The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-01-08
HOW BRICE GOT RICH.
Used His own Judgment in Preference
20 others.

Facts and Fiction.
There is no more striking example of sue
cess attained by the efforts of individual
ability than that in the career of the late
ex-senator Calvin ;. Brice, of Ohio. 1t is
Uo time at all since he hadn't enough to
Tag q bread wagon. 1t was in Governor
Fosters time as chief magistrate of Ohio
1hat BriCe, then a poor, hard-up lawyer,
managed to get into Fosters debt about
$3.50. one day BTce came to Foster and
tod him that the law business didn't pay.
anc asked him to appoint him TO a position
where he might make a living.
can't said Foster; you're a Demo-
crat'
slightly "a Democrat but if you'd give me
81 POSITION I'll guarantee that nobody will
notice it,"
Can't do it," said Foster. ITO appoint
81 Democrat would ruin me.
But you'll never get your $1,000, said
BriCe You might as well ask me to make
ii star as TO make that $1,000 with my law
IN tell you what I'll do" said Foster
FL am all tangled up with Hooking Valley
ON the New York Stock Exchange, ana l
want somebody to 80 there and look after
things. In send YOU if you'll go"
Brice jumped at the chance. Foster gave
him 5000 and LOT of directions, and inn
pressed upon him solemnly the necessity OF
doing just what he was told. II Brlce mad
been q waiter he would have taken your
order and then brought you anything he
pleased. lie would have used his own judg
meuL That's what he did with Foster 5
blocking Valley deal, but he clawed off a
$1,000 profit whereas If he had done as Fos-
4ef had told MIN ne would have lost all.
Foster was delighted, and like a good old
man in the story book. he gave the young
man $4,000. Then Brice went back 20 Wall
street and plunged
Brices greatest play was building the
Nickel-plate. He put in every dollar he
could get and from any source. There
came "a time, too, when to save himself from
utter ruin. if not from something worse, he
had 10 sell He went to Vanderbilt whose
road the NiCkel-plate paralieled. Vanderbilt
gave him what low natures call the
laugh" He wouldn't buy the Nickel-plate.
lie said he could afford to wait for the first
mortsage foreclosure and buy it from the
iii YOU don't buy it Jay Gould will" said
.Oh, no. he won't" said Vanderbilt and
then he gave the anxious Brice second
Brice then went 10 Could He knew that
Gould didn't want the Nickel-plate but he
wanted TO let Vanderbilt in for the road,
and he knew he would buy it before he
would allow Gould to get it. Here came
Brices strategy. He told Gould that If he
would sit silent aud not contradict, neither
affirm nor deny. any newspaper article to
the effect that ne was going TO buy the
NickeI-plate and after this clam-lke silence
had continued for a week. if he would then
slowly ride over the Nickel-plate in an OBJ
seryation car Vanderbilt would buy the
road and he would give Gould S50.WG
Couldn't didn't care for the 100000, but he
was a jocose Spectator. and II struck him
that the whole thing would be Il majestic
Joke ON Vanderbilt. And that was the
story of it. The papers came out and said
that Gould was going 10 buy the Nickel
plate Could. when asked. kept mum and
looked wise At the end of a week he
rueaudcred snail-like over the Nickel-piate,
smoking cigars from the rear end of an OBJ
servatiou car and had all the air of a man
who was looking at a piece of property.
s cries were wired bout GOuld's trip from
every water tank and way station along the
line and before Gould had reached Chicago
Vanderbilt in fit of Mysteries. wired Brice
that he would take the Nickel-plate. Van
derbilt took the Nickel-plate and Brice was
saved.
Mr. Brice was a man of many. interests
and an interchangeable worker. Men who
knew him well have said that If he had con-
Centrated his mind TO the mere labor of
mouev-getting his wealth would have
ecua Cd that Of the GOulds or the Wander
bilts He extended his operations &c the
business of resuscitating dying railroad
properties i'm various sections of the coun-
Try. The services of himself and of his
partner were in constant demand. In Wash
iugtou as in New York. he lived like a
prince He entertained laVishly. 1t is said
that one dinner given by him cost $1,000.
He owned a box az the Metropolitan Opera
House. He paid S}S 600 for 1t. The annual
tax on it and assessments amount annually
to about s. 800 His fortune has been va
TiOusiy estimated at from s. 10000 to 5000,
90 and no one suspected il would dwindie
10 anything Ike S6O0,0U