The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-07-05
cHIcAeOs RICHEST NEWsBoY.
Beginning With Bundle of Papers,
 He Has Accumulated $150,ooo.
From the Chicago News, A S15O 900 newsboyi

From the Chicago News.
 A $150000 newsboyl
 He has a unique philosophy. Its all right to work for money" he says, put much better to make money work for you. I've tried both and I try just as hard not to have an idle dollar on my hands as try to keep busy myself.
 Thomas Tagney, Chicagos wealthiest newsboy and also president of a com pany owning many news stands, when seen at his office today was modest. He has an office now, but he started to make a fortune with bundle of papers under his arm out at the car barns on the Northside more than 20 years ago. It was rather a difficult matter to get him to tell how he had managed to run up that one bundle of papers into small Tor tune.
 Some have called me lucky" he said. ''but my opinion is that luck is all right just as long as you work hard and keep this so-called luck going Maybe l am to be considered lucky because l have al- ways been well and strong and ready to work as many hours a day as anyone I'm glad to say that I've always been willing to do that and hope to be aDle to keep it up for long time to come"
 It has been so long since Thomas Tag ney accumulated his first $1O0 that he cannot remember Just when it was, but Il old. T sold papers then" he said, "and would not hesitate to get right out there in the street and peddle them this morn- ing if there was money in it for me-
 My first really big business venture was a sad affair, though" was the half ashamed acknowledgement Tagney made "It was when I was lb years old ana thought I knew all there was to be known I had no such thought as taking the advice of any one at that time, much less seeking counsel, and so I bought out a store.
 ''It was only a little cigar store, but it looked like big business to me. had s4OO and I paid 1t for the cigar shop. 1t didn't take me many days to find out that I was not so astute after all. In fact had paid out my good money for almost nothing However. the lesson l got may have been worth the money to me"
 That no one should ever wait for oppor- tunity to come and knock at the door is the firm belief of Tagney. He declares that anything that comes as easy as that Is not worth having. It Is, far better, he thinks to know where there is an oppor- tunity and go out after it. As an example he cited chance to get in on the ground floor of a big mining company
 "A friend came to me-" he told, and insisted that I buy some of the stock at what he declared was less than half its real value told him that, while I was willing to buy anything I could see or touch that I would not invest cent in a hole in the ground or an airship. have just read in the paper that the mine he wanted me to buy into had failed and that he Is a loser to the extent of SlO,OOO Maybe that's another one of my pieces of luck
 While selling newspapers was the basis
 s-a11f real estate has increased it to Its present proportions He was the first to see the possibilities of newspaper stands when the Northwestern Elevated road was projected When it was completed in 1901 he had secured the priliges for run ming news stands at all of the North western stations. It was at that time that he organized the company he now con- trols, which not only owns over % news stands, but does a big billboard advertts- ing business along the line of the rail- road.