The Goldfield news and weekly tribune. [volume] (Goldfield, Nev.) 1911-1947, 1914-10-03

dCcOuut VI Ihc career vi inc -atO
James b. Haggin:
James Ben Ali Hasgin died on
Saturday, Sept. IL, at his summer
home in Newport, Villa Rosa. He
had been in poor health for some
time. He was born in ~Harrodsburg,
KY, December. 1922. The name Ben
Ali came to him from his mother,
who was Adeline Ben-Ali, and was
declared to have been a Turkish
woman who was exiled because she
embraced Christianity. Many other
stories we're told of her, but this IN
was generally accepted as fact, al
though MI. Haggin always refused
to confirm or deny any of them.
That he had Turkish blood in his
veins and Turkish sentiment In his
heart was never doubted, and his son
and grandson were named Ben ALI.
Little is known Of MI. Higgins
early life, except that he received
his education in Danville. KY, was
prepared for a legal profession and
admitted to the bar IN his native
state. He began practicing in Shell
byville, KY, later went to Matches,
Miss, and then to New Orleans,
where he became inspired by the
tales of gold in California, and in
1S49 started for the Pacific coast,
by way of the Isthmus of Panama.
arriving in San Francisco in 1850.
For a time he practiced his profess
sion, his first partner being Milton
s. Latham. who afterward became
governor Of California. Later he
was a partner of Lloyd Tevis, who
became known as the most success
full lawyer in San Francisco.
At the time of his arrival on the
coast there was much need for act
i've and competitive lawyers in the
settlement of individual and prop
erty rights, and the demand for Mr..
Haggin's services was sc great and
the payments so large that he made
a great deal of money, all of which
went into mining investments.
Although at the time he possessed
no technical knowledge of mining,
his investments proved so good that
it was only a short time after he
formed his partnership with Tevis
that he was obliged to abandon his
practice of law and devoted himself
to his mining interests. From that
time onward and for many years the
firm of Haggin & Tevis was n OF
the greatest factors in the mining
industry west of the Rocky noun
tains. Then they began the series
Of fortunate investments which
landed them among the foremost
capitalists of the United States.
Nor was their system of invest
ment by any near haphazard. This
firm was the prototype of the mod
ern exploration and development
companies. Stock jobbing was in
no way their guiding principle. Rath-
err was it the development Of mines
for what they would yield in ore, and
especially was it the development of
prospects" not the purchase Of de-
veloped mines. Their theory was
en- prospects" the majority would
prove to be worthless but some would
carr a little, fewer would be profit
able in a small way. and perhaps
one would turn out to be very rich
and would more than pay for the
losses in all the others. In fact,
they had the marvellous fortune to
develop not only one phenomenal
mine, but three of them, and these
no less than the Ontario, the Ana
conda and the HOmestake.
In carrying out their mining bust
hess they had a small army of engi-
neers, scouts and %prospectors in the
field. Their methods were In short
about the same as those of some sue
cessful concerns of the present day,
but they were operating In a more
primitive time and in a more virgin
mining country, in a time and with
conditions when discoveries were
more easily made than they are
now. They operated in the days
when mines we're found that paid
from "the grass roots down." and in
that era they were confronted with
the problem of 100000 600 financ-
ings before one cent of return could
be expected.
In many Of their operations
George Hearst, that stirling old
pioneer and prince of p%rospectors,
was associated with them, and the
syndicate was often referred to as
Haggin, Tevis & Hearst, although
we believe there was never any for
NAL partnership except in individual
ventures. However, Hearst partici-
pated in the three great successes
and was the predominant factor in
the Homestake and a very import
ant one in the Anaconda. Hearst be-
came connected with the mining in
terests of Haggin & Tevis in 1870.
Upon the discovery of silver ore at
Park City, Utah, he went there In