The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1911-02-16
FORMER MAN
HERE IS DEAD
ON THE COAST
Man Remembered Here Has
An Interesting and Long
SdIEGl.
Career.

SPpSaAAhS III thS 1US angeles sun
lay Times Of gentleman, well
6aown here and a resident Of
5larkaaurg shortly after the civil
var. whose death occurred in Los
Angeles recently:
Captain of indus ry, Industrial and
commercial soldier OF fortune, pi-
oneer in the hewing OF civic and po-
I teal history in half a dozen west
ern states, founder of cities and Of
great industries, faraee.ag prophet
Of the prosperity TO follow the trail
70 the great Southwest, there are
few, even Of his business associates.
who realize all the loss means by the
leath in Los Angeles. few days
ago, OF Samuel Wilson Little.
Up to the very end Of his % years
Of life his career was crowded to its
INIT with variety and y:cissitudes
such as seldom fall to the lot even
of wanderers. His own influence
and that OF his assoc ates was one
hat made Itself felt in dozen
states and in territory most potentl-
lily rich in possibilities OF any in
he country. The fortune that he
left. large as 1t was, is inconsider-
able in comparison TO that WHICH, at
one time and another, he turned
into channels OF usefulness.
Rich and Poor Often.
A dozen times in his life Little
Knew afliuence and poverty to fol-
low close upon each others heels.
He made fortunes rapidly and spent
them with no less speed in the de-
velopment Of great enterprises. OF
a large perspective himself, he ha-
5itually dealt in Zig things. When
ia journeyman tin9mith ON knocked
together raft on the Mississippi. he
was dreaming in terms OF town.
sites. Stranded and Nat broke in
Cincinnati, with the wreck OF his
glass manufacturing plant tu1nlbling
about his ears, he merely chuekeled
at his less optimistic partner in the
enterprise and told him to come on
to another place.
With that partner. the late D. b.
Alexander, also of this city, Little
spent practically all hts life. 4
stranger pair could scarcely be i'm
aginea. Dldmetr.caliy opposed in
every'llin that makes up ternpera-
ment and constitution, they were
nevertheless so essential to one an
other that neither could make a
success OF an enterprise without the
other. They did not get on, to-
gether, but SO much more conspicu-
Gus was Their failure to get on
separately that they We're never
apart for any length of time during
their business careers. Time and
again they separated, one or the
other buying out the interests of the
other in some enterprise and, as
often, their individual failures would
drive them together again.
Unmatched Partners.
Little was bold, Alexander eau
tious. Little was aggressive, Alex
ander conservative. Little smashed
things. Alexander picked up the
pieces. Little upset the apple cart ii
it was in his way. Alexander would
walk far around to avoid 1t. Little
would rove and wander in search OF
the dollar, Alexander would insist OH
Istaying in one place. Alone, Little
failed because OF his ultra-vigorous
methods, and Alexander because Of
his too great conservatism. To,
lgether they succeeded chiefly, ap-
parentfy, because each was checl,
on the other and Complementary tc
him.
Perhaps the greatest individual
stroke of their careers was that BY
which they founded a city and. in.
cidentaily, went broke doing 1t
iid4sJtert when their predictions as IL
their pet townsite came true, the,
reaped the reward Of their foresight
l-or rather, Titles foresight-.bu
there was 9 long time between.
They We're running a little til
shop at Greencastle, md, at tn,
time. Alexander generally stayed a
home End minded the shop, Littl,
was usually out drumming UP bust
ness and keeping his ears and eye
open. A good deal Of his time wa
spent at the little hotel talking Will
people from the ontstde world. look
ing out for bigger chances.
(. One day he overheard a few scrap
Of conversation between two rail
road men from Chicago, stranded a
CONSUMED on page s.5