The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-09-25

Verify the way of the most ardent
female Ieg-puller is hard sometimes
and her experience is oft to be COM
pared to that of the purchaser of a
gold brick. The Examiner bought a
gold brick last August and presented
1t to its readers in the shape of a story
in which Peter j. Cox was the hero. 1t
told about Peter ]. Cox coming from
Alaska with $4,000 900 to bur holes in
his pockets. and a consuming desire to
enjoy life in San Francisco for a while.
The story, misleading as it was, gave
the tip to the horde of ladies and gen
tlemen who were willing to assist Mr..
Cox to pass the time pleasantly at his
expense and to guarantee that he
would not become bored. They were
of the same class of people that chased
saltwater Bill all over town and into
the wilds of Alaska in order to get a
whack at his dough.
Peter Cox had a good time for the
month or so in which he remained here
and went home to Lawrence, Mass,
after spending about fifteen hundred
dollars and is now reported to be al
most on his .uppers, there being but
very little left of the balance of his
all he possessed in the world.
Among the first strangers TO seek the
acquaintance of young Mr.. Cox
for he is not much more than 80 years
old-were Mrs. Woodruff and her
pretty daughter of 10. They read the
Examiner story and called on the sup
posed millionaire at his hotel to in
Qure whether in the course of his
ramblings through the glaciers of
Alaska he had met or heard of Mrs.
Woodhull's nephew, named Gardner,
who was supposed to be roaming about
the Arctic Wilds somewhere or any old
where.
Mr. Cox liked the young lady and re-
turned the visit to the Woodruff dom
icile, suite 40, in the top story of SOC
Montgomery street, between Clay and
Merchants building occupied princi-
pally as offices for lawyers and other
business people. In fact he made sew
eral visits and took the young / iy and
her mamma one evening to a theater
party entertainment. Then he pro-
posed marriage to Miss Woodruff and
was accepted, the fact that he had a
wife and family in Lawrence being for
gotten or ignored by him. AS an evil
dence of his wealth and the sincerity
of his love he presented his fiancee with
a draft for $780, The draft was never
paid and it was put into the hands of
collectlon agency In this city for col
lection, but word has come back from
Lawrence that Cox is impecunious and
that the draft is worthless.
Instead of being a millionaire three
times over as represented by the fake
sheet, Cox was a lively young
man with a great capacity for liquor
and the smiles Of pretty women His
father was an fashioned country
butcher who slaughtered cattle on his
farm on the Lowell road three miles
from Lawrence. Later he removed
into the city of Lawrence and opened
small meat market with LIQUOR and
beer attachment. Peter J. was the
only child of the couple. and when he
left school after the death of his father
he studied medicine in the office of a
physician but not finding that noble
science to his liking he went to work
in a mill where he could earn some
thing without killing anybody He mar
ried a good looking French girl of that
city and has a family of little Coxes
His mother married again and after
her death the estate. CONSISTING of two