The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1907-08-15
BLOWS MILLION
THEN GETS JOB
AFTER HAVING GAY TIME, MAR
RYlNG ACTRESS, ETC, HE
BEGINS TO LIVE.

N. S. Mattson, son of former Gov
ernor Hans Mattson, of Minnesota, af-
ter squandering an inheritance OF
81, 00O, 900 turned tramp for years, but
is now earning an honest living with
steam shovel gang in New York
and likes it. In relating his experien-
ces, young Mattson said:
1--WE spent a million dollars.
i've wasted 81 years of my life.
I've been millionaire.
1--WE been a tramp.
i've been down and out-as low
down, as helpless, as hopeless as a
healthy man can be.
But l am On my feet again. I've
got job. For the first time in my
life 1 know what it is to work-to
earn with my own hands the bread I
eat
And now I'm happy. I'm hopeful.
get more pleasure now in buying a
glass Of beer with five cents that I've
earned than l used to get in blowing
n a hundred for champagne"
Came of Sturdy Morse Stock.
Colonel Hans Mattson, father of the
young man, was one of the great char
acters of Minnesota in the early days.
He made a fortune in lumber and
wheat. He was one of those hardy
Morse settlers who built Minnesota
10 II
came governor of the state and served
with distinction, and when President
Garfield was elected in 1880 he was
sent to India as cOnSul-general. There
he made a record for sound common
sense, business judgment ard gener-
al excellence.
Young Mattson was reared in Min
neapolis and went through Yale. He
dissipated his money in the usual man
ner Of the gilded youth, including a
disastrous fling in Wall street. In re-
lating his after life, Mattson said:
October 20, 1900, was my wedding
day. l married Emma Carus, the act
ress. She is still On the stage You
des Paris. She was a good little wom-
an to me.
Il remember the finish all right. l
thought 1 had about $4,000 in bank and
sent in my book to have it balanced,
for l wanted to make a little invest
ment. l had just s175. You see, never
kept any stubs on accounts. That was
when my wife and 1 separated. She
went her road and l took my balance
and started west.
Adopts Life Of a Tramp.
Il got as far as Butte, Mont, and it
was only few days until l was COM
pletely broke. l had to do something or
starve, so l went to work as a "mucker''
il. the Never Sweat mine. 1t was the
first time 1 had ever worked in my
life, and 1 lasted just one day.
Il had to get somewhere and do
something, so 1 beat my way to Sc
attic. On that trip from Butte to Sc
attic l learned more than in all the
rest of my life put together learned
just what the primitive man would do
under certain circumstances and l did
it. The habits and ways of a tramp
were acquired and having nothing es-
in fact, not having any definite moor
ings-I just let go and became a
tramp. 1t was a sudden metamorphosis
but a perfect one.
L finally landed in San Francisco. l
had made a raise of 10 cents one night
and put it into a bed in cheap lodg-
ing house in Mission street We were
all sleeping soundly, when there was a
rumble and crash. Than we were
dumped out of our beds, and, running
into the street we found San Francis
co in ruins. That was the awful morn
ing of April IS, 1906.
Beginning to Mend His Ways.
After the fire had burned itself out
and the citizens began to get over
their excitement, the army soon
Strengthened things out. The orders
were to put every man to work and
the hoboes had to join the rest.
After 1 had been at work for few
days l began to have different ideas
about life than those 1 mad entertained
for some years. l decided I had had
enough of tramping, and for me it
was work in the future. 1 stuck right
to it, and by the time the wreckage
had been cleared away 1 had saved
enough money to fit me out with cloth
ing and pay my way back to New
York
There does not seem to be much
need Of a fellow loafing in New York
if he doesn't want to. 1 got a job out
here in the New York Central terminal.
For few days 1 worked in the mud
as laborer. Then they picked me
out for foreman, and you wouldn't
believe what a feeling it gave me. 1
was looked up to and respected by
lot of other men. even if they were
only laborers, who worked under me-
AS pit foreman of a steam shovel /
was of some Importance in the world
at last. and was doing something to