Baxter Springs news., 1919-03-28
BUTA GOOD NAN LIKE HIM
COULD NOT BE KEPT
DOWN
UIgD@GREDN HELPED Tim
Always Kept His Word and
When He Had Bad Luck
Friends Staked Him for
Another Venture

In the State Senate during the session
juSt- closed was -aoi" Sparks, Of Ga
lena, and on Sunday The Kansas City
Star gave him the following fine
writenp in recognition Of his excellent
qpAlites:
@How many times have / been
broke? Well, sir, it's SO many times
i. that I've lost track. But I've been so
nat busted that had to 60 to diggin'
dirt for my living at least ten times"
The speaker was o. L. Sparks, one
Of the richest members Of the Kansas
State Senate.
Any'miner in the Joplin district, or
around Calena, Kas., his home, will
tsll you that "Ol" Sparks probably has
made and spent more money than any
other mine operator in the lead and
zinc -aeldS.-
Senator Sparks was born in Monroe
County, ,Missouri-a county that has
nGyor had . Republican ticket in the
Asldak any electiOn-so you know his
politics. When he was II years old
hisfakher moved to the lead and zinc
fiGlds. near Joplin and the boy began
wOrkinR asa miner at once. His fam
ilyiwAs very poor and he had to work
% steadily he never had chance even
70 learn his three RS" The only
time he ever did 60 to school was
mart of one term when living near
Joplin. Then he and another boy
started 10 run of to Texas after tell
inr their schOOlmate sweethearts
goodbye, but they were caught by
Sparks father and driven back to
school with O blaclrsnake whip. Sparks
stayed in the class room the rest OF
the day, but he never entered another
one as a-pupl.
AncOpeHatOr At 16
When he was 16 the Galena senator
bOcame q miner ION his own hook"
operating q mine on Swindle Hill at
Joplin with two other boys. From
that time there has never been a day
when he has not either owned mine
or worked in one.
Sparks says that the most money
hedeysr ,mlde out Of one mine was
when he took $4,000 worth Of ore
out Of the 8. H. and s. mine on Spring
River IN the Badger Diggins" dis
trict, ION the border between Kansas
and Missouri, in q year and q half.
When he began to operate the mine
he could not keep miners because 1t
ysGssSo far from "wet" territory, but
one dayrhe bought two. acres Of ground
nsar his mine property and in the
mighty ran old crippled man, without
'evm4getting his consent or ever say
ing-1 word to him, moved a little
Ghunty on 10 the land, and the next
.moaiMg he had store and saloon
open and ready for business. The Grip
iple 7ho, answered the name Of "Jum," "
,0petated dis joint there on prohibition
KEnsassOikuntil about two years ago,
l6nd nSveYOfter his arrival did Sparks
have my trouble keeping miners at
.th6 S.EH. and s.
sparks made and lost most Of his
big money In the Badger Diggins."
The last time he went ''fiat broke" !"
ahsUt Sixy9ars ago. was when he was
trying to get more money out Of the
dds. H. and S. A food came and
he spent Q large sum pumping out the
.watsr. Then, just as he got all the
.wdser pumped out, his mill burned,
and almost before the ashes got cool
pan6eAerl food came and he had more
water than Iat the beginning.
His Last Break
Whenthe- took stock Of himself SEN
atDPispaYks found he had nothing and
waS S1OOO0 in debt. That was only
,SiHiyea1sagO, and today he owns the
:GaeSt house IN Galena, a Sixteen-roOm
zAemS with billiard pariOrs and dane
inR1pGRilllOn, a lot of Galena proper
ty,more than thirteen hundred acres
,of land,- five mines and other little
lvalaAblss, such Is banks stock, etc.
gHswdid you make your last come
'hsck7S heiWas asked
SWsll, cir Sone day / happened to be
.JOplln and met, q fellow who said
h. hGf lest 1000 in a mining ven
ture and that II his wife found it out
h would catch he'll. He said another
,aalnG operator; had told him ! was
lucky dog andTthht r. he wanted to get
hiS-mUnsy buck ! could get It Il any
man could
rTat6Id him / myself was broke, but
I had been broke 20 often that It
ddaR make much difference TO me. ]
tsId him / tnew Of . piece Of land ]