Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-08-15

who, with her sleeves rolled up. came to
the door when l called, looked as though
she might lind it hard anywhere to get
more than $40 month. Just below his
mine Stratton has another house 1t has
only five rooms. and 1t cost in the neigh
borhood of a thousand dollars. I am told
that he is building house al Colorado
Springs which will cost him something
like $4,000 His offices of the most IN
pretentious nature. and he secludes himself
in order to keep off the beggars For
man about his home at Cripple Creek
to keep the crowd away from him
end his private secretary tells me that he
receives about two hundred begging let
tiers day He is not mean man. but he
has no idea of the possibilities nor the
pleast re of giving. His charities so far
have been purely individual, and in most
cases to his friends. Not long ago his
driver saved his life and that of his sis
ter by keeping The horses IN the road dur
ing an attempted runaway. At the end
Of the drive Stratton gave the man
check for 81 ,Otn He has given his wife
who Is separated from him. $4,000, and
am told that he frequently hands checks
or bills to his sister. who lives with him
He IS said to be very sensitive to being
asked for money, and a friend of his tells
me that his sister never says a word about
wanting a dollar. 1 have heard it sug-
gested that if she did so 1t would not be
forthcoming. She just waits and he gives
her check for one. two or five hundred
dollars as the spirit moves him
How Three Poor Men Made Millions.
stratton received more than $4,000 last
year in dividends from his stock in the
Portland gold mine. This mine lies lust
back of the Independence, and its enormous
frame buildings can be seen for miles about
Cripple Creek. Its chief owners are three
men, who were almost down on their up-
pers five years ago. but who, through it,
are now enormously wealthy. Their mine
produced last year more than s2.OOO. 600
worth of gold, and its president, James F.
Burns, says that If it were worked to its
fuH capacity 1t could turn out more than
slONO,10 this year. At the time Stratton
discovered the Independence mine Burns
was working at his trade as q plumber.
one Of his partners. James Doyle, was then
saving and planning as carpenter, and the
third partner, John Harnan was working
on the road il Colorado Springs, holding a
scrdper for 10 cents an hour. 1t was Har-
nan who discovered the mine. His claim at
Inc start was not bigger than the average
city lot, but the property surrounding it,
Which has since been purchased by these
three men, now embraces about $50 acres
Harnan had been working for some time ON
lis little city lot claim. while Burns and
Doyle had staked out a claim a little fur
ther up the mountain. Their claim was
rather close to the Independence. They had
worked at it for some time and yet dis
covered nothing. Harnan had been doing
some prospecting for Stratton. He had
heen down in the Independence mine, and
he knew its wonderful riches. He thought
that Burns and Doyle had a good thing
and he asked them how much they would
give him If he would take the claim and
show that it was worth something They
replied they would give him a third interest.
He at once went to work and soon struck
pay rock, which was wonderfully talua-
bic. For some time they tried to keen the
fact secret for they knew that if Dave
Moffat and the other capitalists who were
working about them should learn of the