Polk County news. [volume] (Benton, Tenn.) 191?-1983, 1920-09-23
Hope of Getting Something for
Nothing Springs Eternal in
Human Breast.
MANY WILD SCHEMES TRIED
Story of Romance, Hardship and Vio-
lence, of Adventure, Despair and
GuIlibility, With Sudden Trips
Abroad Made by Promoters

Boston.-Ever since the beginning of
things men have been trying In one
fashion or another to achieve tLelr
fortunes over night, to recover Inc
Midas touch of the faDulfst, to get
rich quick"
Sometimes they have succeeded.
Sometimes they have nurtured their
hopes only to come back to hard re-
ality with hard bump. Sometimes
In their haste they have been swlndieu.
From the days of the sailing OF
Jason upon his long quest OF the
Golden Fleece, from the times Oh the
hlchemists of the middle ages, VINO
Duttered out their lives among dusty
tones, seeking with tired but hopeful
ewes for the key to the enigma OF SUD
den wealth-the tombstone when
should transmute lead to gold-to the
DAVIS of mushroom fortunes in Inter
national reply coupons" isn't such d
far cry after all, James Il. Powers
writes in the Boston Globe.
It is a story of romance and hard
ship and violence, of adventure ana
despair and sometimes absurd gull
billty and sudden trips abroad made
by promoters with gripsacks stulleu
with cash.
Mad Rush for Gold.
In America the story really Deglhs
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, put
none of them developed such nation
nj fever as resulted from the announce
ment of this discovery of nuggets
"weighing as much as half a pound
apiece." that percolated through the
East and started that famous uproar.
Enthusiasm rose to unDeileVaple
heights Families started out from
Massachusetts. New York and other
eastern seacoast states without even
bothering to sell their houses. by
horseback. farm wagon and by snip
tbe migration got under way. Partles
of prospective millionaires chartered
schooners and sailed all the way
around the Horn in. their excitement
And upon the retina of the inner
eve of every one persisted the dream
picture of marble halls ana
''span," and the imagined luxury OF
doing nothing in particular, WINE
obedient lackeys lowered about for
ever after,.like the geni of Aladdin $
lamp, awaiting orders.
The California gold rush enriched
thousands, though at the price of vast
hardship and sacrifice. Thousands OF
others it ruined, when they became
stranded in a wilderness, 5000 miles
from settled civilization, on their III
fated claims. The best thing about
1t wasn't the wealth it produced at
all, but the fact that it began the
definite expansion of the United
States.
Capt. Kidd and the kIondike.
something for nothing" many
wears later, drew thousands more
Americans down in the Oklahoma ter
ritor-y when the government an
nounced that It would permit home
stpods TO be crushed" on a certain
date. All the man who wanted TO
become a property holder had to do
was to be on hand when the signal
was given.
Government officials lined off the
start. MS IL it were 440 yard dash OF
today. Fences were built and every
rloimant 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
nellmell, to stake their claims and be-
lin their new careers. and be happy
over after.