The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-02-26
THE WESTERN PROMOTERS
WITH BOOMER GRABLB AS THE
 TEXT.

Presidents Should be Interested-Some of Grabie's Early History.
 The present sensation in the east concerns one Frank c. Grable, a west ern boomer who has just failed. He borrowed large amounts of money from the cashier of the Chemical na- tional bank in New York, and as the cashier made the loans without con sulting the president or the board of directors he was discharged.
 Twenty and odd years ago I was well acquainted with Frank c. Grable at Falls City, Neb. In fact, he 'stood up' with me when was married. In the Bible he gave me on that occasion he signed his name Frank c. Grable, but now that he has become distinguished I notice that he signs himself "Francis c. Grable."
 He worked in bank at Falls City, and was a fine fellow, except that he had side Whiskers. He sang in the Methodist choir when I did, and was the poorest bass singer I have ever heard. He was noted for his piety, but no young man in Falls City was more generally respected.
 It is stated that Grable has lost three million dollars for eastern investors, and the story is curious, for Grable was a green country boy. It only shows that anybody can work the eastern investor.
 From Falls City, Grable went to Kearney, Neb., where he started a bank and did well. Then he went to Lincoln and did still better. From Lincoln he went to Omaha and as the dispatches state that he had a thirty thousand dollar residence there, which has been attached, I imagine he did well In Omaha also. When the crash came he was living in New York, pre- sumably in a brownstone front.
 Since leaving Falls City twenty years ago I have seen Grable but once. One day eight or nine years ago I was walking on the streets of Omaha and met him. He was very cordial and wanted to introduce me to his wife. We walked a few feet to a carriage and I was introduced to Mrs. Grable, a very handsome woman. After talking to them awhile and promising to call l passed on, and have not seen him since. I have heard that his wife is an inva- lid, that he Is greatly devoted to her and that they have one child.
 When I met Grable in Omaha he was probably rich, but when the Burlington road built it's extension to Billinges, Mont, to connect with the Northern Pacific, he took charge of it's town lot schemes. From this he drifted into booming, and this booming did him up. From what can learn he is not a swindler; those who invested in his schemes did 1t with their eyes open. For years he has been going east and returning with train loads of investors, which he took out on the Burlington extension. He was a great Methodist, and in every party he had prominent Methodists. Among others, he took Fred Grant, son of the general, out on the Burlington extension. People al- ways marveled at the prominence of his investors and the magnificence of his excursions. How he did it no one knew, but he did it.
 Three years ago I visited Yellow stone Park, making side trips to Dead- wood, the Hot Springs of South Dako- ta, Spearash etc. Edgemont is where the Deadwood branch leaves the main line to Billings. Edgemont was Gra- ble's pet town. He was not at home when was there, but was much in- terested in his hired men, who were immensely clever. They had nothing to work with except an office possibly twenty by thirty feet, filled with speci- mems of whetstone and grindstone Whey seemed to be very busy, but all they were doing, so far as could ilearn, was manufacturing grindstones T heard that they were building a ditch somewhere, but all they could show was grindstone factory. John Francis, general passenger agent of the Burlington lines west of the Missouri river, accompanied me when I visited Grable's office, and he was amused too.
 Edgemont was as poor a town as could be imagined It was a junction spoint of the Burlington, in a sandy worthless country, with grindstone factory three miles away, and a boom aers office, twenty by thirty feet, filled with samples of things. This was the town to which the eastern investors travelled in special trains. Here the eastern investors parted with their money to the tune of three million dol Jars.
 I laughed at Edgemont all the way through Yellowstone Park, and have laughed about it a good deal since Now that the collapse has come, I am naturally good deal interested.
 But Grable was not the only boomer in the country. I meet them every where The first one I met was on the train. In the smoking-room of the sleeper I met a boomer and promoter who was as interesting as a play. He had crowd around him and was showing specimens out of a sack. He was educated, a fine talker and evi- dently believed every word he said He lived at Spearfish, and later went to Spearfish to visit him. He was Null berry Sellers over again. I had never believed that Mulberry Sellers was possible, but had found him, and fol lowed him around because he was the 1n6st amusing man, in spite of his sin cerity, had ever met.
 But soon after I arrived at Spearfish ! the boomer introduced me to a man of