The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-07-06
SHE PASSED
THEM BY
Men Who Let Fortune
Slip.
OPPORTUNITIES THEY LOST
A Trio Who Might Have Been
MiIlionaires Had They Known
When to Invest.

NEW YORK, June 15.-News was re-
eeived In this CITY yesterday that Mckee
Rankin is going to return here and try
to make new start In Iife II is said
he hopes to get backing to secure some
small 'theater and will put on stock
company In standard drama
This has set the gossips of the Alley
talking, and much concerning Mr.. Ran
kin, both of truth and fiction, has been
told; but perhaps the most interesting of
all Is how he lost a fortune when 1t was
offered to him practically for nothing.
1t was back in 1877, and Mckee Rankin
was then in the zenith of his success He
was a star of a powerful drawing force
and he was supposed to be worth a for
tune I'm fact, he did have considerable
money slowed away, but he was a high
liver and got through more than the av-
erage millionaire would dream OF doing.
His apartments at the Fifth Avenue Ho-
tel cost him $50 day, and he opened
wine for all who would drink it with him.
He gave away and squandered big sums,
and it was estimated by his friends that
his personal expenses ran close to 81 ,061
week.
| This was when he was starring In The
Danites,'' and his check in those days
would have been accepted anywhere for
100000.
| CI course his popularity and earning
capacity did not continue, but his prodi-
gality did. He was not a business man
lie pr.ded himself on not being one, and
knew almost nothing about investments.
The result was, of course, inevitable, 1t
ali ended in financial stringency, and then
Mckee Rankin wes sorry ne had not put
5000 out where 1t would have made hm
a niiiibnaire whether he wanted to
mot.
| 1t was when Westinghouse, the invent
or. almost unknown. he had pat
ents of engines motors, airbrakes and
many other things. He had started to
manufacture in Eittsburg, and a combi-
nation had been formed against MIN. He
was at the end of his resources, was al
most to the wall, and did not know what
TO do. He needed ready money badly,
and at last came to New York to look
for 1t.
| He knew MIR Rankin well, and after he
had vainly tried Wall street he met Mr..
Rankin in the cafe of the fifth Avenue
| Hotel.
ventor and listened to his plant of woe
with sympathy, and at last Mr.. Westns-
house said:
, You've got money. I need it. I'll tell
you what I'll do. You put up 5000 and
I'm give you half interest in all my in
, ventions present and future. 1 can go
4 on and push them as l cannot do now.
. What do you say?"
q NO" was the reply. 81 don't think
much of the airbrakes or other iuvcn-
tlons. The stage is enough for me. i
Idon't want to get into business of any
sort I'm sorry. my boy. 1 guess 1 won't
ldo it. Let's have another bottle and stop
= talking shop"
gl Westinghouse went ahead and male
a millions. Mckee Rankin spent what Ee
q had He is today very poor man.
), This recalls another man who throw
a laway an enormous fortune which he
l might have had for the taking. 1t was
i lTom Mcclure, the theatrical manager o
e San Francisco and 1t happened about TN
Y same time as the refusal of Mr.. RANKIN
}. Mr. Mcclure was worth hundreds o
>, thousands of dollars. He spent none!
: more lavishly than any prince. He ais
" gambled largely and he often won or los
as high as $4,000 or $4,000 on night
lie lpIay One day certain men came to him
among them Leland Stanford, and offer
. ed him one-fourth interest in neH
=, railroad they were working on. 1t va
| the Central Pacific. MCGUIRE would or
| ldinarily- have lent them the money, eve
| lif he did not himself care to invest IN
| so, 600 they asked Tor. lie was Hot ieeiih
| well that day, so he curtly refused tn
| offer.
| That night he went out to gambin
| resort and lost $4,000 in four hours pla,
| His share of the railroad, which woul
| lhaye cost him 5000 less than his night
| Measure would have made him wealth.
| ! for life but he let the chance go by.
| Still another case of this sort, whic
| was told yesterday, was concerning a'
| iother theatrical manager of the Goa. Z
| land who was often mistaken for the oth'
| lMaguire-John Mcguire. 1t also happe
| ed about, the same time. He was nvln
| in Butte, Mont. He had fIleno' w.
| liam Parker, who was interested in mar
| mines In that section. He also drank
| times and one of them was on SUI
day wheel he called on Mcguire. He WI
| distinctly the worse for liquor and WI
| leaper for more He also wanted to
visiting at places he knew. He WI
| "broke" and needed money right ava
when he met Mcguire he said:
John, give me Sl00 right away. 1
give YOU a quarter interest in the Cas-
| mine If you Will
II can't do ii. Billy" was the answe
its Sunday, and don't want to do bu
illness You don't need money and "
don't need any more to drink. Go hor
| land sleep and come around tomorro
and you can have whatever you want
Parker did not go around on Monda
| soon after there was a tremendous n
in the Gazon mine. and II has paid m
v | lions up to the present day.
N Thus these three men let fortune G
a l,tpon them and walk awav again witho
le welcome, and thus they We're UNIV
v | tinply refusing the money and ease
! (which all three were striving.