Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1901-03-22
WHAT IS CALLED LUCK.
An Instance in Which One-Hnlf of q
Small Grub Stake Returned
$4,000.

81 don't believe in luck" said a
man from California at one of the
hotels, but there does seem to be
case now and then in which fortune
actually chases down some fool,
grabs him by the hair, and, in spite
of his shrieks and struggles, fills his
pockets full of gold. The west is full
of instances of that kind, but the
most remarkable that ever came un
der my observation occurred al
Frisco about six months ago. When
the Klondike craze first started in
1898, to tell you the story briefly, a
veteran prospector named Peterson
drifted into the city looking for
somebody who might grub stake
him to try his luck in Alaska.
"At last a tobacconist whom he
knew slightly agreed to stand half
the expense, and gave him note to
a race horse man asking him to con-
tribute the balance. Peterson found
the turfman in a gambling house,
half tipsy and playing roulette. He
read the note, pushed ten-dollnr
stack of chips on the board and said:
I'll play these for you, and if 1 win
your stake with 'em you can have it,
BY remarkable coincidence he won
three or four straight bets, ran the
chips up to 5000 and gave the miner
the money. The tobacconist put up
5000 more, and Peterson left on the
next ship for st. Michael. He was
soon in the Dawson district, suffered
the usual vicissitudes of the gold
hunters in that region and finally,
just as he was about to give up in
despair, located n couple of good
claims at the head of Anvil creek, one
for himself and one for his 'stakers.'
He developed his own prospect dur
ing the following summer, got $12, 900
out of it in dust and sold the other
for $4,000 cash. Then his health
broke down, and last spring he re-
turned home.
Meanwhile, things had gone badly
with his patrons" quotes the New
Orleans Times-Democrat. "The to-
bacconist died suddenly in the fall OF
1898, his share of the stake going by
custom to his associate, but the
horseman had long since forgotten
the whole affair, if, indeed, he ever
remembered it after he got sober
He had plenty of other things to oc.
cupy him in the shape of hard luck
that eventually cleaned him out and
left him fiat broke. / know personal.
Iy he was without the price Of n meal
half the time during the winter oil
1s90-1000 and that was about his con.
dition when Peterson struck Frisco
in the spring.
THE prospector first inquired for
his friend, the tobacco man, and
learning he was dead, started out tc
hunt up the other partner. 1t was
no easy job, for the broken sport
owed everybody he knew and was
lying low to avoid duns. Peterson
who had seen him but that one night
at the gambling house, had a very in
distinct recollection of his features
and actually passed him several times
without recognizing him. Finally tn,
man was pointed out in bar. 'Art
you Mr.. -" asked the miner. NO
I'm not said the other, thinking tn,
stranger wanted money. Aren't yo,
the man that staked me one evening
in 1898" persisted Peterson. and he
related the circumstances. ooh. yes.
said the turfman, impatiently, your,
that Klondike lunatic. If you wan
another stake, you've struck Tho
wrong shop
"Then Peterson got mad. Con
found your ugly picturen he said. 9
don't want anything from you excep-
q receipt for $4,000! Here's tn,
money The poor sport was SO
amazed he came near fainting deat
away. When he gyt the facts through
his head, he ran out and danced liz
in the middle of the street and yellet
'Glory!' so loud you could hear hin
half way 10 Sacramento. The none,
put him on his feet, and he is doint
well al present. Peterson has re
turned to Dawson City. A version o
the story has been told in print, bu
1t was badly garbled. The facts ar
Exactly as I have given them"