Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1899-08-02
MEN WITH MILLIONS.
Who Have Treated Immense For
tunes as Playthings.
Mighty PIunGes Mad By Famous
Finanefers In which Millions
of Dollars Were Made
or Lost.

The death of the famous Chicago
Spectator, "Old Hutch" brings a 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 al the time when lis attempt
and failure b2came the subjects Of in
ternatioral discussion LETT him broken
in health and ruined financially. Like
many another stock and grain gambler,
he had played the limit AID lost. But
Mr.. Hutchinson's tremendous losses
made no 2~Farent difference II his bear
ing and occupation. Only ia!ling health
drove him from his daily place in the
wheat pit. Had he won lie 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 citation or de-
lection with which the average man
would win or lose 500 it seems scarcely
credible that there are about at least
a dozen men who have won or lost a
hundred thousand times as much with
out, metaphorically, turning a hair"
During the recent stock exchange
boom in Wall street, it is said on au-
thority that Mr.. John ID. Rockefeller
lost So. 900, 900 in less time than il would
take him to smoke a cigarette. For six
consecutive minutes he was losing ST.
100000 every minute on the fall in
Standard Oil.
After all, this was only a slight check
in a brilliant career of good fortune.
Such a 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, 1000, 900 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 a
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 S135,000.-
900. This meal that Macdonald dur
ing the last three years has increased
his wealth by $45, OOO, 900 a year or $685.
3S5 a week.
Few men knew better than the late
Jay Gould the rapture of making mil
lions in single transactions. In 1873.
when he r~larred the famous gold cor
ner. although disaster overlook most of
I. lis COllSuCutS. MI. bOulu Cdufc outol' u
the richer by 81 .500,G COO.
One of the rcost 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 Ct
stocks and shares: and when the neSl
days news sen prices up like so many
rockets. he had Melted an enormous
fortune.
+. Il. Talcott. who. until ra"nntlv was