The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1920-02-28
W|NGF|ELO CALLED
king OF NEVADA
JOSEPH LOEB IN SAN FRANCISCO
BULLETIN PAYS TRIBUTE TO
MILLIONAIRE OF NEVADA

George Wingfeld is a part of any
story that aims to tell of the mining
West. He is the big figure in the
game and has maintained an un-
broken reign of supremacy. They
say that George Wingfeld is king"
of Nevada. We could get along with
monarchies under the kind of a rule
hat he extends, for it is rare for a
king to roll his own, drink direct
from the neck of the bottle, postpone
the shaving a day or two, and let the
working stiffs enter into competition
in an amusement game of poker, I'M
announced, unintroduced. king"
Wingfield is more democratic than the
ordinary hotel clerk, and without de-
sign or thought places himself on
par with any and all of his constitu-
ents. He has the rare distinction Of
having refused a seat in the United
States senate when it was offered on
a silver platter, and the much rarer
faculty of having adopted John ID.
Rockefeller's axiom, Don't do any
thing thai you can hire someone else
to do" Thereby hangs the tale of his
free and easy manner, and apparent
lack of something to do, amid a null
titude of interests. There are three
places where a millionaire is on an
equal judgment with his less opulent
fellow being-in a bathing suit, un-
der the sod, and in a desert mining
camp! And as near as / could note,
George Wingield likes the equality of
the desert. The constituency praise
his loyalty to the State of Nevada, and
| point out the natural inclination of
others of wealth to expatriate.
Nevada and George Wingfield are
OF a give and take basis. To be sure,
there are some who have a snip of
gossip and a word of condemnation,
either personal or self assumed in be-
half of hearsay wrongs. Men in high
places are always subject to such
idle frothing. Don't you hear smart
little stories about Presidents of the
United States? A real, cocksure chap
told me that Henry Ford did not in
vent his car. but stole the idea from
a itiioW WhO uiSu III pOfSlts. lHclN
is nothing strange in glib talk. |
found nearly all Nevada was fond OF
their big man, and had the persona
experience of an act of kindness that
is the true indicator of his character.
One night, after a dusty and weary
one hundred mile ride across the
desert. | boarded the Tonopah-bound
night train. at the bleak little city OF
Wabuska. Imagine my disgust upon
finding that my twenty-four-hour-
ahead wire for a berth was untitled
1t vas late and there was nothing
to do but join the rest of the unfor-
tunate travellers in the chair ears a
nice twenty-four hour ride. / tried to
sleep, but the comfortable position of
repose was al old forgotten pleasure,
and | got up to stroll into the Pull
man and encountered Wingfield in the
vestibule. We had met just once be-
fore. We exchanged greetings and he
inquired my destination, and received
my tale of woe. 1t was nothing in his
young and full life. but | slept in 9
drawing room that night as compan-
ion to the king" of Nevada and an
other genuine desert millionaire
Frank Stall. Believe me. | needed a
bed that night and appreciated such
consideration shown to a stranger.