The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-01-25
LIFE WAS HARD FOR TEX
 RICHARD IN GOLD FIELD
From Poverty To Riches In One Day Was No Nove Experience In Alaska Late In
 Nineteenth Century


 earned that winter but earned about $500. .. d..
 When the river opened up and our wood was being taken on the boats a man came ashore with some important information. The Stock Just Floats In
 q hear down the river," he said, that a lot of the boys have struck it rich around Nome. A whole lot of lem the mountains near the Behring sea.
 We knew the man was talking straight. His one message was enough.
 Out of my wood money had enough to pay my passage to St. Michaeels and have $35 left. I lost Beach then for awhile.
 On the boat I met up with a man named John White, He had come from Dawson and was of particular inter- est because he owned tent.
 "If had somebody to go in with me-" he said, i've could set up place up in the Nome country and make some money"
 Neither of us had enough money to start in business. We thought, kind of a public house and get started. The Nome miners were very much in need of Ia social center-a gathering place. .,t-
 Landing at Nome beach we found that we could get lot for $100 and we scraped up enough to get an op- tion on it.
 By that time the Behring sea had opened. While I was standing on the beach, steamer came down to unload lumber. That gave me an idea.
 "I'd like to get enough of this lum- Der to, build a floor under our tent" I told the boat man, "if it wouldn't
 
 Well, I'm going to leave it here," he said. Suppose you juse-pick out what you want and use it. You can pay for what you use or return it later" "
 That was a real bonanza. In two days we had g nice floor for our tent so that we could store our stuff with out 1t getting ruined.
 Then another boat came along and began unloading cargo of boxes con- taining whisky, wines and brandy. They were tumbled about the shore.
 suggested that there was enough room in my tent to store this stuff and not inconvenience us.
 "All right" he said. You store this stuff and if you want to use any of it just keep tab on it and we can settle when como back" t.
 Prohibition Prices In~1889
 Without question of profit, at the time, we carefully stored this liquor. feeling that we had done fellow a good turn.
 The next man I met was George Murphy. I'll never forget him because he was salesman for a brand of cigars we all liked. This was on the 29th of June, 1899. The fact of a for tune there makes me remember the incident so well. I told Murphy we were going to open up a place; that if he would open up a little gambling so as to make the place sociable we would sell cigars and he could take the profits out of the game-if any,
 Then thought of the stored liuuor The upshot of 1t was we opened our place on July 4. 1899, a big day in the social history of the Yukon.
 We sold whisky at 50 cents a drink The roulette wheel and faro bank opened undera proper auspices. Miners came for miles. The woods seemed to be full of them. That was a gala day in my life.s
 Our gross receipts on the openins day was $s35! That, naind you, foI drinks alone. But the best was yet to come. @ ..
 We had struck the real heartsrings of Alaska. This leads me into the ex. citement of the great Nome beach strike, the heart thrills and hear breaks of gambling house on tho Yukon. Man will never see the like of it again.
 Tomorrow: How Made $5Oo,OOo)