Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-02-20
FORTUNES MADE THROUGH MIS-
TAKES.

IT is not often that large fortunes are
made nv mistake. Instances of this kind
arc so rare, and their details OF such a
peculiar nature, that their recital can
but be of universal interest.
Before the fame of the Klondlke was
shouted to the world at large, and South
Africa was the favorite spot for gold
seeking, two men managed by the mistake
>of one of them not only to save a consld-
erab lq sum Of money, but to make an M
mense fortune. 1t was just before the IA
nous rush to Colorado, and the Two
men, named Richardson and Montperry,
were the sole owners of a gold mine
which they had worked for all 1t was
worth, and from which they had only
done fairly well. Coming to the end of
the profit making, they looked about for
a promising venture which they could
purchase for a reasonable sum. They
consequently had two lain offered
them. One which paid handsomely for
| working, for which a big price was ask
ed. and another, almost ADJOINING the
| first. which was going cheap because 1T
showed signs of giving out and soon be-
ing barren. Naturally they decided upon
the former. but by extraordinary error on
the part of the partner who went to COM
plete the purchase they actually bought
the latter. and when the mistake was dis
covered they were refused an exchange
by those who conducted the sale. despite
the fact that they offered to considerably
increase the purchase money to get hold
of the promising mine.
However their misfortune proved their
luck, Making the best of what they at
first deemed a horrible mistake, they be-
gan working their newly acquired prop
erty, with the result that 1t turned out to
be a marvelously rich claim, from which
they both reaped very large fortunes. A
a,,r -,,aa, Foe TN pa of thar r1Sp lG thai
the claim they had been so anxious tc
buy turned out a dismal failure a short
time after their negotiating for it. 1t die
not thereafter give up to it's owners more
than two-thirds of the money they had re-
fused as a price for 1t.
Another case in point:
A certain stock broker held a large
number Of shares in two rather specula'
tive concerns, the nicknames of which
were very similar. While he was abroad
for his summer holiday he conceived tn
idea tina one of the two kinds of shares
would shortly have a tremendous slump
Tn other shares he felt easy about, TO
the reason hat they We're quoted at
high price, and showed no signs o
falling.
Determined to rid himself of the forme'
shares, which, had they slumped, woul
have practically ruined him, he cabled hi
manager to sell them outright; but in hi
hasty telegram he used the name of tn
shares he Intended to hold, and whicl
stood at a handsome figure. His aston
ishment and chagrin when he received
reply from his manager to the effect tina
9 all those three promising shares were dis
posed of can easily be imagined. Mex
, morning, however, he heard that they ha'
, , fallen slightly, which fact somewhat com
l forted him. In less than a week they ha
dropped to a figure less than half that a
: which he a sold them, owing to certai
, facts leaking out and his large holdin
. being thrown upon the market. At tn
. same time the shares he had held by mis-
take went up a number Of points, anc
although the crash did not eventual
come, he was able to part with them a
a very handsome profit. Thus his mis-