Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1900-05-10
MADE IND LOST MILLIONS
And Lucky Baldwin Is Still
Full of Energy.
IS GOING TO CAPE NOME
Many a Time He Has Been Possessed
of a Fortune and Had Nothing Bet
ter to Eat Than FIapjacks-Not
Easily Discouraged.

Easily Discouraged.
Il have made and lost more millions
than any other American, but the first
ship that sails for Cape Nome will
cary me as passenger" writes
Lucky &c. j. Baldwin in the New
York Evening World. People tell
me am too old to bear the hardships
of a new mining country, but am not.
II am going to Cape Nome, for |
think there is plenty of money to be
made there, but principally to show
people that Lucky Baldwin's luck is
still with him. | shall open a store,
saloon, dance hall or theatre-the
one thing that the place wants and
will pay highest for.
From the day landed in San Fran
cisco in the winter of 1853 began to
work in the Pacific temperance
House, which was the best paying
house in town. | then sold out, max
ing $1,000 on the deal.
"The next thing l went into was the
brick.making business. | saw that in
very short time the government
would need bricks for Fort Point and
Fort Alcatraz. | went into partner
ship with man who had small brick
yard, but we did not agree, and dis
solved partnership and went into bust
ness for myself. My yard couldn't
turn out the bricks fast enough to sup
ply the demand for them.
II sold the brick yard and put the
money in real estate. l bought some
property and turned it into a livery
stable, which ran for some months,
and then sold out at big profit.
After | sold out the livery stable
started on a trip around the world
with couple of Englishmen and two
Scotchmen. 1t was on this trip that
I got my lucky ring in Japan. | also
brought back with me company of
Japanese and Chinese actors. played
with them in every mining camp in
California, making gold dust by the
sackful out of them. Then l took the
company east. finally playing them in
New York at the Academy of Music
for eight week to the biggest business
that theatre had ever had. | sold out
to Gilbert, of Gilbert and Sullivan
fame, and he took the company
abroad, where it played to almost
every crowned head of Europe.
I'm 1859 | started for the mines in
Nevada had plenty Of money, but
wanted some mining excitement.
Manys the time I've had a million
dollars and nothing to eat but flap
jack. have been out in the noun.
tains where l had to get up and shake
a foot of snow off my blankets, make
some fiapjacks and cut a twig off
tree for fork. If men who are will
ing to endure such hardships strike it
rich they are dubbed lucky instead
of 'plucky.'
Il don't believe in advising others,
although | have helped some people
who were not afraid to take chances
to make a fortune The man who
deals in stocks has got to have con-
fdence and nerve. I've lost a million
dollars and not lost a wink Of sleep
over it. And I've made five times as
much without losing my head. AS to
all my dealings in stocks, | can say
that If | had to do it over again,
knowing what was ahead, could not
improve on my stock investments.
After the big Ophir deal | wanted
something to invest my money in that
| thought would be safer than banks.
| bought ranch in southern Cali
fornia, and called it Santa Anita, and
If their is fair land on earth it's right
there. | have invested In all about
$4,000, 900 in southern California
Some of the finest horses in the state
were raised on my ranch down there.
Next to mining | like to raise horses
and race them.
The Ophir deal was my big oppor-
tunity in the past. On the day that
hn To- of 10 f,nnNn St,f 7
knew that one member would be alb.
sent, but heard that the president in
tended voting both as president and
member, which would give the faction
three votes against my two. | went
to my lawyer, Reuben H. Lloyd, and
told him to get out an injunction
There were twenty minutes lacking
in which to get out that injunction,
but | said go ahead anyway. Then |
went to the meeting, broke up the
furniture, knocked one man under the
table, covered another with pistol
and kept things lively until Lloyd got
there with the injunction. 1t was
fighting, not luck, that saved me.
II wouldn't give an outline of my
life without mentioning that I've been
in court more times than most men
sometimes as plaintiff, sometimes as
defendant. ! really don't know how
many lawsuits | have been mixed up
in but my lawyer says enough to
make me pretty good lawyer. | work
on my case as much as my lawyer
himself and I'm pretty we'll up in law,
even If haven't sheepskin emitting
me to practice.
1T Is said that / trusted so much in
my luck that l never insured any Of
my property. 1t wasn't that | had
faith in my luck but it is a fact that
| never cared to insure my property.
| kept an insurance account, and up
to the time Of the hotel fire | was
$500, 900 ahead When | built the
Baldwin hotel first leased the ground
on which it stood and afterward
bought it, The hotel cost, when it
was finished S2,000,000, and 100000
was afterward put in it for improve
ments. The hotel paid an interest of
$50, 900 year, so it wasn't a bad in.
Nestment.
"The house stood for one year with.
out an insurance and only the year
before it was burned did l take out a
policy for $4,000 had been warned
that certain party threatened to
burn my hotel, and that was the rea-
son insured it. | have never had an
other piece of property insured.
Despite my years am still strong
and full of energy, willing to take big
chances and ready to work That Is
all the luck there is in It, and, there.
fore, | believe / will be as lucky in the
future as | have been in the past.
Every man makes his own luck"