The Bryan daily eagle. (Bryan, Tex.) 1895-1898, 1896-09-30

owns Il was working Eve years ago nj
. carpenters bench. Up 10 that time
he would have been glad TO have Melted
from the work OF his hands $50 a
month. Ills mine last year. u Is said,
produced 100000 at n coat OF about
10 cents on the dollar. and the ore Is
20 rich that he haf TO keep back his
wOrkmen for fear that he viii not be
able TO invest the money which he re-
coiyes from the gold which they gel
out So far he has spent his surplus
IN buying other mines. and he has to-
day properties which make him the
largest individual owner OF gold mines
In the world. Mr.. Marshall Field and
bther Chicago capitalists offered him
100000 for his Independence mine
alone. and long ago he refused an offer
Of sS0OO.OO0 for H. lie does not like 70
talk about Il. and an offer Of $1,000
900 wouldn't tempt hlm. He says that
the gold Is In the mine and cant run
away Il Is safer there than in the safe
deposit. and the best bank for him 10
Old Mother Earth.
Millionaire slratton is only IS years
Of age. but he looks 20 be more than 50.
His hair "a as white as the driven
fnow. and bis naturally dark complex
ion ha5 been changed TO a mahogany
brown by the hardships OF his labo-
rious career and the anxiety Tor his
hunt for gold. lie Ia nervous In the
extrcme. and be has little capacity for
happiness The story OF his life Is that
OF a man who has devoted himself 20
anding a mine. and who. after twenty
years Of failure. has at last succeeded.
He has succeeded by luck and work
more than by any special ability. and
though he Is a man OF good common
sense, you might find 80 men quite as
good out Of any 100 carpenters that
you could select.
Born In Indiana. having learned the
carpenters trade. he drlfted out TO Col
orado Springs when he was along about
20 years Of age. lie began at once 20
prospect for gold He worked at his
trade In the winter TO get the money
necessary to keep him alive IN the
mountains In the summer. and day aft
er day and year after year he climbed
the rocks and wandered over the hill,
looking for tho mines. At one time he
had saved 5000. lie invested this In q
mlne and lost H. lie Is n man CT few
amusemonts and OF little intellectual
resource. lie failed again and again,
aud up 10 1891 he was worth praciic-
ally nothing lie had at this time a
house In Colorado Springs. which was
mortgagod, and Il was In May OF that
year that he. rendered almost dCspcr.
ate by his repeated failures. went "a
prospect about Cripple Creek lie real.
lied that there was some gold In the
powders or foa, which lay on the
rrazing lands OF this region. bat up "a
this time no one had considered IN,
rock 10 To worth much As Mr. S.r-t.
ton walked over the fields he no iced
one stone, the corner OF which som,
former prosrectnr had Clipped OF. n,
picked up the broken piece and sent Il
10 Denver to be asslycd. Il yielde,
over $500 to the ton, This furprso,
hr StratlOn. lie az once gathered Z
wagon load OF Other stones lying abou
the place aud sent these 10 the assay
er's They told him that the last wa.
worth only $40 a ton. This. however
showed Mr. Stration there was golt
there. and he talked out claim abou
the big bowl1tr and went 10 work. 1
was the Fourth OF July when he be
gan to mine. and he named his prop
crty The Independence" In honor o
the day.
He found geld almost from the gras
roots. The ore grew richer as he dul
down. and after a short time he foun,
pockets and assures nilod with gold
The gold did no, run regularly Some
times there would be a pocket as bil
"a the average parlor. and sometime
the rock containing the rich ore woulu
extend only TO the size OF a lumber
lie sunk his shaft. however. and "a,
out latcrals from 200 to 800 fec, Of
either side he soon began to iind COL
everywhere. Even the rocks lying oI
the surface OF the ground melted hin
a fortune. There we're some grea
bowldcrs near his shaft he had thei
broken up with dynamite. and fror
them alone he got $4,000. Il was no
however. an clear shilling. A. ore lin
the gold seemed TO have played on
and be offered to SOIL the mino %
$4,000. Ills oner was refused, an
Within a few Layo after this he mad
another rich strike. and for % day
he togk out about one thousand dollar
q day. AZ pre- ent he has gone betwee
60 and 100 feet down into The cart
and there is no doubt whatever hi
that there are millions OF dollars wort
Of gold between the levels which has
been already mined The mine seen
to be growing richer as It goes dow
ward. and his refusal TO sell Il q
s7.000.OO0 was. IN the minds OF man
I"lNs n NNNN NNeANNtA N'Nt"t"hf = -"
whose Income has been about 81 da
finds u hard TO jump az once 10 ih
spending OF $4,000 TO $1,000 day. MI
Stratton a. present is not atiemptin
20 live up 10 his income. ITS office
are OF the most unprctcntious nature
and ne secludes himself In order I
leep of the begrars. For aOrie week
he had to have a policeman about HI
homo AZ Cripple Creek 10 keep ,h
crowd away from him. and his privat
secretary says that he receives ahou
200 begging leiien a day. lie Is no
mean man. but ne has no idea Of n
possibilities nor the plcarure Of gisinl
HI charities 50 far have been purel
iadifldgtl. ard % nost faef' 70 ~
irlencs. mol is.s asa ~, dfiF-E ave
hIa lilf and thai " Lis a.slaf b keep