The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-01-03
HE SAW THE GOLD
CRIPPLE CREEK IS SEEN BY &
PIONEER OF WICHITA.
Dir. j. r. Meade Goes Through the Camp
Man is Sutton, He Went to Cripple Creek
With His Pack on His Back-How lie
Set Them Up to the Boys on Christmas
The Bill I'm the Morning was Twelve
Hundred Dollars and He Ante'd Up Like
Man.


Mr.. James r. Mead has returned from
visit to the gold camp Of Cripple
Creek where he spent several days feel
ing the pulse Of the boom.
There is no boom at Cripple Creek"
said he TO a reporter for the Eagle
yesterday. "A boom Is something airy
and has no real foundation. What is
wrongfully termed the Cripple Creek
boom mas foundation and II is no
less "a foundation than gold. There is
nothing uncertain about the place for
the deeper they go into the ground the
richer the strikes that are made.
There are now about 200 mines in
the camp and some of them are very
rich
Mr.. Mead thinks old man Sutton's
mine is the richest in the camp. SUIT
ton now takes out enough 10 supply
him with pocket mOney-say about
$4,000 a mOnth-and he keeps the
balance Of his wealth in the ground
as he says it is safer there than IN the
banks.
Sutton, il appears, is a remarkable
man. He entered Cripple Creek as a
carpenter four years ago with a ket
of tools on his back and today he is
worth several million dollars. He mas
two million dollars worth OF gold IN
sight at the bottom of his mine which
he does not disturb. He is reputed 10 be
a great business man although ne is a
very plain man. His greatness from a
business standpoint is that he employees
the best men he can find. He has the
best lawyers, the best miners and the
best business advisors IN Colorado.
He IS also very liberal man. There
lived a woman in Colorado Springs that
he boarded with long ago. Her hus-
band died a few years ago and left a
mortgage OF $500 on their home. The
poor woman worked for a living and
when THE mortgage became due she
could not pay a cent Of it. She was
about to be driven out in the cold streets
when she thought of Sutton and went
directly in pursuit of him. She told her
story 10 MIR. Sutton and asked his ad-
wise. He pulled out his pencil, wrote a
check for $500 and said: II have been
thinking how ito advise you but advise
will not pay off that mortgage. Take
that check to the bank, get it cashed,
redeem your home and be happy. That
ds the best advice can give you"
The PresbyteTtans owed 81 800 on their
church and one day few deacons took
a subscription paper down town and
commenced exorting fellows to put
down their names for a dollar or two.
ed him the paper. How much did you
say you owed?" he inquired.
Fifteen hundred dollars" was the
reply.
''Oh, well, there is no use in trotting
all over town TO raise that" said Sutton,
as he handed a check for 81. 800 to the
aistonished deacon who had not known
Sutton before that time
Last Christmas night Sutton's old
time poor friends Were around him and
one of them said, Sutton, you have
done pretty well lately and think you
might set EN- up
Yes, 1 have" said Sutton, land I
guess / can afford to treat" He went
TO the finest saloon in town and speak
ing ito the proprietor said: keep your
place open all night, treat everybody
who comes in: turn the thing loose and
present your bill TO me in the morning"
In the morning the saloon keeper told
Sutton his bill was 81 500 and the old
man paid IL without murmer.
Recently Mr.. Sutton wanted TO put
some more money IN his bank as he
had been making pretty heavy drafts
Oh IL. He did mot wa MT to ovsrfraw and
he said so to the banker. oh" said
tire BARKER, there is no danger of over
drawing for a few days as you still have
a balance nf S2S5, 600 here"
Mr.. Mead stated that great prosperity
is prevailing in the camp. Every house
r. occupied and commands a big rent
Everybody is employed and the mer-
chants are doing a big business. He
found a great many Wichita people In
the camp and all OF them doing we'll.
Ajt Colorado Springs he met Wesley
Morris and the eX-county attorney
seems to be getting 10 the front there.