Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-03-18
YARNS ABOUT GOULD.
INCIDENTS SHOWING CHARACTERS
TICS OF THE FlNANcieR.

He Avoided Newspaper Men, but . Denver
Reporter Trapped Him Once-sent One
Man to Jim Keene-How He Learned
That whisky Was BAD Surveyor.
There was nothing he detested more
than newspaper notoriety. He used to
dodge reporters, and only one of them,
as far as known, ever fairly outwitted
him. Fred Skiff. the city editor of the
Denver Tribune, detailed reporter after
reporter to interview Mr. Gould during
one Of his visits to Colorado, but each
brought back word that the little rail-
road king would not be seen and had
posted sentinels all along the hotel cor
ridors to drive intruders away. So Skiff
set out to do the job himself. He hunted
up o friendly Pullman car conductor
and borrowed his uniform. Then he
walked into the hotel and up the stairs
Look a-here," said he to the first
sentinel he met, ''what does Mr.. Gould
propose to do about that car? must
know right away, for if he isn't going
to use it tomorrow I've got to take it
back to Chicago"
The sentry knew nothing about the
car. of course, and advised Skiff to seq
Gould about il himself So Skiff success
fully ran the gauntlet of the half dozen
lackeys, growing all the time about the
bother of being compelled to attend to
other peoples business. Judge Usher,
one of Gould's attorneys, who was in
consultation with his client when the
bogus sleeping car conductor was shown
in, Immediately recognized Skiff, hay
ing known him back in Kansas.
when did you get out Of the news
paper business:" inquired the astonish-
ed lawyer. II amt out of it," replied
Skiff, but I had to put ON this disguise
in order to get in here to interview Mr..
Could
"Young man" said Mr.. Gould stern
ly, eff you're reporter, you can take
yourself right ont of the room, for am
not to be interviewed.
Slliff argued the point and not being
invited to be seated coolly sat down on
the floor.
UNLESS you put me out" said he,
Il shall stay here till you tell me what
your plans are''
This audacity pleased Gould. He
looked at Usher, and seeing the lawyer
chucllling heartily broke out into'a loud
laugh.
well, what do you want to know"
he said finally in tho tone of man,who
is wearied with objecting.
Skiff knew he had triumphed. He
produced his notebook, drew up to the
table at which Gould sat and set indus
triously to work putting out questions
and noting the replies. The result was
a reliable forecast Of the immense rail-
road enterprise in which Gould subse-
Quently embarked, and of which the
public would not otherwise have been
forewarned.
Less happy was the fate of the Chi
cago reporter who followed Gould by
rail down into Indiana and finally over
hauled his special car and knocked a;
the door. Mr.. Gould responded in per.
son, and the reporter held up his card
SO that his victim could reg d it through
the glass window.
"The Chicago Bugle wants your opin.
ion," he shouted, ION the. question q
refunding the 6 per cents. 20
Mr.. Gould regarded him through the
glass with such a frigid expression tina;
the interviewer has shivered at the mere
memory of it ever since, but finally
opened the door on a crack and asked:
young man, do you want me?"
Eyes, sir. want to interview you
on the subject Of
Mr.. Gould began to shut the door.
''On the subject of the DEVIL" yelled
the indignant reporter as he saw all his
hopes fading away.
Young man," said Mr. Gould, open.
ing the door once more an inch or two,
"On that subject you had better see jim
Keene. He's got all the points and i:
anxious to give them away to spite ole
Floodp'
Gould always believed that the secret
of his ability to overcome others in any
contest of wits was his temperate habit
of life. He never tasted whisky but once.
In the days when he was a surveyor in
a small way and was mapping a county
on the practical line of getting lodgings
and meals Of the farmers in exchange
for marking correct sundials ON thei,
doorsteps he became tired one hot,
dusty afternoon. He came to q country
tavern. In his pocket was as cent piece
1t suddenly struck him that as a medi
cine to relieve faintness he ought to buy Q
| glass of whisky with his nickel. ''Iwa:
ignorant Of bar usage" he said once il
describing the incident to afriend, "ant
SO when glass and q bottle were Sc,
before me I filled the tumbler chocl
| full. The bartender made no protest
and swallowed the big horn. Then
went my way, trundling my wheelbar
row like measure of distances and occa
sionally taking the bearings with sex
tant. Never in my life had my worl
gone off half SO blithesomely, and fol
awhile felt as though making map Of
the starry heavens instead of a very
dusty portion of this mundane sphere.
After an hour or more of exatation
grew sleepy and took long nap undel
tree in field. / awoke with an awful
headache and found that the figures en-
tered in my notebook during the time o.
l