Bisbee daily review., 1909-03-28

When Elias Jackson Baldwin went to southern California it's history was yei to be made. The northern poS- ton Of the state was gorld-far1ed for its gold mines; Of soJihern Californ's little was known. The impression had gone abroad that southern Cali l6rnia yes 8 desert waste.
 This man helped to ccr1oct- this CT roT. It tock years and au unlimited faith in the resources of the country. Lacky' Baldwin has had both.
 Elias Jackson Baldwin was born in Bullet county Ohio. April ;, 1923. When he was q years old, having ac- cHmuIatod q small fortune by shrewd spcculation and daring investment, the world was rocked by the story e great gold discoveries in Caiifor ri;. With forethought which has rla-i-CC every important action of his iifc, Baldwin waited q whole year. ic auted to iearn more Of the coun- try. Possibly hG belieseo that the irSi reports were wilily e aggerated In 1850 he left the small town of Racine. Wis. 10 drive across the plains to the new land. The trip was one long fight with the Indians, but the men gho were on the western Tail ip 70 were not men to be druuted.
 IL was a fight all tbe way and in the G-eat salt Lake valley it came to g quest lien Cf hand-tOhaud fighting. Baldwin himself shot and killed the Indian chief, aud the others with drew
 At Lis journeys end, Baldwin iu- tarested himself in mercantile pUT- suits. lie did not at once engage in mining. He saw other ways to make money and he made it. But all the time hc had his eye open for the main chance. IL came with the days of the great Comstock lode at Vir- giuia City. Men were becoming nil Ionaires over night; 1t was the wild est time the west has ever known.
 Men who were poor at breakfast lime were worth millions before lunch.
 It Is needless to say that this did Tot escape Baldwin's eye. He deter mined to force his way into this Col corda and his shrewd brain vas not tong in finding the way.
 Tho Ophir mine was one of the Comstock properties. A clique of miners and bankers of San Francisco sought it's control. By means of ly- ing rumors and false assays these men created a panic in Ophir stock Many of them were heavy stockhCld CTS in the nine To give the thing the outward appearance Of real panic tEs~ese men threw great blocks of Ophir stock On the market. Outward ly the rats wero leaving . sinking ship.
 One man was quietly accommodating Ophir stociz-Elias J. Baldwin. He heard the rats sqJfsafing; he Saw them pouring out the hole. but he be | lieyed q few of the. Biggest rzts meant to go back. So he hired .
 mining expert and smusgled him int [ the Ophir mine disguised as a miner This mans report confirmed Baldwin, i suspicion. The mine was a treasure there were millions in sight under i ground.
 Baldwin's agents went everywhsre | They had orders to buy Ophir-bu.
 all of 1t. The purchaser kept out O sight until one bitter day when Bald 1 win, having secured the controlling ! interest !n the mine announced tn
 true situation. Ophir stock went u like g. rocket; Baldwin came out c the deal with his first great fortune $3. 600 900.
 This was his real beginning as ; power in the west. 4 hard man C | deal with, so said those who tried C beat him On business deals. Th' men who claimed that Baldwin deal unfairly were the men who tried t
 deal unfairly with him and foun' l themselves just q little too late. H' emerged from the GomstOcE craz' lvith $20,000,000.
 When mining settled down on steady basis Baldwin turned back L
 the soil He had been born on ] l farn; his father was a farmer. ii inherited his love for hUsbandry. Nc fearing for tho northern and centra ! portion of the state, Baldwin came { southern California and purchased | vast tract of land in San Grabriel va tley. fifteen niles from Los Angcies | The tract he named ''El Santa Anit Ranch" l. became famous the vOrl | over as the home Of the western tho ougbbred.
 Forty~tvo thousaEd acres were nd ! enough for this mon. He bought ag .f other tract in San FTancisqu'ta, aI iotber in Mcrccd county. anotAgr |.
 fhe city Of Los Angeles. Then s !. lbunt the great Baldwin hotel in Sa Francisco and invested in iand nea I.ake Tahoe. Nothing escaped hin
 it WIS in 1872, after be had move