The herald., 1898-08-24
HAS MADE ANOTHER FORTUNE
Jack Cudahy Has Paid All His Debts
and Is Again a Rich Man

Chicago grit and Fesourcefulness are
well exemplified by the career Of Jack"
Cudahy. Had he possessed only trifle
less persistence, had he faltered for an in
slant. failure complete and final would
have been his portion. Six years ago he
was rated at four million dollars. Six
months later he was rated at nearly one
million dollars more, through a daring deal
in pork and provisions. Five years ago on
August his fortune was swept away in
one day in the widest scramble ever seen
on the Chicago board of trade. When the
smoke and dust of that fight blew away
John Cudahy was something like one and
one-half million dollars poorer than pennI-
less; he owed that sum above his fortune
Today he has paid off all of his obligations.
and Is once more enrolled among the
wealthy men Of the city. Grit was the
potent factor in this revival Of fortune.
Cudahy failed at time when the nation
seemed on the verge of mashlng and when
dollars were as big as cart wheels to rich
men. The prospects for his recovering
from the terrific blow in the belief Of able
financlers were mighty slim. Yet he went
to work with hundreds of thousands of dol
lars of paper out against his name; he
struggled gamely until within five years he
has paid all and has a good big fortune be-
Sides
There has been a peculiar feature to John
Cudahy's operations ever since he was
boy of IA. Five-year periods have been
marked in all that he has done. He was
born In Callan, County Kilkenny. ireland,
on November 8, 1s43 Early In 1S49 his
parents came to this country When he
was 10 years old they removed to Milwau-
kee. At 10 he entered Edward Roddie's
big packing house, and in a few years ne
was a trusted employee. Five years after
he began to work for John Blankinton. He
rose to the position of manager and In one
more cycle of five years became partner,
just as the war broke out. Then number
of changes were made until 1876, when he
came to this city and began packing and
specializing In five years he was rated
as a millionaire and leader on the board
Five years later he had doubled his for
tune. Five years later he saw his millions
vanish and himself reduced to penury. In
another five years he paid off all of his OBJ
legations and is rich again.
There has been no fuss and feathers or
blare of trumpets in the making of John
quietly, making no spectacular plays In
speculative way, but all the time he has
been a steady money maker. At the time
of the explosion in Havana harbor he saw
prospective drop in stock values, and sold
steadily. He knew, however, 1t could be
but temporary decline, and in few days
covered his short sales at an immense profit.
Naturally, Mr.. Cudahy has always been
bull. and during the early days of the
Spanish-American war he bought every
thing In sight. There are few things
on the list which have not paid him enor-
nous profit. He is one of the few men on
change to whom the wheat pit has not
been an expensive luxury. He has had the
rare good fortune to buy at the bottom and
sell at the top, or reverse the conditions
When in his Judgment 1t has seemed good
thing to do either to buy or sell, ninety
nine times out of hundred he has been
right. Back Of all Mr.. Cudahy's success
is the fact that he Is born speculator.
He has never been plodder, satisfied with
returns for services with which the ma
jority Of young men would be satisfied.
Said board of trade director the other
day: 1T is doubtful If John Cudahy has
a single enemy in the long list Of men with
whom he has been thrown in contact In the