Evening journal., 1901-08-07
LAW HAD MILLION
NOW PENNILESS
Was He Who FIOated Golden
SCeptre Mine
mrs. WALLlNC PROSECUTRIX
Former Wilmington Church Pastor Her
Husband, Now StudyiBg Law
in Gotham

"seventy-three years old, out of
money, and guest in Lud-
low Street Jail, New York. That is the
way Or. Richard s. Law describes the
latest stage in the picturesque career
he has followed for at least twenty
years.
Contempt Of court IS the charge upon
which Dr. Law is held. He failed to
appear 90 answer in supplementary
proceedings growing out OF litigation
over the Golden Sceptre gold mine.
which he promoted in 1896, and Just
when he will be able TO resume his
profession as a mining financier he
does not know. Prosecuting the charge
against him Is Mrs. Elizabeth Wall
ing, wife of the Rev. w. A. Waning.
until recently pastor Of the Delaware
Avenue Baptist Church. OF this
city. Mr. Walling and his congre
cation differed over investments in Dr.
Laws mines, and he is now in New
York studying law
DR.. Law has been at different times
The possessor OF several fortunes. Once
he had Sl000O00. Again IL was half
that sum. still later ne had lesser
amounts and sften hundreds OF thou
sands OF dollars seemingly within his
grasp He is promoter and n specu-
lator. and even in his old age and ad-
veisty he has not lost the hopefIlness
and courage of the type.
Tom l.. Johnson. mayor OF Cleve-
land, Is one OF his intimate friends
lie knew the late Henry George we'll
ana at the funeral Of the single-tax
leader acted as pall-bearer During the
hard campaign which preceded Mr.
I Georges death DR. Law spoke con-
stantly on the stump.
4 Gold mining has been the bane OF Or.
Laws life. The craze seized him when.
he was a young physician. Even now
in jail. he dreams OF other fortunes
and thinks he may yet return TO his old
haunts az the Waldorf Astoria.
The Golden Sceptre mine was the old
mans Waterloo. He foated it in VII
mington, through Harry Emmons.
DR. Law obtained an option
on he property in Colorado and
sold 1t 10 a company organized by Mr..
Emmons Professor Sadler, OF Bowl
der, Col, and other experts are said to
have reported favorably upon the prop
erty and one million shares OF stock of
s. each, par value, were issued. The
stock at one time sold at SO so a share.
After a time DR.. Law wanted some
ready money to invest, and SO sold
some OF his stock to Mrs. Walling. She
was so sanguine OF success that Il was
comparatively easy to induce her rela,-
lives to invest with her It is said
Law agreed to redeem the stock If the
mine proved to be a failure 1t seems
TO have turned out that way. for in a
Then came trouble for Dr. Law
II was floating mine in Paris when
/ they complained to me-" he saws II
was under no obligation to pay these
people but the preacher and his wife
seemed TO think il was my fault that
/ they and their relatives had lost their
money. They were church folks. and
as I was certain then of making at
least 100000 on the Paris deal l gave
them some money and signed notes for
some more. ! have paid right along
all / could but they got the idea some
where that ] was getting wealthy and
sued me. There are about $1,000 in
notes assigned to Mrs. Walling. and
that is what is making the trouble.
"I had a big deal on then in Phila-
ldelphia, and would have made money.
But Saturday morning the sherins
4 man took me- | had only seven cents
then, and didn't get any breakfast. I'll
pay every cent. If they'll only give me
a chance to make it. I could get out
of here by sending for some of my
wealthy friends, but / don't want TO be
under obligations to anybody"
Ray Bacon, New York law
yer. is pushing the case
against Or. Law. on behalf of his
sister. Mrs. Walling, and ether rela-
tives. The Wallings are living with
him at No 315 Fifth avenue,
that city. He said last
night that DR.. Law drew about
SIS 900 in money out of the mine, and
that they believed he still had the
lmoney.