The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1896-01-11
STRATTON, THE GOLD KING.
The Midas Of Cripple Greek and His
Humble Antccedcnts.
A FEW YEARS AGO A CARPENTER
He Can Now Draw Hts Check for Four
Million Doiisrs--A Safe Bank
Under the Ground.

fortunes Of silver showered on the Tabors.
Moffatts. Wolcotts and others the world
knows OF, but none of them reveals a
stranger tale than tho story OF Stratton
the new gold king. You could count the
years on the fingers OF one hand since w.
S. Stratton was a 'jolr'' carpenter, and
not very steady or skilifui one either
living in Jeffersonville, Ind. sleepy little
Ohio river town opposite Louisville, Ky
Stratton is n little, lean. 5-fott-6. i25 pound
man lie would attract no attention at all
In any crowd. He has passed beyond the
half century mark in years. almost UNI
known. In Indiana he was a man who
went on periodical sprees. He was almost
unknown In business circles. He had never
owned 800 In his life. and he had never
made any effort to own as much money
as 300. lie had no ambition TO make
money; he was satisfied II he was allowed
simply to live. The only marks he LETT
in his old home were those he made with
his pen knife while he sat idling his time
away on dry goods boxes and whiting
them. Yet today this man could buy the
town of Jeffersonville, Ind, including the
stats penitentiary and the steel bridge
that swings across the turbulent rapids
Of the Ohio and connects his old home
18th the metropolis of Kentucliy-cou
buy 1t outright, give his check for IT.,
payable In gold. and the check would be
honored ut sight. Yet If he were to walk
the streets of Jefrersonville today. though
1t is less than five years since he lived
there, but few would know him.
HE GOES WEST.
He went West. The summer OF ls9i
found him in Colorado Springs. Coio
where. when he could get work, he was
earning 81 so per day as a carpenter
,t,n lsa thnt
have formed this globe upon which we
live nature has marshalled its mighty
forces those mysterious ones supposed to
he imprisoned in the core of the earth,
and with frightful force has lombard u
the shell or outer crust that holds 1t pris-
oner With shot and shell, grape and
chain. made OF copper silver and gold
this subtorIanean upheaval has forced the
molten metals into the cracks and crew
ices of their rocky prison. Here they
have cooled and concealed, and here man.
in his uncoasing, untiring pursuit OF
treasure, digs and dclvcs for these relies
of natures mighty battle. concealed in
clefts OF the rocks sometimes they are
found in an abundance that makes the
story of their discoverer read like the
taie of "Aiaddins Lamp or Of "Monte
Cristo," but far oftencr the precious met
ais found in lean. thin. tantalizing
streaks or locked securely in ore so re-
lldtlDIF anu ia HtiAltitN SO Sltli tisa I
gaining possession Of them is forlorn
lNpe that followed leads on TO bank
ruptcy and despair. Hence the costliness
of gold.
on the western slope of Pixies Peak.
forming one of the huttresses to that R.unt
pile of rock and snow, whose mighty head
is Il 900 feet In air. there is n group of
grassy hills, themselves more than 900
feet above the level OF the sea. Facing
these on the west, and standing beyond
the grand gorge OF the Arkansas river
the hoary head Of Mount Ouray stands Il
noble outpost to the serrated peaks and
ley canyons Of the tops OF the cloud
piercing "sangre de Christie" dhe blood
Of Christi range, whose ragged toes can
be plainly seen, though nearly ten rifles
away.
Only four years ago these bills were
grazing grounds, carpeted with sweet sue
culont grasses. and blooming with beauti-
full Alpine flowers, purling brooks Of Icy
water. fresh from their glacial home
above. purElng over pebby beds amid
the enchanting scenes of Alpine meadows.
Underneath the grass roots lay proiectIes
of collaborating ore. not little pellets, Hike
those from n pistol, but huge Jumps. that
had they come through to the surface
would have left a wound In the hill that
n freight train could have fallen into.
That was the kind of golden lombard
1lt0l lleSf mus llfAu bhTtly i'SlSA'h Nv
sheep herder and the cow puncher had
tended their flocl5s and herds over this
safety vault which II Is n wonder the
hoofs OF their herds did not unlock. But
It was left for the prospector's pryng
pick to uncover the golden secret. Mines
that could almost he worked with II hoe,
a pillow. or a road scraper.
GOLD AT CRIPPLE CREEK.
About the time silver was dying and
.~A1... do
under the blows being dealt by Cieyeland's
summer of 1923 congress, the cry of gold
at Cripple Creek went out over the land.
w. S. Stratton heard II. Not having the
money to pay the railway to carry him TO
Cripple Creek, he walked, carrying all his
possessions on his back, and he was not
over weighted at that. Though he was
without money TO pay for 1t, he become
boarder with n lady about his own age,
who was seeking IA livelihood in that voca-
ton. Sometimes he got work: oftcner he
got drunk. Any how, his board bill was
several months overdue and unpaid. when
at the invitation of the hostess he sought
his meals and bed elsewhere
As does everyone In mining camp, he
laid claim, and at odd times did some
work on his prospect, which he called the
"Independence" mine. but the slowly
lengthening hole he was at odd times sink
ing upon II, and the big name was all there
was of the mine, and they. as an asset
would not have secured square meal for
their owner. He had only the faintest In
dication Of ore, yet with his pick and SHOW
ol he continued his course on the short
route to China. He had no money and he
thought he had no friends.
one day he met Senator Wolcott IN tht
camp. Knowing the senator by sight, and
knowing also that he was not averse to
putting money into a good prospect. he
approached him and said:
senator, my name is Stratton I've got
a good prospect over on the hill but ! am
not a strong man physically, and ! hav"
no money: but If had 500 believe
could develop a good mine on my prospect
Now. If you'll go see It. and viii give me
eS0o. I will deed you an undivided one
half interest IN 1t, and agree 10 spend the
money developing the mine"
where is your prospect?" asked the
senator, as he looked down at the little
man.
"Over there on - HILL" said stratton
''AIy dear man" said the senator. There
Sc no gold on that hill" Then he asked
stratton what he knew of mines and
mining. II did not take the little Hoosicr
long to tell him, for II was not much no