Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1900-05-07
POVERTY CONES 10 GILLETTE
The Former Plunger Selling Shirt
gs; Waists In (.hfl,uaY, nas

x HAdA6oS lily, Nay l.-Grant Gillette,
who less than two years ago could
borrow 100000 or more from almost
any big bank in this section, whose
cattle and acres were counted by the
thousands, whose liabilities when the
bubble burst ran up into the millions,
is selling Shirt waists and millinery to
the senoritas down in Chihuahua. Gil
5lette and his wife have little shop in
the Mexican town and the husband
sells the shirt waists the loyal wife
makes and the hats she trims.
This story was brought back from,
Mexico by a Kansan, an old acquaint-
sance who saw the Gillettes at Chlhua1
.hua less than three weeks ago. Within
the last few months the former piunger
has learned what biting poverty is
Last fall the Gillettes We're running a
dairy During the winter Mrs. Gillette
had smallpox and it was with difficulty
that she was nursed thru the disease.
An infant child died and then Gillette
himself was accidentally poisoned. 1t
took him some weeks to recover his
strength and under these discouraging
circumstances the dairy business
slipped away from them and they
found themselves without capital I.
was only recently that they adopted
the plan of making shirt waists and
running little millinery stand The
skansan who saw them says they are
making some Roadway. but ilayins
known Gillette in Kansas he could not
help feeling pity for the family, tho he
never endorsed the action Of tn,
plunger when he fed to Mexico.
Two years ago Grant Gillette's herd.
| We're the most extensive in the Who'll.
state of Kansas. Careful cattle feeder:
like Wheat Robinson, George NJ
Munger. the Plumbs and the Lantrys
looked on In amazement at his opera
lions. His paper was good in ever,
bank in the country. He brought cattl,
TO Kansas City by the train load, anc
the men Who counted their cattle in
hundreds wondered why Grant Gille,s
could talk SO glibly of the thousands ii.
his herds The banks had confidence II,
him and his paper was good every
where He could come to Kansas Cit,
and borrow a hundred thousand s.
easily as some men who are reliab,.
could borrow a thousand
Two years ago iii March he organize
cattlemanss association a Abilene
Was to be rival of the state association
that had been fighting the railroads Oh
the rate custom. The big railroad CON
panies sent theirl live stock commissions,
from Chicago and from the far wess
Gentlemen came from the big ranges o.
the Arkansas and the short grass coun
try, as far north as the Platte in Ne.
braska and as far west as the base O
the Rocky mountains. Gillette's ON,
cowboy band entertained them with n,u
sic. After the convention special trail.
on the Rock Island, chartered by Gil,
lette. took them to Gillette's farue
where they We're guests of the cattl,
king of central Kansas.
1t Is hardly eighteen months since C; n
iettes sent a train load of cattle from on,
of MIS- ranches to another in Kansas
and night passenger train had 10 Mai
for Gillette's cattle train to get out o
the way. The collapse came two day.
before Thanksgiving in 1895. Gillette
tho millionaire plunger, became a de
faulter and fugitive from justice. Cat
tlelnen and banks are still fighting i,
tho courts over the remnants of tn,
great business he left behind.
Don't criticise him. said the Kan
san Who told a reporter about seem.
Gillette in Chihuahua. The sight d
the man whose check for 500, 900 wa
good anywhere two years ago sellin;
shirt waists to the Mexican girls swep
away from me all the condemnation
had felt for his action"