The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-02-02
STATIONS ONE SORROW.
His Cripple Creek Mines Cos Him His
Wife.

From the New York Press.
In all that has been written of Stratton,
the man that discovered Cripple Creek,
and is now owner of its richest mines of
gold, it has not been told that his find
which made his many times a millionaire,
lost him his wife, and his comfortable
home besides Though he is rich enough
now TO maintain homes by the hundred,
the old one, and the good and patient
wife, are gone forever. 1t happened in
this wise, as told to the writer by a man
who knows Stratton well:
Stratton, as every one knows, was
carpenter, and so excellent a workman
that he had little difficulty in getting all
the jobs he could attend to. He earned
good wages, had a pleasant home and
wife who was fond of him The average
carpenter would be content with this.
Stratton was, for time, until he got
to thinking of the silver and the GOLD
that he was sure was hidden away among
the hills round about him.
He broOded over the rumors that came
to him and talked with his wife of the
fine things they would own and the grand
things they would do if he could only
find the precious metal She listened com
placently and told her husband that IL
would be no harm for him to do a little
prospecting If he so wished. The change
would do him good. He would have a
heahhful outing, even If he found MOTH
ing. So Stratton went. When he returned
troubles began.
They were not so bad at first for Mrs.
Stratton believed there was something in
the stories he told her of the mines he
almost found, and she let him go again
and again out into the wild country, and
from which he always returned more or
less ragged and with nothing at all for
her but new batch of stories. So she de-
clared the mines were myths, and said
that he could do quite well enough for her
by sticking to his trade. She had no OBJ
lection to being rich if the dollars came
easy, but she didn't care to be left alone
weeks at a time, and two or three times a
year, while her husband was off on a
wild goose chase, earning nothing at all.
Stratton tried to settle down, but he was
too restless. He coaxed his wife to let him
off once more, but she would not say
yes" So the carpenter determined to pre-
pare himself well, go off quietly and stay
out till he found something so good that
his wife would forgive his running away.
The first part of the programme he carried
out all right, but the second part was
dead failure.
He came back empty-handed. There was
scene. Stratton had nothing to say,
but his wife said many things. Among
others, she declared firmly that If 1t hap
pened again she would leave, too. She
would not stay at home to keep house for
a man who didn't support her. She had
had hard time while he was away this
trip. 1t never had been a pleasant home
all alone. He was a good carpenter; let
him stick to his trade, and she would be
Stratton was fond of his wife and of his
home and was penitent. He promised as
she wished. He worked hard. and every
thing went smoothly for months. and
Mrs. Stratton thought her husband had
forgotten that he ever wanted gold mine.
But alas for her contentmenti A man
came down from the hills, a fellow who
had been off with Stratton on one or two
of his trips and Stratton asked him to his
house. Mrs. Stratton begged her guest
not to talk mines to her husband, and ne
agreed but somehow StrattOn learned
that his friend had seen strong signs of
gold in Cripple Creek, and that ne would
have stayed to follow them up, but had
"gone broke"
Then Stratton's gold fever broke out
again. He knew his wife too well to
breach the subject to her, so, trusting to
the hold in her affections that the many
months he had stayed at home working
for her must have effected, he went off
quietly and stayed this time until he
found the mine.
Tattered and torn but full of joy, he re-
turned to offer his forsaken wife every
thing that gold could buy. He felt sure
of forgiveness. when she sees the dust,
she'll forget the quiet leave l took" he
said to himself. But she never saw the
dust for when Stratton reached his home
he found it empty.
His wife had been as good as her word.
She had gone off too She had done more
than that He found on inquiry that she
had obtained a divorce and had married
Topeka and Santa Fe road, who Is now
hauling ore from STATIONS mine. 1t
was a terrible blow to Stratton His
friends say he will never recover from it.
And what does she that was Mrs. STRAIT
ton think about it?