford.
Miller went down into the Sacramento
Valley. and, so far as San Francisco was
concerned, dropped out of sight. There,
however, he br came known as progress
siye rancher and pillar of the church. He
was elected superintendent of Sunday
school, and was highly esteemed by all
hands.
When the com nission oil inquiry as to
the affairs of the Central Pacific came out
here in 1886 none of the railroad mag
mates knew where Miller had gone to.
This was unsatisfactory, however, and he
was finally allowed to be brought to the
City to testify.
Notwithstanding his connection with
the Sunday school. he declared on the
stand that he knew nothing of all those
things, the knowing of which allowed him
subsequently to shoot himself to death
upon mis- own ranch, instead OF concluding
his lie in San Quentin.
Miller was married to wealthy widow
of Sacramento, but in the midst of his
financial troubles woman came here
from the East, claiming him as her hus-
band and declaring that his name was
Woodruff Miller. That scandal was also
lived through, though Miller has since
been known as Woodruff Miller. His
death no doubt removes thorn from the
pillow of the Southern Pacific.