Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-01-12

stricken sand hills living town Of 265 persons.
million dollar fortune within few years
Even in Wall Street a million dollars doesn't come
easily especially when the market isn't right" But when
In drouh-stcken sparsely settled Western
sand hill Nebraska IL is amazing.
This deals-and he made hundreds of them to
his million dolars-were not carried out behind
mahogany They made with farmers in their
keroseneampghted homes and in the presence of their
keeny families while he waded inmanure lit
tered barns and talked turkey" to busy farmers.
whether the deals made with cattle feed
surroundings while leaning against barbed wire
this mans transactions would sometimes put
the deals of Wall Street operators TO shame
"Incredulous" many Nebraska big shots remarked
when the story this native sons huge fortune
vealed the filing of Federal income evasion charges
against him in Omaha
Even Samuel j. oConnor, e5 years old. of Elsie Neb-
raska the in question expressed surprise when told
Government experts that his income had approached
the million dollar mark in the past 20 years
An exaggeration." he told newsmen who swarmed to
oConnors home for interviews i can't imagine myself
making all that money The United States will have to
show me-"
Show him the Government did the satisfaction of
Mr. OConnor who did not contest the Federal charges
but willingly" paid 1920 2O94s in full settlement
OF that amount 1925 7o94s for deficiencies
income payments interest and penalties from 1919 to
1896 The remainder $500 fine assessed against
him by Federal District Judge James A Donohoe,
1T was worth that money TO learn that was earning
than l imagined" O'Connor explained. Pm gong
back home and live frugally and simply did before
though. People back In Elsie not going to say that
the OConnor's putting frils and getting uppity"
1t in 1895 that O'Connor born this State Of
Irish migrants left public school to become teegrapher
for the Burlington Railroad lie worked that JOB
II saving dollar he could always hoping
day start up" in a bank
In 1907 oConnor realized his ifes ambition" HeA'
obtained Job the Elsie a $50 a month
Three later he bought out his employers and
owner of the institution capitalized at 10000
o'Connor had the Midas touch Poor farm lands
which he began buying during his early banking years
poor producers his direction these
fields bloomed heavily with golden grain
The early years of the first World War wheat
prices sky rocketng and oConnor's fortunes upward
Throughout those early years his harvests
vests of gold" Government experts estimated OConnors
wealth in 1918 at S97 900. In that year So
bshe only to be followed year later by income
OConnor did not stop with the earnings of his
With the assistance of his wife daughters
he conducted his bank, loaning money at 10 per
The Government charged that OConnor's gross
1884 amounted to $51 POS increasing $53509
$56s71 in 1886
By that time o'Connors wealth farm and
real holdings throughout the surrounding Elsie
Nebraska. and reaching to the Colorado State line.
While other farmers leaving their farms in dis
gust because of the terrific drouth OConnor kept
ing his rapidly growing fortune Yet despite the OConnor
wealth. his small family lived within budget Of ess than
$4,000 year.
In oConnor's home town there is no lawyer Shortly
after the Federal income tax law passed. ne a
who posed expert consiltant advised him
the method of complying with the law"
This advice was what got me into all this trouble
with Uncle SAM" OConnor told reporters Government
experts said they believed oConnor had no idea of his
exact earnings and merely guessed at the
year in order TO pay his income taxes.
The bank which OConnor took over in 1910 his
own, in small at Elsie The banks business
still conducted In this
of the many letters received by Federal
cials residents of Elsie who pleaded that OConnoy
a good man." Federal Judge Donohoe enient in
his fine especially after OConnor voluntarily paid all other
claims against him.
Nebraska financial wizard" was liberal with his
and lenient his debtors Only in few instances
loan and then only after agreed
by that it theest interests of
delinquent borrower do This too, was pointed
to the court
When o'Connor learned that he amiss in pay
ments, he went to Washington at once to pay up