Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1918-09-06
EM|GRANT DIES
A MILLIONAIRE
MAN FROM THE OLD SOD HITS iT
RICH IN MONTANA.
How a Frenchman Found and Lost the
Bowlder from Which the Irish
mans Fortune Came.

I1eleud, mOnt.-lnS story Ol lBe
hunt for gold is ever a story of toll
and privation, often tragedy. For
the one who strikes it rich, thousands
are lost in the oblivion of poverty and
i'll fate.
Col. Thomas Cruise, who died at the
age of 79, in this city recently, was one
of the lucky few who leaped from pow
erty to affluence thirty years ago. He
discovered the Drum Lummon gold
mine, north of Helena, sold it to an
English syndicate for 100000, retain
ing one-sixth interest, and shared in
the profits of S30,C00,000 which the
mine has produced.
Mr.. Cruise was 20 years old when he
left County Cavan, Ireland, to seek his
fortune in the mining camps of the
West. He 'oamed around various dig
gings in California, Nevada and Idaho,
blew into Virginia City, Mont, in 1865.
when Alder Gulch was at the height
Of it's glory, and later struck the plac-
ers around Helena, where fortune smil-
ed upon him.
Drum Lummon drew its name from
the locality in Ireland where Cruise
was born. Before it had name it had
g. romance redolent with the illluck
of the original finder. He was little
wiry Frenchman named l.. f. Hilder-
brand, who drove IN express wagon to
Deadwood long after Tommy Cruise PIT
Drum Lummon On the mining map. n
the very early days Eilderbrand pros.
pected in Montana. A stumble on the
mountain side caused him to chip OIL
piece CT bowlder which was so rich
in gold quartz that his eyes popped in
the excitement of riches in sight. He
and his partner began to look for the
lead from which the EowlGer sloughed
off.
Unfortunately, Hilderbrand and his
partner undertook to roll out of the
way the great bowlder which gave
them q clew to wealth. BY one of
those queer capers of blasted luck
which prospectors fear, the bowlder
moved too quickly and rolled over and
crushed the arm of Hilderbrands part
ner. Being without money and need
ing medical attention, they left the
place, trudged to Helena, where the
partner was under the care of a doc
| tor and Hilderbrand went to work in
nearby places to earn money to pay
| the bill.
Some ten years later Hilderbrand,
still at outs with his luck, and weary
of roaming, reached the spot where
| the bowlder sent his hopes skyward.
The bowlder had the appearance of an
old acquaintance, but the surroundings
| were changed to a bewildcring extent
Before his eyes was monster hoisting
plant arising rich ore from a shaft
hundreds Of feet in depth, while in the
gulch huge stamp mill was at work.
The bowlder occupied place of honor
in front of building. Hildebrand
touched it, patted 1t affectionately and
tears filled his eyes. Presently through
the mist of his tears he read the
sign, Drum Lummon mine, discovered
by Thomas Cruise"
During the period of development
| when hard luck pressed Cruise to the
| verge of abandonment, some one ad-
| vised him to strike Sam Ashby for a
| couple of hundred. Ashby was a
money lender in Helena who knew how
| to sweat the coin when put at work
| on good security. Cruise put the mat
| ter of loan up to Ashby. All he got,
however, was fine line of free ad-
vice, coupled with the money lenders
| paper money into the furnaces of his
satanic majesty than loa nit to such
"a shiftless fellow"
Years after, when Cruse's day Of
prosperity came, one of the early visi-
| tors to the "Thomas Cruise Savings
| Bank" just started in Helena, was
Sam Ashby. The fortunes of Cruise
and Ashby had been reversed. Cruise
| was flush. Ashby empty of pocket.
| Cruise led his would.be customer TO the
door and in the underscored language
| of the West, assured the customer that
he would rather throw his money into
the furnaces OF his satanic majesty
| than to loan it to such "a shiftless fell
low" as Sam Ashby.
Soon after his bank was started, at
the age of so, Cruise decided that he
had enough capital to support wife.
Miss Margaret Carter sister of the late
United States Senator Carter, became
Mrs Cruise The wedding. in 1886.
was the greatest social event in the
history of Montana's capital. 1t was
celebration for all the population.
Cruise arranged for an open house
and free drinks with every saloon In
Helena. Traditio. has It that the
whole male population of the town got
drunk at the bridgegroom's expense,
and II took week to sober the people
into a working condition. The jam
boree was the greatest ever pulled OIL
in the treasure state; no one attempted
to rival the score.
The joys of welded life were OF
short duration, however. Mrs. Cruise
died within year, leaving baby
daughter on which the father lavished
mis- affections and means.