The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1899-10-07
MEN WITH MILLIONS.
Who Have Treated Immense For
tunes as Playthings.
Mighty Plunges Made by Famous
FInaneiers in Which Millions
of Dollars Were Made
or Lost.

The death of the famous Chicago
Spectator, "Old Hutch" brings rec
objection of his bold and gigantic oPer-
atoms in the Chicago grain market.
Old Hutch died practically a poor
man. His unsuccessful effort to corner
wheat at the time when his attempt
and failure became the subjects of in
ternational discussion left him broken
in health and ruined financially. Like
many another stock and grain gambler,
he had played the limit and lost. But
Mr.. Hutchinson's tremendous losses
made no apparent difference in his bear
ing and occupation. Only failing health
drove him from his daily place in the
wheat pit. Had he won he would have
been equally unmoved, for there were
times when he won fortunes and
showed not the slightest evidence in
his manner of even qualification.
When one considers the elation or de-
lection with which the average man
would win or lose 800 it seems scarcely
credible that there are about at least
dozen men who have won or lost
hundred thousand times as much with
out, metaphorically, turning hair"
During the recent stock exchange
"boom" in Wall street, it is said on au-
thority that Mr.. John D. Rockefeller
lost. Sc, 600, OG0 in less time than it would
take him to smoke cigarette. For six
consecutive minutes he was losing ST.
10000 every minute on the fall in
Standard Oil.
After all, this was only slight check
in a brilliant career of good fortune.
Such loss 20 years ago would have.
ruined him absolutely; to-day it only
means the temporary loss of two cents
on the dollar of his possessions. During
his career Mr.. Rockefeller himself esti-
mates that he has at least six times
made over SIS, 100000 on a single deal.
To illustrate the caprices of fortune
it is interesting to note that while Mr..
Rockefeller was losing his six millions
young Joseph Letter was making that
amount; although last year Mr. Letters
famous deal in wheat lost for him al
most twice as much.
Nat Jones, who was in his days the
most daring Spectator in America,
started life on a few borrowed dollars,
made several million dollars within
few years, and by one rash deal on
the stock exchange lost all and died a
beggar.
For rapid money making, however,
it is doubtful whether any man who has
ever lived has equaled the record Of a
Mr.. Macdonald, of Dawson City. Only
three years ago Macdonald reached the
Alaskan gold fields almost penniless.
To-day he is said to own nearly 80
mines, of an assessed value of $135,OOO,-
900. This means that Macdonald DUR
ing the last three years has increased
his wealth by $45,OOO,OO0 year or $685.
38j a week
Few men knew better than the late
Jay Gould the rapture of making mil
lions in single transactions. In 1873,
when he planned the famous gold cor
ner, although disaster overlook most of
his colleagues, Mr.. Gould came out of it |
the richer by $7,5OO,OOO.
One of the most fortunate single deals |
on record was Nathan Mayer Roths-
child's historic plunge on the London |
stock exchange just after Waterloo. |
The tale, though old, is still thrilling; |
how the astute Jew waited until he saw |
the French army flying, how he rode
madly to Brussels, drove to Ostend, was
ferried across the channel during a
storm, and reached London eight hours
before any official news of the great
victory came. He bought literally |
everything he could get in the, way of
stocks and shares; and when the next
days news sent prices up like so MANY
rockets, he had netted an enormous
fortune.
Z. B. Talcott, who, until recently, was
a stock exchange clerk in New York,
was among the first to anticipate the
latest boom in stocks, and with rare
Judgment speculated largely in the very
stocks which were most inflated by the
boom. In three weeks he had made
S5,OOO,OO0, the amount he vowed he
would make, and then, like a sensible
man, left Wall street forever.
Some of the most famous losses have
been made in wheat. Twenty yearsago
james L. keene made his famous cor
ner, and lost 100000 by it: and 10
years ago E. L. Harper bought up H. |
100000 bushels of wheat, and in irving
70 complete his corner lost 81 ,OOO. 600
Cincinnati Enquirer.
Council Chamber, Caldwell Idaho
Oct. 2 1899. Council met in Regular
session there being no quorum adj