Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1899-02-12


E. Simons, native of West
Virginia, who caught the Klon-
| dixie gold fever. and but recently re-
| turned from Dawson City fairly rolling
in wealth. Like so many persons who
| are suddenly lifted from poverty to
| at1uence, he spends his money with a
| prodigal hand. He has been in Char
lesion two days, and the story of his
| rich strike is on everybody's lips He
came here from New York to visit w.
| d. Talbot, a member of the House of
Delegates, who is his first cousin.
He wears a heavy beaver overcoat,
| which does just what it is intended to
do, attracts everybody's attention.
When he unbuttons it a three carat
gem glitters from his shirt front, and a
! massive gold watch chain is revealed,
from which hangs as a charm the
first nugget he found in the Ell Dorado
of the North.
Talk to him ten minutes and he will
| show you a handful of shining yellow
nuggets, polished from contact with
the lining of his trousers pockets. He
, iuggles them and permits them to fall
from his hand with the most careless
abandon, as though they were so many
! marbles. Manifest an interest in his
story, and he will show you more dia-
monds, and a magnificent watch, a Won
derful piece Of mechanism, for which
he paid $1,000 at Tiffany's in New York.
Betray an interest in the hero of the
story, and he will invite you into the
nearest saloon, and will order up drink
after drink, feigning displeasure if you
offer to settle with the genius who
mikes and dispenses the decoctions
which are passed over the bar.
1t is not strange that such a person
would have a following of hangers-on.
He has one. He brought an old friend
with him from his former home, and
pays all the bills, just for the sake of
his companiOnship. He is courteous,
is this second Coal Oil Johnny, and
any person can learn all about the
fabulous wealth of the Klondike merely
for the asking Last night he attend
ed the legislative ball, where he was
the "cynOsure of all eyes" He enjoys
the attention he attracts. Personally,
he possesses more than the average
share of good looks. He is above the
medium height, we'll proportional and
athletic looking.
Simons is not married. When he re-
turns from his contemplated visit to
Dawson City, he will need a better
half to teach him some lessons in
economy. He confided to the Register
man his opinion that there are no bet
ter or prettier girls in the world than
in West Virginia. His present address
is Hotel Ruffner, Charleston. Write
quick. With that money burning a
hole in his pocket he can't remain in
Charleston. He must seek new worlds
to conquer. Letters should be accom-
panied by photographs. Omit" stamps
for reply.
This Klondike gold king is a son OF
Allen Simons, a farmer of Barbour
county, living near Philippi. In 1888,
at the age of 16, he went west with
his brother, locating at Mousilla, Mon
tana, where the two embarked in the
drug business in a modest way. Incl
dentally they proSpeoted for gold, with
Indifferent success. To use Simons's
own expression, they made a living"
When the Klondike craze broke out
Simons caught the cOntagion, and in
company with H. H. Fazin, an old min
er, he started for Alaska. They ar
rived in August, 1897, bought four-ox
team and loaded up their supplies and
started over the White Pass. Arriving
at the headwaters of the Yukon river
they killed their oxen for beef, and
started down the lakes to the land of
their golden dreams.
The boat upset and they lost their
supplies, but were fortunate enough,
d1ItI IhllIS Ol expectations anu Id W
beef for few days, to fall in with a
party of three miners on the way down
the river. The five pooled issues, and
after a rough voyage of sixty days
landed at Dawson City. They encoun-
tered much rough weather and in one
instance took shelter under big ledge
on the bank of the river and for forty
four hours the five baled water from
their boat,
Simons began prospecting. He
staked a claim on an unexplored creek,
worked it a while. and sold out for
$4,000 He staked other claims, en-
ployed men to develop them and at the
end of year brought back Isl pounds
of dust and $4,000 in Canadian notes.
His claims are still being worked by
his agents. He built a rude log hotel
in Dawson City. and when he left,
leased it for $4,000 a month.
When he reached the United States
he went directly to the mint in Phila-
delphia, and exchanged his dust for
S125 900 in legal tender. He estimates