The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-07-12
STORIES ABOUT BONNER
ODD EVENTS IN HIS RISE FROM Pow
ERTY TO MILLIONS.
Man Who Never Borrowed or Owed
MOney-His Only Bet-HOw He Sc
cared Dickens az q Writer.
New York Journal.

was a master of many To be sure, he
could not paint picture nor could he carve
a marble faun. But he could shoe horse,
and as an advertiser he had no equal. Be
sides this, he could set type with machine
like rapidity and precision and decision, and
could tell paying story at glance. Also,
he never owed a cent longer than 1t took
to pay IL. Ali of which is more or less art.
In 1874 Mr. Bonner came to New York.
He brought with him $50 to a cent. He
put it in a bank, and one day the cashier
wrote down In red ink in his handbook ''SS.
1T was my interest" said Mr.. Bonner.
II had to ask him what 1t meant He told
me. and I was overwhelmed with astonish-
ment. told him hadn't made the money.
No. but your money did, he answered.
THAT settled it. 1 learned that day that
money makes money, and that to be rich
you must save. So 1 have saved"
Mr.. Bonner's greatest pride was that he
never borrowed or owed The only thing
he eve: borrowed was a maxim from Emer-
son-'O disconnected 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
EFT ought to write for the Ledger. The
friend smiled.
you couldn't get Everitt to write at any
price," said the friend.
You wait and see," said Mr.. Bonner.
Mr.. Everett was lecturing at that time on
Washington. using the proceeds toward a
fund for the purchase of Mount Vernon.
Mr. Bonner wrote to Mr.. Everett that he
would subscribe $4,000 to the fund If Mr..
Everett would write once a week for the
Ledger. The famous Bostonian accepted.
There" said Mr.. Bonner. What did
tell you? 1t came high, but got it."
The only time in his lie that Mr.. Bonner
ever made a bet was when he was a type
setter on the old Hartford Courant. A
Jour Of the name of John Hand came
down the line with the advance reputation
of being the swiftest compositor OH earth.
Maybe" said the Courant men; but
you haven't tried Bonner yet
HUH" said the Jour-" I'll try him for
80 side"
II never bet" said Mr.. Bonner.
you better not" laughed the challenger.
Mr.. Bonner changed his mind. He put up
$40. got down to work. and, besides con-
Stunning two pieces of custard pie, set q, 800
ems of solid minion type in twenty hours
and twenty-eight minutes. The feat has
never been eQualed.
NEVER RACED HIS HORSES.
= Although Mr.. Bonner spent in his lifetime
about $3.50, 900 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 nine
teen horses in the world, dead and alive,
that had trotted mile in 2:90. To-day
there are 1900 on the list. To Mr.. Bonner
is due much of this. He was the, first to
show what might be accomplished by intel
ligent shoeing, and without doubt no man
alive has ever understood the foot Of the
horse as definitely as he learned II.
This was effectually displayed some time
ago at sale of Palo Alto trotters. Mr..
Bonner looked them over and picked out
cry 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 at 81, 500. In virtue of his lame
ness Ansel Chief was knocked down to $500.
MIR. Bonner grinned with delight. He took
the colt TO Tarrytown and paired down its
toes. In a few days it was as sound as a
dollar, moving squarely and fast, and at
the age of four went the mile in 2:151a.
You see," explained Mr.. Bonner, 1.-The
toe of its hoof was so long that it stretched
the gamep tho Just had It
about 2 cents labor and saved me thou
sand dollars
Speaking OF Tarrytown, Mr.. Bonner's place
was one of the finest trotting farms in the
country. But strange to relate, he never
spent night there from the time he bought
II till the day he died. Why, no one ever
knew. 1t was notion Of hiS-juSt that and
nothing else.
Once Mr.. Bonner wanted place in West
chester. He found one that was satisfac-
in the neighborhood. The agent said no;
there was no malaria in WeStchester, but
over across the line there was plenty. Ev-
cry householder in the county told him the
same thing. So Mr.. Bonner bought the
place. and promptly got malaria. A few
days afterward i, an advertisement appeared a1
offered his place for sale: In the advertise
ment he enlarged upon the fact that 1t was
the only place in the entire county where
malaria could be caught, but, notwithstand-
ing this great and uncommon advantage, ne
would sell 1t at a reasonable price. In sup
port Of his statement Mr.. Bonner called at
tention to the assertion OF every real-estate
dealer in the neighborhood that there was
no malaria in the county. He sold the place
Another story told OF MT. bonner Is some ne
William R Travers. Mr.. Bonner was riding
in a street car one day with his son, then
little boy. The car was crowded and Mr
emily a handsome and stylish young woman
entered and Mr.. Bonner nudged his son from
| his knee.
give the lady your seat"
Even the young woman had to join In the
litter that followed.
PUBLISHED A CLEAN PAPER
One rule that was always inviolate in the
Ledger office was that nothing even remote
| ly suggestive should appear.
"You shall not print in this paper" saic
Mr.. Bonner, "even single word that my
mother could not read aloud without shame
| to her infants"
There is nothing EARTH" said Mr.
Bonner again and still once more, like ad
| vertising. If you have anything to sell adj
| vertise it."
| one of Mr.. Bonner's early ideas was tt
buy I'D the entire advertising space In
| New York newspaper. His display consisted
4 in repeating over and over with Dewnoerlnt
| iteration the fact that tie Ledger was apou
| to publish a story by So-and-So on ,th'
| morning the advertisement appeared-eiSh
pages in all-Mr Bonners physician mas
1 tened to his house.
| rs anything the matter with Mr.. Bon
| ner?" he asked hurriedly:
| Il don't think So" said Mr.. Bonner, an
| s.Then tell me-" demanded the physician
| what in the face of nature all this means
| Have you gone out of your mind owe
| night?"
| 'aThere" he exclaimed. II knew that ad
| vertisement would hit. venture to say tina
| every person that has read that paper thi
| morning is making the same query. IT
The advertisement cost thousands of dol
IT'S too bad" said friend to him on
| morning. that Charles Dickens won
| write for American publications"