The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-03-02
ROMANCE OF LUCKY
 BALDWIN ENDED
Noted Turfman Once Owned Many Great
 Ihoroughbreds.
Yolante, Emperor of Norfolk and Rey Fl Santa Won Many Classic Turf Events for Him-Was Raised on Farm.


 Baldwin there passed one of the most picturesque figures in the sporting life of the country. Miner, horseman- rancher, hotel and theatre owner, af- most everything he touched turned into gold, and his estate to-day is es- .imated at $25, 100000. Heswas s1 years old. Death was due to an attack of fr-
 1uenza that brought on heart trouble.
 It was in January that the noted turfman was attacked by ,. fnda and it was feared then he would not
 i've long. He had several heart at lacks, but his wonderful vitality pull ca him through. His widow and daugl1- ter were at his bedside when the end came.
 What disposition Baldwin made of his property will not be known until his will is fled His widow and daugh- fer. however, undoubtedly will be pro vided- for liberally-2 To shut off pos sible contests of his will by others.FeS men, it=was reported Baldwin frfsert d a clause in the document denying the existence of more than one widow. The first thirty years of BaldWin.s life were spent on the farm of his father in Butler County, Ohio. He heard of ths discovery of gold in Cali @orn1a in the early days, and he start ed in search of treasure. He made a lucky strike, gathered Q fortune and increased it. by successful speculation. It was thirty-two years ago that Baldwin went to Saratoga and plunged into the racing game. He let it be known that he wanted to buy a horse to enter a S30,O00 race in San Francis co. After looking over several thor oughbreds he purchased sSrinstead for SS,o00 He also bought Rutherford for s7,000. He entered the latter horse in the sS0,0o0 race, but it failed to win; and his other horses won many classic events for him. He won the A1neri- can Derby four times with his horses Emperor of Norfolk, Silver Cloud, Vo- also won many other important races Baldwin was married four times, having been compelled to settle $1.tou,- eco on one of the wives who divorced him. In spite of the .'wido VI provte- ion in ;is will, it is rumored that at least one woman will come forward and claim part of his estate.
 Up and down the Pacific coast Eaid- wins possessions are scattered He lived on his ranch, Arcadia. which is one of the show places of this part te the State. The ranch practically is a town, with s. race track on which running meetings are being held at P, esent. A rep,'t was cirLdlcted re- gently that he was broke. II. reply Baldwin gave out the following state ment:
 eff I'm broke I do not know it. I own the largest number of blooded horses of any man in California. I have 37 thoroughbred racing mares. 1000 cattle and mules, 200 breeding sheep. I have been represented as a fast liver and a spendthrift. am just
 the reverse; They s say I T,aa have Iost me laugh I quit one poker game over $30O.O0O winne-. I. lasted three years. and the cheapest chip was $100. Baldwin won his sobriquet Lucky
 as a result of making s5.Oo0. 900 in tWa minutes Several tried to get control of the stock of the Ophir mine. There was a meeting Of the Board of Directors. at which it was | planned to turn the control or the group. Baldwin went to the meeting pointed his pistol at the directors and | threatened to shoot if any effort was
 made to call the meeting to order. While the directors waited his law yer ob:ained an injunction restraining | the directors from turning over the
 control of the mine. After the 1n- | junction was served Baldwin got into | a fight with one of the directors an l knocked him down twice. Within sew | eraI days after the enjoined meeting Baldwin obtained control of the, prop
 erty and made s5,0e00oo by the deal E | Baldwin was alwavs ,fond~of telling | how the Bank of California went broke I trying to break him. He said that | one day the bank unexpectedly called
 in loan of $1 ,000. 900 which tt had made | to him. It gave him un.n p. m or | that day to pay the money. hoping thereby to force him to sell his stock
 on a declining market. He raised the | money without selling his stock ana 1 paid the loan.
 The pank failed subsequently, for | s14 900. GOO. With Jim Keene, D. O. Mills, | senator Sharon, R. H. Lloyd and Mich | aeI Reese Baldwin took hold of the l tangled affairs of the bank and put it on its feet. At present the stock of
 the bank is selling at $50 share
 above it's par value of $z5o zr--,sz..- Baldwin spent several fortunes on | women, but whenever it looked as if he would go broke he managed by a. lucky stroke to regain more than he had lost. Once a woman shot at him when he was sitting in box in a l theatre in San Francisco. She was
 within four feet of him when she nred' but the bullet only grazed his cheek
 It left a scar which he carried to the ] end. | PALOL. the paIatable castor on on | saIe at all drug stores. UT 6