New-York tribune., 1909-03-14
CIOSF, CALI FOR SENATOR NIXON or NFVADl

dawn and often walking forty miles before q '''e
supper Some days l shot six dozen quail anu
walking home through the moonlight. would juinoIe
together various pictures and plans concerning the
future.
when I was between eighteen and naetecn
years old, my station agent friend advised me 90
come into his office and learn teegraphy- had
saved $500 l paid him $50 month for my board
and got nothing for my services. although "''s
ON duty from o'clock in the morning unit! j
o'clock at night. But l learned telegraphing. and
also the railway and express business
II remained fifteen months at Newcastle. and /
didn't spend cent, except the money pald i"F
my board. When my cash on hand had been re-
duced TO $22 I was given "a position at Brown.
across the line in the State of Nevada. Brown
was nothing more than water tank. Ny wages
SO a month I did my own cooking Indians
wanting crackers and bacon. I bought small
stock such frontier delicacies. and in that va
added a little TO my salary
by degrees I was sent along to larger stations,
keeping out of saloons and never drinking.
learned to smoke after 1 was twenty-stX years old
Humboldt. green oasis in the desert, was the last
place I worked a railroad emqloye- IL was a
dinner station. Ny office was the hotel 1 made
the acquaintance of a number of cattlemen, and
also OF Mr. Bender, the general freight and pas
senger agent of the railway and the president of
bank at Reno When Mr.. Bender offered me a
place in his bank at S1G0 a month 1 took it.
"A man whom I knew told about some land
at Pomona Cal l bought twenry-one acres for
81 21O0 paying 800 in cash and giving a mortgage
After being in Reno for fifteen months. 1 sold my
California land for 5000 Then I organized a COM
pany taking in a boy friend of eighteen. who had
81 600 and several cattIemen whom had known at
Humboldt and started a bank at Winnemucca-
The bank prospered from the start People brought
me their money and asked to invest it. \ rail-
way engineer gave me 900. He died. and nursed
his little estate along and his widow has
S75O0O Two years ago l opened a bank az Keno,
captazing 1t at 81 O0O OO0 and making II the strong
est hank between Denver and Sacramento am
also interested In banks in Goldtied and Tonopah-
DO you remember the first investment you made
in mining property l asked
''I lost steadily for fifteen years, Senator Nixon
answered II never dealt in mining shares, but
would stake prospectors who thought they mad al
ready found mines or could go into the mountains
and locate them Every should keep at least
one of his feet on the ground If he specuiates he
s likely TO get both feet in the air and lose his toe
hold on tanglbity l had prospered in land, banks
and cattle but had lost $3.50 $500 every little while
IN what might be called the mining industry Ny
otf+,tde toward mines therefore, was equally hope
ful and skeptical.
while sitting in the lobby of hotel in san Fran
cisco one fortunate evening. man with whom i
u,as acquainted told me he had investigated the
country around GoIddeld, and had bought one
fourth interest in thirtythree mining claims Ee
was authorized to sell another fourth interest foi
s5 coo I paid him the money. Later bought hi:
interest in the claims for $5,000 One of the mine.
connected with the property has yielded S5JOVJ0
month in gold. A single car of ore netted us S04
ON our corporation has been capitalized Io
$4,000, ,OOO."
lcpgyrght, 1909. by James B. MoEF0H'I