The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-12-10
GRANT GlLLETT'S FALL
THE COWBOY MILLIONAIRE WHO
BEGAN LIFE ON NOTHING.
Amassed a Vast Fortune and Credit
i'm Four Years md Now a Bank
rupt at Thirty-One.

That, in Kansas parlance, is the way the
citizens of this little town explain to me the
downfall of Grant G.. Gillett, the Iormer
Cattle king of the Southwest" whose SEN
satonal collapse last week startled the
whole Nation Successful beyond his wild
est dreams in schemes the holiness of which
amazed the cattle men of the West, accus-
toned as they are to big deals and long
chances, he pressed his system notch too
far, and after his three years reign as
cattle king became fugitive from justice,
leaving behind more than a million and a
half of Indebtedness.
The rise of young Gillett-he is now only
thirty-one--is one of the marvels of the
West. Six years ago he was a station agent,
working i'm the interior towns of Kansas for
a bare existence. Only four years ago he
lived on mortgaged quarter section of land
in this county, with even his household goods
covered by mortgage. Since that time, with
absolutely no assistance beyond that COM
manded by his own personality, he has made
half million dollars, worked up almost I'M
limited credit, achieved more actual power
than any other man in Kansas, and brought
half dozen Of the Oldest and soundest live
stock commission firms in Kansas City to
the verge of bankruptcy.
Gillett was reared in this county on a
farm which is now the site of this little
village. His father, James Gillett, came
from England and was one of the early
settlers here, taking up a government home
stead He married and reared family of
three boys and two girls. Grant was the
youngest of the sons. He became a tele-
graph operator and married a telegraph
operator. Once when he was operator
and station agent at a little station in
Marion county he got into trouble by ship
ping grain and collecting for more than was
in the car. He ran away and was gone for
a year or more until his folks mad arranged
things so that he could return.
Then he came back, got d divorce from
ms Wlfe ana went TO work on the nome
place. His father died ten years ago and
the estate all excepting the homestead, was
divided. Grant squandered his share and
returned to the telegraph business. -Four
years ago he went on TO a mortgaged farm
at this place and commenced with a few
hundred dollars that he had saved to feed
cattle for others. He married Miss Baum
baugh, a school teacher, who had a few
hundred dollars also, and in few months
his feeding operations had grown to con-
siderable proportions. In two years he
cleared $1,000 and then began the spec
tacular career that made him the most
talked of man In the West and that has
just come to an inglorious end.
Gilett would go to Texas and buy cattle
in big lots, as many as 1900 head in
bunch, and ship them to WOOdbne where
he would sell them in small lots to feeders,
taking their notes. These notes he indorsed
and turned over TO Kansas City commits
sion houses, which are always more than
proceeds of these notes Gillett would buy
another bunch of cattle, which he handled
as he had the first.
HIS BRASS BAND.
As his operations increased, his credit grew
in proportion and his Endorsement on cattle
paper made it good for the cash on sight in
Kansas City. The commission men were all
afraid of Gilletts brass band methods, but
so anxious were they for the profits on the
loans he offered them that they took the
chances, each hoping to get from under be-
fore the crash came.
Then Gllett began to feed cattle on his
own account. He took the old homestead
here and fitted 1t up with immense barns,
corrals and feeding yards, and shortly he
was fattenng 5000 mead of steers here and
all the corn and fodder for miles around
prospered he began to buy ranches in other
nelghborhoodS ana extend his feeding opera
tons until he had feeding yards at half a
dozen different points in central Kansas and
pastures all over the West from Woodbine
TO Palermo, Tex.
He shipped $1,000 head of cattle to Kansas
city last year, and as many more this year.
and when the collapse came he had 30 600
head scattered among his various ranches.
lie often made a profit of So a head but
his expenses were enormous. He kept fifty
men at work on his ranch here, and twice
as many more at his various other ranches
lie actually gave money away.
TWO years ago he organized the famous
cowboy band of thirty pieces. Rev. FL. c.
Scholes now pastor oflthe church here. was
leader, at good salary, and all the mem
bers got musicians instead of cowboys sal
aries. Gillett carried the band around to
political conventions and cattlemen's meet
ings a special car sometimes on a special
m w no
went to Texas to bring up new bunch of
cattle. When the band pleased him he would
make the leader a present of $50 and give
each of the players a ten-dollar bill.
Governor Leedy and party of friends
We're in Abilene last spring, and Gillet in
Vited them TO visit his ranch, hiring special
long that it was impossible for the special
train to run back to Abilene in time to catch
the main Union Pacific train so Gillett took
them across country IN carriages to the
Rock Island road at Herington, where he
hired special to take them to Topeka.
Gillett carried a lot of diamonds in his
pocket, and had a habit of jngling them
while talking 10 people. He bought every
thing he saw that he wanted-twice as much
as he had room for in his residence His
home at Woodbne is furnished sumptuously.
Last summer he brought two carloads of
lawn. Woodbine has only 15) inhabitants,
but Gillett built a stone bank here good
enough for a town of 10000.
At the Woodbine farm he made all kinds
of improvements. He built huge sheds and
barns He liked to talk of his solid mile of
corn cribs and his mansion" AS a matter
of fact, this was largely brag. His house is
a comfortable home, but it is not a manor
house." He did buy the furniture in Kansas
City, and it is the finest in Woodbine, but
it is not palatial His mile of corn cribs
would fall very short il they were measured,
though there are great many of them. His
private water works plant. is not a very
extensive pipe line Many farms have far
bigger ones but the king used to tell
everybody about these things. They brought
him reputation for wealth and lavish ex-
penditure, and that helped his deals.
All these things cost huge sums of money,
and a few weeks ago Gilett began to run
short. but he did not haul in his horns a
particle. Instead, he branched out even
more heavily, buying cattle for which he
had room in his feed lots, and for which
made it impossible for him to turn them
over TO smaller feeders at n profit BE
seemed to be absolutely without foresight,
apparently thinking that things were bound
to go on as they had been-his credit eX-
panding, his herds increasing and his fame
end power and fortune growing without
limit check.
He told friend a few days before the col
lapse that he frequently had $40 OOO to pay
on the following day without knowing where
a cent of 1t to come from But / did
it," he said, and viii get out If they will
keep out of the courts and let me alone"
AT THE END OF HIS ROPE
But matters grew worse. and last week.
when Kansas City commission house re-
fused to extend a loan of $125,00 a string
of Oklahoma cattle which were not ready
for market, the end came Gillett saw that
he was at the end of his rope and making
over deed of trust to all of his property in
favor of ID. w. NailL of Abilene, his closest