The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1900-02-12
HIS TREASURE
WAS A GIRL
And She Was The Daugh=
ter of Millionaire
Miner.

ess has pink cheeks, brown haii
hanging down her back in the fash.
! ion of little girls, and short skirts
Each evening in the lobby of the
Waldorf-Astoria, she may be seen
with little hand tucked away in
a big horny fist Of white-haired,
e-bearded, but very active man,
who treasures her as the most pre-
cious in his remarkable store of
gifts.
Colonel hThomas Cruise is worth
$l0,000,000. Miss Mary Cruise is
his only child and will inherit his
vast wealth. Her mother died at
the daughters birth. She has a
maid, a companion, agoverness and
she is sole mistress of beautiful
home in Helena.
One day a friend asked Colonel
Cruise as to the head OF his family
table. The Colonel with admirable
gallantry swept his hand toward
his daughter and said: "Where
Miss Cruise sits is the head OF the
table"
1t is a pretty picture OF an old
fathers tireless devotion to his
daughter.
Cruise was not always a colonel.
Once he was "old Cruse' and later
"old Tommy" The title came
with the flood tide of fortune. For
rs years he wandered over the hills
and down the gulches of Montana
in a vain search for gold.
He was grub-staked at times; at
others he went hungry. But one
day his glance fell on bit of gold
float. Float is the driblet OF ore
that drifts away from the mother
lode. and in the march oi ages. a
scattered trail is left to show the
way. Cruise started to find the lode
and after three years Of patient
work, picked up the last shining
mark and then drove his pick into
the richest vein of gold ever dis
covered. He uncovered it from wall
to wall. He drove the tunnel alone.
Not a whisper Of the great find
went out until one day all Montan
knew that Tommy Cruise had struck
it rich. Then little syndicate
was organized to jump the mine.
They figured that Cruise was too
helpless, but they were wrong. He
found friends on every hand, Then
syndicate was formed to buy the
mine. Cruise wouldn't sell, but
waited until half dozen capitalists
came from London. After a con-
sultatlon Cruise left the First Ma
tional Bank one morning with a
check tor 81, $50, 900 in the pockets
of his old blue, ore-stained Jump
ers. A big block of stock par value
IS share, came to him later. He
sold out at $45 share.
Cruise returned to Helena and
purchased the finest home in the
city. He married sister of U. S.
Senator Carter. The wedding was
an event in the history Of Montana.
His hospitality was absolutely
without limit. His friends and ac-
quaintances came galore by rail-
roads, stage coaches and wagon
trains. The streets OF Helena ran
with champagne. 1t was free to
all. A luncheon of the rarest food
1elicacies to be found in New York,
Chicago and San Francisco W as fed
to thousands. The affair cost $30-
300 and was under the personal
Of Col. Hugh McQuaid,
he social leader of the town.
Cruise returned to Helena after
he honeymoon and opened saw
ngs bank, He placed the bulk of
lis fortune in stocks and bonds and
With the rest he gambled in min es
md real estates. Every dollar
made two. His fortune grew like a
down a hill. He is next
o w. A. Clark and Mercus Daily in
wealth.
He never burns his money. His
social obligations to Montana at
arge was settled at his wedding.
His old friends are welcome at his
handsome home, but Cruise is not
'iven to longings for cutting
wathes in New York society or in
Vail street.
Cruise was the one man in Helena !
Who could have stayed the black
loud of financial panic in 1898.
'he officers of several national
'anks met one day in that eventful
ummer and decided that there
'as only one thing left to do. They
lust get Tommy Cruise to loosen his
tore of gold or close their banks.
hey had learned that Cruise had
500, 1000 in coin in his vaults. This
'ould stay the ruin until relief
ould como from New York;
So they went to Cruise. The poor
rospector had been to these very
len in the hard days of his poverty
nd he had not forgotten. lie re.
linded one after the other of the ef-
'rts to jump his claim, Of their un-
illingness to help him in his
xtremity. His remarks became
Try personal. The visitors felt a
Did blast whirling through the
pom.
"And now 7 am obliged to say
lat you must do tine best you can,"
lid Cruise with a wave of his hand.
Some people called it poetic re-
.nge. However the First Nation al
nd Montana National banks closed
lie following day and Helena was
lught in maelstrom.