Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1899-09-14
Stories Of Robert Bonner.


many. To be sure, he could not
paint picture nor could he carve a
marble faun. But he could shoe a
horse, and as an advertiser he had no
equal. Besides this, ecould set type
with machine-like rapidity and pre-
cision, and decision, and could tell a
paying story at glance. Also, he
never owed cent longer than it took
to pay it. All of which is more or
less art.
In 1914 Mr.. Bonner came to New
York. He brought with him $40 to
cent. He put it in bank, and one
day the cashier wrote down in red ink
in his bank book "$3."
1T was my interest, ' said Mr.. Bon
nsr. 81 had to ask him what it meant.
He told me, and l was overwhelmed
with astonishment. l told him |
hadn't madethe money. No, but your
money did he answered.
That settled it. | learned that
day that money makes money, and
that to be rich you must save. So l
have saved"
Mr.. Bonners greatest pride was
that he never borrowed or owed. The
only thing he ever borrowed was a
maxim from Emerson-"O discomfort
ed man. Whatever you want, pay
the price and take it, He did.
Whenever he wanted anything he paid
for it. The price sometimes came
high. But Mr.. Bonner got it all the
same. One day he suggested TO a
friend that Edward Everett ought to
write for the Ledger. The friend
smiled.
"You couldn't get Everett to write
at any price, said the friend.
"You wait and see, said Mr.. Bon
ner.
Mr.. Everett was lecturing at that
time on Washington, using the pro-
ceeds toward fund for the purchase
of Mount Vernon. Mr.. Bonner wrote
to Mr.. Everett that he would sub
scribe $4,000 to the fund if Mr.. Ey-
erett would write once week for the
Ledger. The famous Bostonian ac-
cepted.
There, said Mr.. Bonner. what
did I tell your 1t came high, but I
got it. ."
The only time in his life that Bon
ner ever made bet was when he was
a typesetter on the old Hartford
Courant. A jour" of the name Of
John Hand came down the hne with
the advance reputation Of being the
swiftest compositor on earth.
Maybe said the Courant men
"but you haven't tried Bonner yet.
Huh :" said the Jour I'll try
him for $40 side.
81 never bet, said Mr.. Bonner.
"You better not, laughed the chal-
lenger.
Mr.. Bonner changed his mind. He
put up $40, got down to work, and
besides consuming two pieces Of Gust
ard pie set 27,5OO ems ofsolid minion
type in twenty hours and twenty
eight minutes. The feat has never
been equaled.
Although Mr.. Bonner spent in his
lifetime about $65O,OOO for trotting
horses he never raced one or allowed
one to be raced for money. His first
horse was bought in July, 1856. At
that time there had been just nineteen
horses in the world, dead and alive,
that had trotted a mile in 2.3O. To-
day there are $1,000 on the list. To
Mr.. Bonner is due much of this.
This was efectuaily displayed some
time ago at a sale of PalO Alto trot-
ters. Mr.. Bonner looked them over
and picked out Ansel Chiefas the best
of the lot. But every other high
horseman in America had discarded
the animal as unsound. The day the
colt came to New York he was lame,
but that made no difference to Mr.
Bonner. He sent his brother to buy
Ansel Chief, and set limit Of 81 800
In virtue of his lameness, Ansel Chief