Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1920-09-30
GET RICH QUICK
IS OLDEST BAIT
Hope of Getting Something tor
Nothing Springs EternaIin
Human Breast.
:. ~ l.n-D S0,.l...Go | l..l
Story OF Romance. Hardship ant VIC.
i.nce. OF Aovl nture, Despair and
Gui Utility. With Sudden Trips
Abroad Made by Promoters.

Boston Ever since The hr"inning Of
things men have hern trying In "ne
fashion or another Id achieve their
fortunes over night. 10 recover the
Midas touch of the efubuliSt, to get
rich quick"
Sometimes they have succeeded.
Sometimes they have nurtured their
hopes only to-rome back tn hard re-
aliiy with hard hump. Sometimes
in their haste they have been swindled.
From. the days Of the sailing or
Jason upon his long quest OF the
Golden Fleece. from the times OF the
nIrIeinists of The middle ages. VINO
puliered out their lives among dusty
tones. seeking With tired but hopeful
eyes for the key TO the enigma of sud-
den wellth--tlie tOuchStone which
should traDSln,te lead TO gold-to the
days of mushroom fortunes In Inter
national reply coupons" isn't such
far cry after all, James Ii. Powers
writes in the Boston Globe.
1t is a Story Of romance and hard
ship and violence. of adventure and
despair and sometimes absurd gull
hiity and sudden trips abroad made
by promoters with gripsacks stuffed
with cash.
Mad Rush for Gold.
In America the story really begins
with the mad rush across the prairles
and the mountains in 40 to the gold
fields of California. There had been
other gold hunts" before this. hut
none of them developed such a nation
al fever as resulted from the announce
ment of This discovery of nuggets
"weighing as much as half pound
apiece." that percolated through the
East and started that famous uproar.
Enthusiasm rose to unbelievable
heights. Families started out from
Massachusetts, New York and other
eastern seacoast states without even
buiherng TO sell their houses BY
horseback, farm wagon and by snip
the migration got under way. Parties
Of prospective milliOnaires chartered
schouners and sailed all the way
around the Horn In their excitement.
And upon the retina Of the inner
eye of every one persisted the dream
picture of marble halls" and
"span." and the imagined luxury of
dom. nothing in particular. while
ohcG!cnt lackeys lowered about for
ever after, like the genii OF Aladdins
lamp. awaiting orders.
TIE California gold rush enriched
hn nri1a nf
hardship and sacrifice. Thousands of
Others II ruined. when they became
straudr. in a wilderness. 5000 miles
from settled civilization, on their i'll
fatea claims The best thing about
IL wasn't the wealth II produced at
all but the fact that 1t began the
debate expansion of the United
Stotns.
Capt Kidd and the klondike.
Something for nothing" many
yenrs later. drew thousands more
Americans down In the Oklahoma ter
ritory when the government an
nounced that II would permit home
strads to be crushed" on certain
date. All the man who wanted to
become property holder had to do
was to he on hand when the signal
was given.
Government officials lined off the
start. as If it were b 40 yard dash of
today. Fences were built and every
claimant had to be behind the bulwark
ready. Then, at a given signal. down
went the barriers and the swarm OF
fortune hunters piled into the plains,
pellmell to stake their claims and be-
gin their new careers. and be happy
ever after
SO, too, In the latter part of the
last century. when the Klondike be-
came word of magic. Just as In the
days of 40. there was wild rush for
gold. the prospectors being In the
main. men who were doomed to fail
ure, although hundreds of them Won
from the frozen rocks and river beds
the fortunes upon which not few
American families base their ability
to purchase new seven passenger
car every year.
One Of the oldest and the most per-
sistently attractive lures of golden
afflNence that awaits the fortunate Is
the mythical buried treasure of Capt.
Kidd, the pirate, familiar to every
schoolhOy and to the schOolboys OF
Boston In particular.
Fer the two centuries or more that
have elapsed since Kidd swung at the
gibbet In Execution Dock, England,
expeditions have been continuously
gotten up with the purpose of finding
his buried booty. All that has been
recovered to date has been about
S00.000 most of which was found at
enc end of Gardner's island. The nu-
merous search parties. according to
some estimates. have spent total of
about 800 900 In the effort.
To Pay 96 Per Cent a Year.
Along with the popular quests for
gold in the raw" or In hidden caches,
there have also been scores of clever
schemes for enrlching people through
marvellous new" discoveries and
through manipulation. Massachusetts
has had It's fun share of such ven
,,,,r, Ia, thu lost holf aanturu and