GIANT PITCHER EXPECTED TO MAKE GOOD |
twn Orient. Tenu Recruit.
* >*• at -b~ ; i'.rberr wbotn Manager
at zb* Ciaatr tucked oc
boa»i*y far tin him naa Inuu
Ur*'*# tee «t remit; iron. Tcxaa
Ie»ri« dig Home good «urk in the
••nrijLg line jut year ai*d it *a» ex*
l» led that be mould round to la fine
>taj» and W a toner o! t;rengtc u>
■# <<tani» ’hit aeajHuc Hat up lo date
tien- ** • abe* .eg Car been of a Hied)
orr» order fie bar been bit trerjv bx
-eg bx'-tnr* acd due* not appear
ta I~ »• (be rccc.tsg tc bs pitching
Aim that be bad hue year It tear t*
■ Cat *b > tnmg <•lac ell! dirplay bet
ter tor* u tbe araroc advancer and
’be ; :e»r eg* a O'teed lb • u* ».ittg
•he 3»lu: nailing That is being done in
the major leagues
r*T!i. ke » as looked upon as a second
Mathewson. jos.-essing many of the
p.tchiug haracteri.-tics of the great
Christy. Perhaps the fact that he in
jured hi- arm in a subway rush in
New York fa.- something to do with
1« [nor box work this season. Drueke
s' rack his arm against a pillar and is
nr ii* Ir. -rl«»ro Company for dam
; res
Ph Hies Get Pitcher Carter.
Catcher Carter of ihe York Tri
• .ite !••• u Mt.d to the Phila
delphia Nationals
DO PITCHERS fc'ORK ENOUGH?
It»t Saseta tee- Tr.-k That Twtrt
ret Mare it ARtfMtW' Too Easy.
Swifted Cf-'Crly if Hit.
Vow and the® a H'fJe et noslty is ex
pmii—< t* to «krtker tke modern
latchr** oteata work mooch to k«ep
tkan. a caod rtattka This doesn't
refee ?* tke*r t^ystm1 ronOticw. but
•t "keir pit mine riuadlttoa
Tfc* ru*i»a» ha* crown open mans
C*-r* ta ft.:" pitcher* in a hurry if
•key tajpea tp tie batted bard when
•be came t» riot* Fur that reason
limit all bal* team* are carrylnc
■ •» j, ,**!-* is comparison with the
nr-dhl aark *bat tkey to on a ball
head ' bet. •k*? ever did
If Bniiaatlly one of :be pltrber*
tk> tar:--®* to be t.it :.ard mere to
be kepi * tbe cam* tevead of b*-»nc
eti to tbe beack It thick' be that
the team would rally as quietly be
bid t.u as 1* would behind a fresh
ptieker. sad It frequently ha* been
de*. a* *ra»ed ta baseball flu* a pitch
et tuat be hr. hard la one lcntnc ard
after tkat bold a tea* to almost noth
tec
CALLAHAN IS STILL SPEEDY
a. La**p«. Fsrw*e' C* i»gc Outfield
er. is 1*o» b»epris«d by "Come
Sac*' of Old TesTi-eatr
m.1 Lane* of bar Fran< isco. the
farmer CkbadSD ontSelder says ifcal
-'.sate? (tljiUt »*> so fast in his
Large and Callahan
palmy day* that It ia bo moader that
he i» ahte to come bath While he
ha* teat some of hla spetd. he Is stUl
aa fast as many at the players is the
game t«s
(TTsoe Once With Reds.
Marty OTooie mas a member of the
Oarlnaati Med* about two years ago
He was allowed U» doe a suit and grab
a ham saBdmlrh aad * cup of coffee
lor a day or so That is nothing
against Marry, though He Is not the
<miy good ball player that Garry Herr
mans had overlooked There are
enough good player*, formerly Red*,
making good on other teams to min s
pesitisrt ia alcot any league
McQu'llen to Minora.
George McCfrtilea been sect
oat at Major league company. He was
aest to Cote tabus ia the American aa
aoriarlor along mitk Herbie JuuL
____
STORIES
oseiEti^fe
DIAMOND
-—
'> Ki.is playing tlie game of
his life
'Pete Compton outfielder of the
C:**< k team was sold to the St.
, Lou,.- Americans.
• up- Lord was fined $S0 for push
: g ai. umpire It's al! right if one
floesn t push too far.
Gei.e iJemontrevilU is being
for manager of the Memphis
team next year to succeed Bill Bern
hard.
Herman Schaefer denies he perpe
trated that parrot story on Ping Bodie.
but all the rircumstan!lal evidence is
agates' hint.
< untie Mack and his men are play
:i:g the game in a quiet, unassuming
f: acr.er but are getting there slowly
but surely.
.Amby McConnell has become an im
i i-ortant «g in the White Sox ma
chine
The Phillies have about as strong a
I <h:cg staff this year as any team
n the league with Alexander. Moore
and Chalmers going at their best
Mike Doulin is satisfied with being
sent to Heston It does not make any
difference to him and his salary goes
on just the same.
Another first baseman has been se
* fed for a trial on the Chicago Cub
. tb President Murphy has procured
Agler of the Newark team of the
Eastern league.
Joe Cantiiion and his Millers are
t.eading for the pennant at a pretty
steady gait in the American associa
tion race. Joe was unable to hold his
men back any longer.
Pet* Compton, a Battle Creek out
f elder. as been signed by the St.
l»u.n Frowns. Pete Browning was a
tattoos hitter. There may be many
a hit in the name Pete
No no hit no run' games have
been scored thir season in the Nation
al league There has been one in the
American league. Jot Wood of Bos
ton is cr.-diied with that against St.
Louis.
It meaus the same 'hing to the
Pt-Ultes to have Dcoin. Magee and Ti
tus out of the game as it would mean
to Tie Cubs if Sheckard, Schulte antf
Archer would be taken out of the
game.
Catcher Spencer who was secured
from tte Si. Paul team by the Phillies
is somewhat disappointed that he is
not to be given the regular job of
catching instead of letting Pat .Moran
l.andle it.
Tmpire Brennan of the National
Uague has blossomed out as a writer.
He has w rttten an article in which he
says umpires do not mind being called
robbers and thieves and a few other
pet names
Brockton and South Framingham,
the two Massachusetts towns which
claim the honor of bringing up Martin
O'Toole, may join in a celebration for
the sensational pitcher when he re
turns borne this fall. ,
Every time Frank Chance watches
Jake Daubert. star first-sacker of the
■ Superbas. work he think! kind
! thoughts of the time pot far back
when he bad a chance to get him be
. fore he became a star.
PHILLIES ARE GOING STRONG
Team Is Composed of Hard Hitters
and Has Two Star Pitchers in
Moore and Alexander.
The Chlcage Cubs Think that the
Phils will be in the pennant tight to
the finish and say that the record of
the Phillies at home will assure them
of a good standing
This home record dope ts based on
the short left field bleachers, which
means a homer to the player dropping
the ball among the spectators.
One of the oldest and most valued
members of Chance's team says of the
Phillies:
“It is a club that has a bunch of
clean-up hitters, and any man on the
team is liable to break up a game with
a long drive at any stage. This short
bleacher is going to be a big help to
Dooin s crew tor a couple of reasons.
"In the first place. If a pitcher
pitches them inside to a right-hander,
any one of the Philip club is likely to
lace it into the bleacher.
"The second side to the argument ts
that several of the Phils who have
been hitting iuto the bleachers are
natural right field hitters, and a pitcher
is throwing away his own game by
pitching to stop left field hitting.
“1 tell you, boys, the Phillies aav* a
ball club that is going to be in the
tigh: from start to finish. From what
I reed, another pitcher is needed to
share the work with Karl Moore, a
marvel at all times, and this kid Alex
ander. who is tipped to me as a won
der.”
For the benefit of inquisitive tans it
will be well to add that the gentleman
who speaks so highly of the Phillies
has been a member of the Cubs for six
years and is a dangerous clean-up hit
ter.
NEW YORK GETS M'CONNELL
Highlanders Pay Big Price to Secure
Clever Pitcher From Rochester
Made Good Showing.
The Highlanders have paid a big
price for Pitcher George McConnell,
who was with them for a short time
last year. He has been with the Ro
chester club this season aud has
_
Pitcher George McConnell.
made a very good showing and Frank
Farrell has paid close to $10,000 for
him. but that sum does not attract
attention compared with the O’Toole
purchase price.
DEPENDING ON CURVE BALL
Pitchers Cannot Afford to Allow Bat
ters to Meet Ball as Squarely as
They Can Fast Ones.
Hilly Evans says American league
pitchers are using the curve hall more
this season than in any of the five
seasons he has been a major league
umpire.
"With the lively ball in use pitch
ers can't afford to let batters meet it
too well,” Evans said. “They depend
on the curve ball to fool the batter
and keep him from meeting the ball
as squarely as he can meet a fast one.
“Batters don't have to hit a fast
ball very hard this season to get it
past the infield. Pitchers are depend
ing on the curve ball almost entirely
when runners are on.
“Pitchers are using the curve a good
deal more this season when they have
three balls and two strikes on the bat
ter. Under these conditions the bat
ter knows the pitcher will try to get
the next one over. Pitchers generally
have better control of the fast ball
and last year could take a chance on
having it hit. This year they prefer
trying to fool the batter with a curve
even at the risk of a base on balls.
“In a game I umpired in Boston
Ralph Works passed five men rather
than pitch the fast ball with three and
two on batters. The catcher signaled
for a fast ball each time, but Works
shook his head. He took a chance
with the curve and could not get It
over."
An Imaginary Game.
Jack Hayden of the Louisville Co)
oxtels Is a southpaw and has every
thing that the best of twirlers have
when it comes to the flinging art.
Jesse Oreudorff was catching him in
an imaginary game -the other day and
kept calling for ins and outs trying
to fool the batters who were not
there.
When Mowe. the Indian shortstop,
came to bat. Jack threw three straight
ones aver the plate and the kid went
out. Then Hickman of Toledo came
up and by mixing them a little Hick
was forced to roll to Robbie at short
Finally JeBse Orendorff remarked:
“Well Jack, here comes Hayden at
bat.”
Whereupon Jack quoth. “We can't
take any chances on a guy like that,
so here goes four wide ones." And
Hayden passed himself to keep him
from hitting the pellet.
Stars at Joss Benefit.
Some one has figured out that the
all-star team that played in the Joss
benefit is worth $220,000. They must
have been figuring the prices at the
same rate that the Pittsburg club paid
for O'Toole.
Society Is
Awaiting
New Ruler
Speculation as to Course
of Youthful Bride of
Col. John Jacob
Astor.
By Her Marriage She Will Become
the Head of the Four Hundred
and Social Arbiter of the
Elect—May Not Choose
to Exercise Preroga
tive.
—
YORK.—There Is but
it question on the tip !
the tongue at New
rt and in other fash
ialde eastern circles.
.» is this:
•'Will the new Mrs. John Jacob As
or aspire to rule society?"
For some years the name Astor has
oeeti a foremost one in select social
circles and the feminine head oi the
reigning family has generally held
sway among the members of the four
hundred.
John Jacob Astor is the head and
control of all the vast Astor interests
anu millions in this country. His
mother was for years the undisputed
queen of an American social despot
ism and persons were barred or rec
ognized by the vary nod of her head
The last Mrs. John Jacob Astor.
who was Miss Ava Willing of Phila
delphia, before her marriage, had suc
ceeded to this enviable and autocratic
position when she found it necessary (
to divorce Colonel Astor. Her reign
ended there abruptly and since that
time the four hundred has been with
out a recognized leader. Mrs. John
R Drcxel and Mrs. Ogden Mills have
been engaged in a struggle for su
premacy in this regard, but neither
has so far been able to stow any
gaiti over the other.
With the announcement that John
Jacob Astor. despite his age of forty
eight years and that he has two
grown children, is to make a slip of a
girl his wife, society is all ageg as to
the wishes and intentions of Miss
Madeline Talmage Force, who is soon
to become the bride of the multimil
lionaire.
Sudden Rose to High Position.
From the obscurity of not even the
most exclusive society of Brooklyn to
the rulership of "the four hundred Is a
far cry. but it looks as If this is what
Madeline Force is going to do. As
the wife of Colonel Astor she will oc
cupy the very foremost rank of se
lect society, and as to her designs
upon the leadership, that is a matter
that rests solely with herself. She
could have it if she was so inclined
and it is dollars to doughnuts that
she will welcome the opportunity to
establish this highest point in a so
cial ambition.
To have Newport hang and wait up
on her every’ mood and whim; to have
the "Golden Horseshoe" at the Metro
politan opera house quiver with ex
citement and stand or bow as she
struts to her center box: to have all
the grande dames of Fifth and Mad
ison avenues watch the lists of her
guests as a guide or "Who's Who" in
proper exclusive circles will all be
sweet to the ears of this little miss
who not so long ago had to remain
content with the glories that come
with Brooklyn Sunday school picnics
Any doubt as to the four hundred
receiving this young woman can be
quickly dispelled. The power of the
Astor name and fortune is sufficient
to carry almost any one on to social
victory. Those who know the little
Force girl say she will be able to
make a conquest or two on her own
account. She is described as being
a w holesojpe. fun-loving girl who was
immensely popular at school and with
the degree of society that she has
been privileged to mingle in during
her brief social career. Her friends
are confident she will be a success
from the very start.
"Society” Somewhat Shocked.
The announcement that "Jack” As
tor was to marry an eighteen-year-old
girl came as a great shock to the
Four Hundred which in the main is
assembled at the present season in
New port. At first there was a slight
show of disapproval, but this was
quickly displaced by a desire to see
and meet this girl that swept from
one end of Newport to the other like
a contagion.
iPfaZ)£Z£LV£
Foacjl
The Interest that had been stirred [
up over the rivalry between Mrs j
Drexel and Mrs. Mills was lost sight
of in a twinkling and no other sub
ject could drown out the hum on cot
tage verandas, at dinner tables and
at the Casino, and thus hum had to
do only with the winning of “Jack”
Astor by a girl.
Therefore, instead of going to New
port an unknown quantity and as a,
person who had to begin the often
hopeless struggle up the social lad-1
der, Madeline Force had Newport
waiting expectant at her very feet ]
before she started for that famous
place
The hundreds of servants and at
tendants at Beech wood bustled about
preparing the huge estate for the com
ing of its future chatelaine. This
spirit spread in many directions, for
the things and homes that Colonel
John Jacob Astor controls are only to
be tabulated on a long and notice
able list. There are several Astor
yachts, and their crews lost no time
“dusting up.” Probably right now
decorators are at work on the huge
mansion at Fifth avenue and Sixty
Sfth street in New York. Then there
are the shooting estates near Aiken, i
South Carolina; the enprmous farm j
up on the Hudson, the camp in the :
Adirondacks and probably Colonel As- >
tor only knows what various places !
and toys he has to amuse a young
wife.
Mrs. Astor’s Rigid Rule.
Cnder the reign of the late Mrs
William Astor. mother of the pres-<
ent John Jacob Astor, society went!
its way with a stiff back and a high-!
heeled shoe. In other words. Mrs.
Astor was matronly and eventually j
elderly during the last part of her I
rulership. Her ideas of social deport
ment ran along the lines of state din- i
ners, operRs and very prim and prud
ish entertainments. It was under
this stifling influence that society
welcomed the innovations of Mrs.
Stuyvesant Fish, who with Harry
Lehr and others introduced “monkey
shines” and all manner of outlandish i
amusements. The reason why Lehr <
and his silly antics prevailed was that
a certain element In the Four Hun
dred craved any form of diversion to
get relief from the rigid behavior pre
scribed by Mrs. Astor.
This elderly queen of the Four Hun
dred ruled with an iron hand. Lord
help anyone that fell under the wrath
of her displeasure. Mrs. Fish felt it;
so that Mrs. Phil Lydig and a host of
other lively matrons. Then there
were some who got into the charmed
circle through devotion to the rules
laid down by Mrs. Astor. It was a
hard struggle for Mrs. George Gould,
who lived a very circumscribed exist
ence for years in order to get within
the magic circle. Her arduous and
exacting conduct attracted Mrs. As
tor. One night at the Metropolitan
opera house the late Mrs. Astor turned
as she was about to enter the huge
Astor box and bowed stifly to Mrs.
George Gould. That was enough. The
courtesy was like magic. The very
next day Mrs. Gould's mail was rein
forced with invitations to affairs at
exclusive homes. She was "made” in
a night and by a short and courtly
bow.
With the death of Mrs. William As
tor society took on a more lively as
pect. The so-called smart set had
cropped up and flourished under her
reign for the very reason that the
1 autocratic rules of this dowager were
■ too stringent for the more gay and
1 chipper wealthy.
Made Marked Change.
When Mrs. Ava William Astor took
j up the tiller of the social craft things
’ changed quite a little. She favored
more unconventional amusements and
, during her brief rule the smart set
drff'ea Into oblivion. The austere
: regulations of drawing room and tea
table society were blended with the
I desires of the giddily inclined with
result that a happy medium seemed
I to have been struck.
Vpon the divorce of this Mrs. As
I tor and her subsequent abdication of
the fashionable throne the members
of the Four Hundred have been like
; a ship without a rudder or a flock of
sheep minus a shepherdess. Society
has been drifting. Mrs. Drexel and
i Mrs. Mills both were high in the tn
' ner social councils, but neither was
' able to have the socially elect en
thuse over their leadeship As a re
| suit the Four Hundred has been di
I vided into two factions with the same
j Ideas and a noticeable lack of orig
i inality. Therefore, a new and In
| genious leader was expected to be
. welcomed with widespread favor.
Colonel Astor was asked the otlwr
day as he set sail on his yacht for
j Newport with his bride-to-be whether
; or not the young woman would take
, up the rule of the Four Hundred.
"That Is up to her,” replied Astor.
The fact that Newport gave her a
royal welcome indicates that Made
line Force can sway society If she
, wants to and it is a pretty safe bet
that she will try.
Mrs. Mills Approves Match.
Mrs. Ogden Mills has put her ap
i preval on the match. While all New
port was gasping over the announce
i ment, Mrs. Mills was unusually calm.
; To a greup of friends she said:
“I have met Miss Force and I think
she is a charming and most lovable
girl."
This was taken quickly as an Indi
cation of the direction in which the
i social wind was Mowing. Scoffers
i and jokesters have since kept their
| tongues and will be found in line pay
ing homage wfih the other faithful
when Madeline Force is thrust upon
them.
On her first day in Newport the
youthful bride-to-be spent all of her
time with her mother picking out a
suitable cottage for them to live in
and In which the marriage ceremony
is to be performed. It now appears
that the wedding will take place soon
er than expected. It Is said upon
good authority that Colonel Astor and
Miss Force will be wedded by the
middle of October.
Not the least of the Incidents and
details connected with the announced
engagement that whet the appetite
of the news lovers, are the reports
that Colonel Astor has evidenced his
ante-marital fondness for his bride
to-be by the presentation to the beau
tiful Miss Force of a magnificent dia
mond ring valued at S12.000 and that
i the already somewhat flustered girl
; has been the recipient of scores of
j scurrilous postcards and letters crlt
| icising her acceptance of the divorced
: multimillionaire and warning her that
: she may expect the same experience
as her predecessor. It is reported that
Colonel Astor is not averse to having
the purchase of the ring known, but
is Intensely angered over the mailed
attack on him.
CLOUD HAD SILVER LINING
Mother of Afflicted Children Found
That Neighborly Kindness Still
Existed.
"O dear." said Mrs. Clark, sicking
Into an armchair as If she never
meant to rise from it. ‘That’s the
fifth time Bessie and Bob have
whooped since supper. Our stairs
will be worn thin before we're through
with this fell disease. And the worst
of It is that It isn’t even picturesque,"
she ended plaintively, as she drew
over an enormous pile of mending.
"It’s the limit,” replied her husband.
“My four nightly hours of rest make
me ache to go on a prolonged orgy of
sleep. By the way, Emma, the Kings
lands and Mertons sent their regards,
and wanted to know if there was any
thing they could do.”
Mrs. Clark viewed him with exas
peration.
"Of course, and that’s all they ever
will do! They a., know Maggie's left
Naturally, I can’t telephone and say,
Come and do my dishes, please,’ or
‘You might clean my silver,’ or ’Won't I
you just sit in the nursery and keep
the children from fighting so they
won't get excited and cough T And i
that isn't the worst of it, either, for .
some of the women act as if 1 were a
pariah, as if I could give them whoop-i
ing-cough by wire, and last Wednes- *
day, at Mrs. Moulton's, Mrs. Gaston '
gave me three limp fingers, and then I
fled across the room. The resigna
tion with which our friends bear our
lot is simply touching."
She jabbed her darning-needle vi
ciously into a stocking that symbol
ized apparently the offending Mrs.
G&Bton.
The next day dawned after a night
broken Into such Uttle hits that it
scarcely seemed worth while adding
it together and calling it “sleep.' and
Mrs. Clark, in a presumably placid
interval, was just attacking the dish
pan when a series of upstairs whoops
made her fly wildly to the rescue.
Coming downstairs half an hour
later, she heard the dishes rattling
suspiciously.
"Is it a ghost, or has Maggie re
pented?" she wondered, then opened
-I
the kitchen door on vigorous Mrs.
Prior, her next-door-neighbor-but-one,
washing up in a masterly manner.
"Go hack to your babies.” she said.
"My four olive-branches had it at
once, and I know what it is. But then,
I had a good old-fashioned servant, j
the kind that stayed. And, Mrs. Clark!
some of us who have been through it
want to come in and help you with
your mending It must be appalling
by now.”
Mrs. Clark again sank into a chair,
but with oh, such different feelings
from the night before!
“Mrs. Prior,” she said, earnestly, "if
anything could make this scourge
worth while, it would be the posses
sion of such kind neighbors."
Then the children whooped again,
and Mrs. Clark’s exit was dramatical
ly thankful.—Youth's Companion.
In a Deepaea Cab.
“You say I had been drinking?"
“Well. you were riding around in a
hack with a sailor ”
“But had I been drinking?”
“Well, you were ordering him to go
aloft and reef sail."
16 OF PLUNGERS
**Bet-a-MiuSon” Gates Both Lovec
and Hated.
From a Country Store He Eranched
Out as Wire King, Then Invaded
the Realms of High
Finance.
New York.—One of the most pic
turesque figures in the business and
financial life of this country passed
away in the death of John W. Gates
Gates was warmly loved and deep
ly hated. He won and lost millions,
gave and received many hard blows
met the great kings of Wall street at
their most famiiiar game of specula
tion and beat them. Breezily invaded
many lines of endeavor and came out
of them successful and wrote his name
in large characters over financial
events of a quarter of a century. He
was a gambler by instinct But he
was never a bear. He was too op .
timistic for that He believed in up
building rather than in tearing down,
and he shared with others the results
of his indefatigable chase for wealth
His readiness to take a chance on any
reasonable proposition and the large
sum of money he was willing to risk
upon the soundness of his judgment
earned fur him the soubriquet of "Bet
you-a-Million" Gates. “All life is a
gamble." he cnce said. “The farmer
gambles when he plants his crops
Every man who goes Into business cm
barks on speculation. Of course, the
element of judgment enters in. but the
element of chance cannot be ruled
out. Whenever a man starts out on a
railroad journey it's a gamble wheth
er he ever reaches his destination.”
And on this principle Gates ruled his
life.
It was barbed wire that made Gates.
It was introduced Into use at a time
when the ranchmen of the west and
southwest were fencing in their broad
acres and Gates, who was then con
ducting a little hardware store at
John W. Gates.
Turner Junction, now a part of Chi
cago. saw his opportunity. He went
to Texas as a salesman and soon took
?nough orders to swamp the manufac
tory for which he was working. Then
he asked for a share in the profits
and was refused. He became a rnanu
facturer himself, establishing a plant
at St. Louis, and soon found himself
Involved in lawsuits over patents. He
moved into another state where the
court lnjuetions issued against him
could not reach him. finally won hia
case and continued for a time a sue
I cessful career as a maker of barbed
; wire.
Gates never turned his back upon
'■ opportunity and he saw opportunity
i beckoning to him. He began organiz
j tng and consolidating wire companies.
' He organized the Consolidated Steel
• and Wire company, which was cap!
! talized at $90,000,000, and which he .
i sold to the Federal Steel company.
Then followed the American Steel and
: Wire company, capitalized at $90,000.
! 000. and a little later the United
| States Steel corporation, with which
i Gates' companies were merged, was
| formed. He made millions out of
these deals and other millions out o!
railway and industrial stocks.
During his spectacular plunging in
i Wall street, which he entered soon
| after the close of the war with Spain
S various attempts were made to break
| him. Occasionally his wings were
, somewhat singed, but he was never
seriously wounded and he made the
! financial interests of Wall street reck
! on with him. One of his brilliam
! coups was the control he gained of the
j Louisville & Nashville railroad. His
control of it imperilled certain import
| ant projects of J. Pierpont Morgan
! tnd other money kings and they were
I orced to buy his stock practically at
bis own price.
In w heat and corn corners he is said
| :o have made millions. He had near
| ly a perfect system of getting informa
l tion of things which might affect Wall
street. His own eyes were always
! open and when he could not look fat
enough ahead he paid others to do his
j scouting After his retirement fron
! Wall street, in 1907. he went to Texas
; entered the oil fields and forced the
Standard Oil to abandon that terrl
tory.
Gates’ business training began early
Before he was sixteen he contracted to
husk a neighbor’s corn and made
enough money to buy an interest in a
threshing machine. He happened to
strike a year of bumper crops and he
succeeded so well that he was able to
buy out his partners. Giving his
threshing machine as security, be
bought a piece of woodland, converted
it into firewood, cleared $1,000 and
still had his threshing machine. And
he was not then eighteen years of age
Some of Gates’ spectacular ventures
were on the turf, and with many sue
cesses to his credit here he Invaded
England and is said to have made $1,
375,000 one season. He was a man ot
tremendous energy, of heavy build,
but not the least picturesque in ap
pea ranee. He was not at all brusque
and domineering, but gentle in maa
oer And speech.
