Evening journal., 1910-08-23
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
The Fortune That Was
Born Of Luck
BY "HOlland."

Don't tell me that luck-pure
luck-doesnt play an important role
in the affairs of men. | know better.'
The speaker was John Franklin
| Miller. who a year or two before,
in 1881, had been elected to the
United States Senate from California.
For gallantry at the battle of Stone
River he had been made a brigadier
general of volunteers. At Liberty
Gap he had been severely wounded,
! but nevertheless had commanded a
division at Nashville, soon after
wards being brevetted major general
of volunteers. And after the war he
had removed from Indiana to Cali
fornia, where he had become inter-
ested in politics. an activity that fin
ally had landed him i'm the national
Senate.
II presume" continued the Senator,
who made a fortune out of seal skins,
that the majority of fortunes are
the result of hard work. great fore
sight and sagacity. But / am abso-
lutely convinced that luck often plays
as important a part in creating
wealth as ability and hard work.
Take my own case. Before I en-
tered the Union army as an Indiana
volunteer ! was succeeding very well
for a young business man. was
cautious without being timid; I was
Industrious; I was optimistic and en-
thuslastic and, / tell you, enthusiasm
counts for everything in the way of
making a fortune under ordinary con-
ditions But, curiously enough. though
l applied all these characteristics to
business after the war was over,
D. I 81
and when I finally received my APP
pointment as collector of the port of
San Francisco, / was delighted, for
I was absolutely dependent upon the
salary that the position brought me
for my support.
well. one day there came into the
6face of tire collector about the
Queerest looking sea-faring man ]
ever saw. But he had a clear and
honest eye, and a very soft and mel
low voice, and / was Immediately inn
pressed.
"I want you TO come down and
see what | have on my ship he said.
Il asked him why, but he would
say no more. so, after a little hesita-
tion, / accompanied him to his vessel.
There he showed me a great heap of
seal skins. salted down.
"T am going to take these to Lon
don to be dyed. but first / have Il
proposition to make to you he said.
4 want you and some of your friends
to victual my ship, guarantee the
wages of the crew and furnish me
with little money so that l can get
to London: then, when | come back,
want you to victual my ship and
guarantee the crews wages once
more, and for doing this l will give
you a share in the seal skins | will
get on my next trip
81 asked him where he had got the
skins then on board and where he
intended to get the others. but he re-
fused to tell. ! must rely on his good
faith In the matter, he said; all he
would tell me was. that he knew
where there were millions of the best
seals to be found anywhere in the
world. and he alone knew where.
Did I want to come in with him?
"Now, wouldn't you say that was q
most reckless proposition for me
to consider? Yet / did consider it-l
don't know why. to this day--and
persuaded two of my friends to join
with me in doing what the captain
wished. And something more than 3
year later that old fellow, put int5
port with his vessel loaded down witt
new lot of seal skins, and my share
OF the profits was several thousand
dollars. Then he told us where la,
the island ON which he had discovered
the seals in such great quantities, and
Immediately we organized company
that secured from the government the
exclusive right of conducting sealing
operations on the island in question
"That was the beginning Of the IA
nous Alaska Commercial Fur Com.
pany. Il brought me a fortune. and
Il was a case of pure luck. And
curiously enough, from that time on
TO this day. | have been almost in
variably successful in every business
undertaking in which / have had a
part, although to many Of these ven
lures | have not begun to give the
thought that I gave to those earlier
ventures of mine which turned out
so disastrously that I had to look &c
Uncle Sam for Job. When that
queer old sea captain came into my