The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-12-10

so that Ii appears CIillett was not altogeth-
er without foresight in choosing for asylum
country with which there is no extradi-
ton treaty in force
Ever since the failure special trains
loaded with the representatives of commits
sion men have been scurrying across the
pTaiTies trying to find the cattle on which
schemes have been Matched for running OFT
bLaches of the cattle in advance of other
creditors. All the schemes have failed. how
ever, and thetprobaDility Is that pool VIII
be formed to straighten out the mudded
condition of affairs feed out the cattle now
or hand and apportion the losses which II IS
certain will reach half the indebtedness.
Bank Commissioner Breidenthal. OF KAN
sas, says that the secret of Gilletts failure
is that he talked too much. "Gtilett let
everybody know his business" said Mr..
Breidenthal. He would get on to q train.
and, if he did not find friends 10 talk to he
would strike up an acquaintance with abso-
lutte strangers, and within two minutes
would be telling how high he was rolling
EN-. He would produce his check book TO
show the tremendous business he was doing.
He seemed to glory in letting other people
know of his great success.
'One day, going out on the train, he ran
across me and told me the train was filled
with cattlemen going down to Woodblne 10
attend his sale He pointed out diiferent
others and said: Those fellows I have hired
to come down and make bids. The otner
fellows are sure buyers and l got theSe lei
lows to come down and run prices up. rms
is only a sample of how careless ne was. he
did not know but some OF those cattlec
men were friends of mine. AS mater Oh
fact, some of them were, and when they
bid on Gillett's cattle they knew eXacliy
what they were up against" - .
"Gdllett never let anything hinder MN Nm IN
carrying out his plans-at least, tnat was
his boast, and he came mighty near MVlng
uD to it," said G. c. Wyandt, one or Gllletl
closest friends, to-day 1T was ms IiIleI ~:
combativeness that carried him through his
schemes. / do not think he expected TINS
crash g. month ago. l knew enough OF M
affairs to suspect he must be in pretty tlSht
ri in
expense of $1,000 at his Woodbine ranch
alone and was buying cattle on credlt py the
thousand head every few days.
CONFIDENCE IN HIS LUCK.
''I knew he could not keep up the lick and
asked him one day if he was not afraid of
collapse. He answered me as cool as a
cucumber: Not a bit. I have to have a
good deal of money, but get it, don't l?
One day last week / had to meet an obliga-
ton of 100000. 1 did not have cent, but
1 raised it, I travelled back and forth be-
tween Kansas City and Denver as fast as
trains would carry me, and 1 got the money
by the time it was due. I never let any
thing hinder me when I set out to do
thing
And" went on Wyandt, this was large
ly so. He made frequent use OF the very
early morning train on the Rock Island
from Harrington to Kansas City. He would
work on mis- ranch all day, drive over to
Kansas City to spend the day and come
back that night, showing up for work on
the ranch the next morning. one night ne
started to carry out the plan. 1t was ram
ing pitchforks and the horses ran away,
breaking loose from the buggy and leaving
Grant and his brother stranded in the mud
eight miles from Harrington.
The brother wanted to wait until day
light and try to find the team. But not
Grant. Leaving the team to look out for
itself and abandoning the buggy in the mud,
he walked on to the nearest house, routed
the old farmer out of bed and made him
hitch up to a lumber wagon, the only con-
veyance at hand and take him through the
pouring rain to Herngton. The delay had
made him miss his train, but he caught a
vision point, where he hired a locomotive
and overlook his train at Topeka.
'"Fhe exploit pleased him, and after that
ne rarely waited for train, always hiring
a special locomotive when he wanted to
reach place in a hurry"
Gillett's ability to borrow was marvellous.
He could just hypnotic a man." say the
commission men who furnished the money
for his plunging. All of them expected that
but they did not imagine that he was doub-
ling up on his mortgages, and thought that
their security was good; Said one: Gu.
last summer and said, I want $56COO.
!" Can't do it. l replied. We have enough
What! Don't you want to do business p
said he i am giving you a chance as a
special friend
o.
All right was the cool response. I'll
be back inside of ten minutes with the
money
within that time he returned and showed
me certified check for the $4,000 that he
wanted, and, laughing. went away / am do
| ing the laughing now"
LIFE INSURANCE DEALS
Gillett seemed to have mania for life in
surancc. He carried the second largest
amount of any one in Kansas-$237 900. OF
4
will return an income of 1880 year after
ten years Gillett took out this 100000 last
year. In June he took out 100000 more; in
August, $4,000 and in September $25 600.
Then he switched off to accident insurance.
Only last week he said to an Abilene
agent, Get me all the insurance you can"
The agent represented but one company,
and could get only $4,000, which Gillett
paid for with the remark that it was hard
ly worth while to take out a paltry 500 900,
adding that the next time he went to Kan
sas City he would take out half million
if he could get 1t.
Gillett was by nature a dictator. He al
ways ordered subordinates, and even cattle
men with whom he had dealings, about i'm
periously. He demanded that his orders be
obeycd 20 the letter, regardless of condi-
lions, and the workmen who transgressed
got no mercy. Often he had as many as fif-
ty cattlemen at his ranch, many of them
wealthy, and they had to await his pleas
ure. He was almost surly in dealing with
them. and # one of them incurred his dis
pleasure he might as we'll so home, for no
cattle could he buy of Gillett.
He was as spectacular in his profanity as
he was in everything else, and could put
frlls on his swearing that the toughest OLD
plains freighter never heard of. but he would
not permit any man in his employ to swear.
To say even damn on his ranch was as
good as a discharge. One day he called up
all Of his cowboys and asked:
How many of you fellows swear when the
cattle do not go right?
Every man held up his hand.
We'll" said Gillett, Il do all the swearing
that is necessary on this ranch, and the first
man / hear using a cuss word will have to
CO."
one of his head herders swore at re-
fractory steer that afternoon and was i'm
mediately discharged. Il told you I would
do all the swearing for this ranch" said
Gillett land / meant it,"
One of the saddest things about the failure
of Gillett is the plight in which it leaves
his young and pretty wife and their baby
These helpless ones are now at the Woodbine
home, in the midst of luxury, to be sure but
with angry creditors all about them and the
certainty that they will be turned out with
out a cent and without a home
DECENTRALIZATION OF NOVELS.
Conspicuous Feature of Recent