The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-07-05
LUCKY" BALDWIN's LUCK,
Has Made and Lost More Than Any
other Man In America,

Has Made and Lost More Than Any
other Man In America.
From the Philadelphia North American.
Il have made and lost more millions
than any other American" said Lucky
Baldwin not long ago, and that, indeed.
is the story of his career. He was born
on farm in Racine. Wis, seventy-three
years ago. When IS years old he took a
race horse to South End, Ind, raised a
little money and started grocery store.
he prospered, bought a string of wagons
and horses and headed for California
That was in 1858. Alive to the possbili-
ties of San Francisco. he figured that
millions of bricks would soon be needed
In the town, and became interested in a
brick yard. Next he opened a livery sta
Bile, and after that went back to selling
groceries. He was accommodating money all
the time, and in settlement of some bill
had received a number of certificates of
stock In gold mines.
This apparently worthless stock he put
carefully away and then went over To
Japan to bring over a japanese troupe
as sort of theatrical enterprise He was
gone several months, and when he re-
turned he found that the Comstock lode
had been discovered, and that the min
Ing stock he had put away was worth
considerably over a million dollars. Thi:
was where he earned his sobriquet o.
Lucky"
Notwit outstanding his sudden accession
of wealth, Baldwin went about over the
country with his japanese troupe unit
his contract was filled Then he returned
to San Francisco and reinvested his
money. He acquired vast ranches In
Southern Calofirnia, Baldwin's Theatel
and Hotel in Frisco and a hotel at Lake
Tahoe.
The hotel in Frisco was burned down
in 1898, and 1t was popularity supposed
that the old man had gone broke" The
property had been mortgaged and the
building was not insured. Baldwin finally
sold the ground to James L. Flood for
81, 425 900.
1t was at his Santa Anita ranch of 50.
900 acres, twenty miles from Los Angeles,
that Mr.. Baldwin's celebrated racing sta
bles were located. There the celebrated
Emperor of Norfolk was stabbed In one
year this great stallion cleared $4,000 for
Baldwin. Mr.. Baldwin bred, raised and
trained every horse that carried the NAL
tese Cross
The stables we're plain and simple,
without the usual filigree told about in
connection with the quarters of Maud S.
ana OtHeF myers. BALDWIN was not a be-
liever In such things. The horses, some
of which were valued at from S25 600 IN
$4,000 each, lived in plain wooden stalls,
fifteen feet square, kept in the utmost
neatness and order by attendants. Near
the stables was a beautiful mile track,
on which the horses were exercised.
Baldwin's escspades with women gained
him more notoriety than anything else
In 1888 he was shot in his hotel by q
young woman who claimed that he had
wronged her and cast her adrift. Then
Winnie Mccormick sued him for $40, 900 for
alleged breach of promise. She had been
employed to sew tapestry in his hotel.
II was sensational trial. but he won
It, third. named Louise Perkins, who
lived at El Monte, near his ranch. sued
him for $4,000 for breach of promise and
then went to New York and killed her
self.
Reduced in fortune by the burning of
his 100000 hotel in San Francisco, and
crippled by large debts, Baldwin decided
to make new start in the Klondike
fields. Despite the fact OF his threescore
and ten years, he went North, with a
party OF prospectors. Last year. when
he got back to Nome he declared that
he had located 100 claims. and that there
was million dollars In II for him.