The Sunday Oregonian., March 22, 1908, Magazine Section, Page 5, Image 51

(sS Leigh Hunt and Other Men "v . - .-' -J&-
U V Who Succeeded Be- i. J0.- i7 'fX ' -V'
cause They Never Said Die f A " V. ' - A
: " Mi uM - 'a 1 - kfvV
ijl vim'"' "Pvl i JKiilpppllllli Iwaw"' jj I 1
i Ir ' l; - AK - - I I! fs I I
Ja. i iB""J v V. n i kfl l lfi
FT DKXTEIt MARSHALL.
1 nST an educational career, ending
In the presidency of the State In
dustrial College of Iowa, which
position he resigned to enter upon a busi
ness career that has made him a fa
miliar character the world over."
Behind this brief -biographical data ap
pearing after the name, "Hunt, Leigh 8.
J.," In "Who's Who in America," lies
one of the most remarkable of the num
erous more or less notable cases of vic
tory secured after defeat by various men
prominent in the public eye. Hunt's case
differs greatly from all the rest, how
sver. In that he was called upon to suffer
lefeat not once, but several times, after
the last apparent knockout blow re
trieving his fortunes In an out-of-the-way
corner of the globe, in the capital
of the little Hermit Kingdom.
Hunt's first failure occurred when he
was still tn his twenties. Tt was due to
bad Investments of his savings, and when
he came to balance up he found that he
was several thousand dollars to the bad
not a large sum of money In Itself, but
very large Indeed In the eye of a country
chool teacher and a former farm lad
whose father had experienced a hard
time getting together enough where
withal to feed and clothe and educate
ten offspring. '
When young Hunt awoke to a realiza
tion of the fact that he had made a
mess of his initial financial ventures he
et down and wrote a note to each of his
rredltors. telling them that they would be
paid In full, with Interest. In time. Then
he took the first convenient train out of
town, for he had made up his mind that
the best way to win back his financial
good name was In a new field. When his
creditors heard of his departure most of
them figuratively kissed their chances of
payment goodby. especially as young
Hunt left no word behind as to his desti
nation, and. indeed, was not heard of by
his former associates and friends until he
began to pay off his creditors, some years
later. By that time he had risen high in
educational circles In Iowa. The story of
this first victory- after defeat aptly illus
trates the Indomitable spirit he brought
to his aid after each defeat that he sus
tained. Fie had taught school In Indiana: when
he reached Iowa and the town of Mount
rieasant. after leaving his native state,
he quite naturally looked about for a
position 8 teacher. The member of the
chool board to whom he applied in
formed Hunt that the only place open
was waiting for a man who could speak
a couple of foreign languages. Now.
I-elgh Hunt could handle Kncllsh onlv
but.
nothing daunted, he informed the
Iowan that he would be glad to ail the
position. Furthermore, he would guar
antee to make the school the most suc
cessful one In the district. Thereupon,
the other suggested that it might be well
for the applicant to take an examination
In languages. Hunt turned "nary" a
hair. A wonderfully gifted talker, even
In his youth, he eloquently argued the
official Into the belief that an examina
tion was no test of a person's ability to
teach languages and so secured the
promise of a trial as language teacher.
Hunt, after leaving the school official a
house, couldn't get quickly enough to a
bona fide master of languages. .-uer
"earing him to secrecy, he began learn
ing the first lessons to be given to his
classes, and -night after night, with the
tutor, by his side, he mastered the lesson
which he was to teach the following day.
IHd he win out as a teacher of lan
guages? He did. and after he had matte
the school the best In the district, as ne
said he mould. Des Moines captured ...m
as Its Superintendent of Schools. Here,
also, he Introduced up-to-date methods
and Ideas, and because the system under
his supervision was improved several
hundred per cent, he received and ac
cepted a call to the presidency of the
Etate College at Ames.
Hunt, as college president, refuted the
somewhat cynical axiom of the upper
educational world a, college president's
ambition ia to die in his chair. As a boy on
the farm he had dreamed of a dazzling
career in finance. As a school teacner
the dream had pursued him; as a college
president he still dreamed It, and. though
he was making the institution under nlm
ever stronger and increasing his fame
and hold on his position thereby, he
nevertheless one day vacated the presi
dential chair and set his face west, de
termined to make the dream of his lite
a reality.
He settled in" Seattle. In a few years
he was one of the biggest, if not the
biggest, man in that booming Coast city.
He owned one of the leading newspapers,
his shipping Interests were only rivalled
In magnitude by his real estate invest
ments; he was at the head of a couple
of railroads and a bank, and in several,
other financial ' institutions he was a
power. He was pointed out to strangers
as a man who was doing more than his
share In making the city; his favor was
solicited on all sides: even the politicians
curried to him. offering to make him a
United States Senator.
All this was Just prior to the memora
ble Summer of 1893: before cold weather
had come Hunt was flat on his back,
financially, and all but buried under a
debt running up Into six figures. His
splendid properties had vanished over
night. As in the days when he had
been wiped out of his thousands, he did
a little quiet thinking, then wrote to his
creditors that he would pay them every
cent, with interest, some day, and left
Seattle. But he took with him to China,
where he went as a representative of a
New Tork railroad building syndicate,
the dream of his boyhood.
l"p to the day that he struck the Orien
tal on his native soil Hunt had been
able to talk almost everybody he met to
his way of thinking. With the Chinamen
it was different. Hunt talked and
talked, pointing out the great advantages
that would redound to his auditors
through the construction of the proposed
railroad. But the yellow "big guns" re
mained obdurate: they wanted none of
the foreign devil's ways. Hunt had
banked om his ability to put the conces
sion through: to do so meant his finan
cial retrievement. in good part, at least:
but here was failure enveloping- him for
the tliird time.
Discouraged? Not he! With his little
dream beckoning on he soon found him
self In Seoul, the capital of Corea, where,
as it was a matter of common gossip, he
was not long In learning that the Em
peror was shy of ready money. Here was
a fellow being In a predicament like unto
his own. and he at once began to cast
about for a way to place both himself
and the other fellow in less trying cir
cumstances. At last hp hit on a plan. Not
long after that he had talked his way into
the presence of the Emperor himself and
learned from the unhappy monarch's own
lips that all he needed was a trifle of
Jn.OOftOOft. Hunt coolly assured his Majesty
that the 15.000.000 would be forthcoming.
Some time later he was engaged in hold
ing important conferences with the Czar
of all the Russians anent loan of
$5,000,000 to the Corean Emperor. He con
vinced the Czar that Russian influence tn
the Hermit Kingdom would be immeasur
ably increased by such material evidence
of good will to the yellow Emperor; the
Ciar saw the point, assured the self-appointed
Tankee envoy that the loan would
be made on terms agreeable to Cores, and
as soon as rail and sail could take him
back to Seoul Hunt sought out the Em
peror and broke the good news to him.
It was such good news. Indeed, that the
Emperor, whose purse had become more
than ever painfully flattened during his
new-found friend's absence from the
realm, gave him control of some mining
lands up in the mountains back of Seoul.
The Emperor was very generous, for an
Emperor: he reserved for himself only
35 per cent of the net receipts of the
mines.
Hunt now felt that he had a splendid
chance to retrieve his fotunes and pay
off his debts in the States if only he could
get hold of the necessary capital with
which to develop the concession. This
time. In his search for money, he turned
his face not toward St. Petersburg, but
his native laud. As luck would have it.
THE SUNDAY
on his way across tlie Pacific he met
J. Sloat Fassett of New Tork. prominent
in the Empire State political game for
many a year agone. To him Hunt spun
the story of his mines and how he secured
them, and wound up with the cause of his
trip to America. Before home was reached
the two men had struck up a partnership,
Fassett agreeing to interest the necessary
capital. Something like a year later the
mines were being developed.
The concession speedily made all parties
interested either rich or richer. Then one
fine day Hunt went to Seattle, paid u
his creditors in full, with liberal interest,
and, not content wHh this, refilled tne
pocketbooks of all his old followers who
had invested their savings in his ruined
enterprises on his advioe. They will tell
you in Seattle today that Into many a
man's hand went very much more money
.than that man lost through Hunt's ad
vice in the days when he was on the crest
of the boom wave on the Coast.
Hunt is now so wealthy, and his mil
lions are so well invested, say those in a
position to know, that he will never be
called upon again to know the sting of
crushing financial defeat or feel the
elation of a rehabilitating victory. Now,
In his Kth year, he has mining interests
that are pretty well scattered over the
face of the earth, and his name is prob
ably more familiar to dwellers in out
of the way mining corners than that of
any other man American born.
Ae would be expected of one who has
been so punctilious concerning his legal
and moral financial obligations. Hunt is
the sort of man who never forgets a
friend. Were he a member of a "400"
family the newspapers would almost
surely call him a spendthrift, so lavish
ly does he live. A good deal of his time
nowadays is spent in Mexico, where he
number President Dla among his in
timate friends. The bigwigs of Eng
land in Egypt and in the motherland
as well are also on Hunt's visiting list.
He tt was who introduced cotton-growing:
In the Soudan, thereby tickling
John Bull half to death. That was
three or four years ago. Today Hunt Is
dreaming; of the day when the valleys
and the Irrigable part of the Soudan
will be one vast cotton plantation.
Meanwhile his plantation. In the valley
of the Dervishes,- is yearly producing
a fine grade of cotton.
Cockrell'a Big Victory After Defeat.
A present-day political celebrity who
gained his real victory through defeat
is Francis Marion Cockrell, at present
an Influential member of the Inter
state Commerce Commission, and for
30 years prior to his appointment to
that body.by a Republican President a
Democratic United States Senator from
Missouri.
After the Civil War was over and
Cockrell had laid down his Brigadier
General's sword, which he had waved
in the cause of the Confederacy, he
went back to his lawbooks. As most
lawyers do sooner or later, he drifted
into the political game, rapidly became
prominent in the state councils of his
party, and was one of the two leading
candidates for the Gubernatorial nomi
nation of 1874. It was the first office
he had ever run for; his heart was set
on getting It nomination was equiva
lent to ection and he spent nights as
well as days campaigning. He felt that
his whole political future depended on
his nomination.
He went before the convention with
high hopes, and his disappointment was
all the keener when the announcement
of the result of the balloting showed
that he had lost to his leading oppon
ent. Charlea H. Hardin, by just one
sixth of a vote. "Cockrell," said a
friend, telling of the incident, "swal
lowed his Adam's apple hard once or
twice, then, remembering his campaign
promise to shout as hard for the other
fellow as for himself if he was not
OREGONIAN, PORTLAND,
- I'l - ." :
nominated, he pulled himself together,
hid his heartbreak behind a smile,
Strode-down in front of the excited del
egates, tossed his hat high In the air
and let out an ear-splitting rebel yell
for his successful opponent. For a mo
ment the convention sat dumb with
astonishment. But when the signifi
cance of the act dawned on them the
delegates rose to 'a man and shouted
themselves hoaree."
After the convention was over Cock
rell's friends assured him that victory
would yet come through his defeat.
They banked on his dramatic and un
selfish act in shouting for Hardin.
Cockrell, it is said, at first doubted
that he would ever be prominent polit
ically; but a ehort while after, his de
feat, he began to be talked of as the
next United States Senator from Mis
souri. Pretty soon the state was con
sidering no other man for the place,
and so it turned out that a twelve
month after he had lost the Guberna
torial nomination he was representing
Missouri in "the most august .legisla
tive body in the world." There he re
mained for 30 years, or until Missouri
elected a Legislature that was Republi
can on joint ballot. Even then, a good
many Republicans were more than half
inclined to vote for Cockrell's re-election,-
so popular has the old gentleman
been with Missourtans of every political
faith lnqe he became a National fig
ure. Commissioner Cockrell's record of
only two political offices, and one of
them appointive, held in 33 years, is
rather out of the ordinary. And since
he has been in politics he has striven
really for only one office the one he
failed to get. The Senatorshlp was
handed him by a party grateful for
his whole-souled support of its Guber
natorial candidate; and President
Roosevelt made him an Interstate Com
merce Commissioner because he felt
that the people would lose too heavily
with Cockrell's retirement to private
life. When considered in this light,' his
victory after his one "big; defeat has
been a unique one.
Less than a decade ago Arthur E.
Stillwell of Kansas City, one of the
most daring railroad builders and
transportation men of recent years,
was flat broke he had lost control of
the Kansas City. Pittsburg & Gulf Rail
road, which he had conceived, financed
and constructed, and with control of
the property went not only his own for
tune but the fortunes of many of his
friends, who had backed him in the en
terprise. Even while his Wall-street enemies
were gloating: over their supposed an
nihilation of the wizard of the West he
had squared his shoulders, conceived a
railroad enterprise even more daring
than his first and was actually securing
co-operation from some of his former
backers and friends who had not lost
confidence in him through his great de
feat. The new scheme called for a railroad
stretching from Kansas City to Mexico,
with steamer connection with the
Orient. Armed with a few letters of
introduction and the same colossal
nerve that had caused him to start the
construction of his first railroad on a
mere J20.000 that he had managed to
save from his earnings as a traveling
salesman and life Insurance agent, he
went to Mexico City to lay his plans
before President Diaz and. if possible,
through him to secure the support of the
Mexican government.
He got the Interview without much
trouble; Mexico Just then was most
keen to have railroads built- But before
he could get down to "tacks" Diaz vol
unteered the information that while
his visitor was on the way South he
had been bombarded with messages
from the states, those ent from Wall
street, warning him to have nothing to
MARCH 22, 1903.
do
Western
President
dent. Then, with each man looking th
other squarely in the eye, the President
added quietly:
"I filed the messages from your
friends and those from your enemies I
burned."
It wasn't loog after this Intorview
that Stillwell secured a sufficiently
large subsidy from the Mexican gov
ernment to permit him to go ahead
with his new railroad enterprise on a
large scale.
The la.Ee Henry Villard was another
man who "went broke" with a rail
roadthe Northern Pacific. He secured
victory again through a railroad the
same Northern Pacific; and victory was
largely his because his friends and
backers in the old country also be
lieved in him In spite of his defeat and
the losses caused them thereby. It was
the Northern Pacific, also, that primar
ily caused the financial defeat of the
celebrated Civil War banker. Ja,y
Cooke, in 1873. who. in the latter years
of his life enjoyed the fruits of a strik
ing victory after defeat.
Starting without a cent after his
failure as a curb broker in San Fran
cisco in the 70s. James R. Keene, whose
father went West to retrieve the fam
ily fortunes, waged a bear campaign
on th. Bonanza mine stocks, thereby
making himself a millionaire. These
millions and a good many others he
had managed to secure In the mean
while he dropped when he failed to
corner the world's wheat market. At
that time he also got rid of J3.000.000
that he didn't own. Less than a decade
later he had paid back this borrowed
fortune with interest and had a snug
fortune to his own credit in the banks.
Edmund Clarence Stedman, known
Nationally as the banker-poet, and
whose death was recorded a short time
ao," gained a notable financial victory
two years after his defeat and proved
it by paying his indebtedness In full
$300,000. That was about a quarter of
a century ago. Very much more recent
ly Mark Twain overcame a personal
deficit of a half million or so by bravely
going on a world lecturing tour at an
age twhen most men's thoughts are all
of a comfortable seat by a fireside.
Moere, Corporation Promoter.
Like Henry Villard, W. H. Moore,
one of the most famotis corporation
promoters of latter-day American his
tory, met crushing defeat and won a
striking subsequent victory on the
same battleground. Moore, it may be
remembered, was the leading spirit in
the organization of the so-called match
trust, the Diamond, Match Company.
For several years the enterprise thrived
mightily, securing control practically of
the match industry of the country and
paying large dividends.
Flushed with success. Moore and his
associates decided to secure a monopoly
of the match business of Europe as
well. To this end, the president of the
company went abroad, and In Jue time
it was announced that the governments
of France and Austria would use none
other than the trust's machinery. This
was the signal for W. H. Moore to lead
a campaign to boost the trust stock
to $300 a share.
But "the best-laid plans of mice and
men gang aft aglee." Along came one
William Jennings Bryan with his "cross
of gold" speech. Down plunged the
market, down went match stock with
the rest, and after a long and brave
fight against great odds, Moore sur
ith such a scoundrel, those from i r--" - -i,
Governors singing his praises. e. ' 777 ' ' T" !
There was silence for a moment when t , L j-. - 1
finished telling the incl- II U L " t r
I NJ
rendered to the inevitable when he dis
covered that some member of his own
pool was playing traitor. Moore left
on the field of battle his personal for
tune of $5,000,000. and as much again
In borrowed millions.
"I will pay every cent of my indebt
edness." he told the newspaper men
The Way They
Out AVeet.
H
3 WAS a big black beauty of a colt.
and Just as mean as he was hand
some. "Bronc" had never been thorough
ly broken by his former owner, and when
I first saw him he was in the hands of
the best horse breaker in camp, who was
putting the finishing touches to his educa
tion. "They called this pony a outlaw afore
I took aholt of him," remarked the bronco
twister. "Shucks! Nowadays ef a hoss
bucks his saddle blankets off'n him the
boys say "Outlaw! Bad bronco. Guess
I'll ride that old hoss over yonder.
"I've sweated most of the ugliness outen
him a' ready," continued the trainer. "He
ain't got but one mean habit left an
today I'm a-going to larn him to fer
git it."
The mean habit referred to was this
when "Bronc" decided to go straight
ahead, he'd go! Over rocks and down
the steep banks of a wash, through
cactus and the well-named cat's claw;
and if the chollas pricked him, or the
curved claws of the brush -snatched at
his flanks he would throw in some fancy
bucking for good measure as he tore
along. But turn? Never!
The trainer took his riata from the sad
dle horn and tied one end -to the rope
bridle or hackamore, fastening tt secure
ly under the jaw. . Then he petted the
colt, working toward its. flanks, until
the animal allowed him to reach the tail
and fasten a loop of rope in its heavy
strands.
The free end of the riata was passed
through the loop in a way which would
bring the horse's head and tail together
when tightened, and by passing the riata
once more through both hackamore and
loop it was prevented from slipping when
released. - '
"Now. fer the grand merry go round!"
announced the twister, and standing
away from the colt's heels he pulled the
riata taut until the animal was bent near
ly double. "Keep turnin' till I say you
kin stop' he commanded, and In fact the
bewildered creature was revolving like a
top and painfully learning the old lesion
of his race, that man's will is law for the
horse.
We , sat in the shade of a mesquite
watching him for 20 minutes or so when
the bronco twister decided that the stiff
neck was sufficiently limber. When he
mounted he discovered his error; the
frightened horse pranced and bucked with
him and finally tried to roll over the
rider, who sprang from the saddle just in
the nick of time.
But his patience was by no means ex
hausted. "Here's a shore way to make 'em
limber," he announced, and picking up a
when they sought him out. And pay he
did Inside of two years, his victory
being secured by his reorganization ol
the match company.
Today W. H. Moore Is a bigger pow
er, financially, than ever, his Interests
being heavy in numerous railroads and
big industrial corporations of National
and international fame. Now 00 years
of age, his face has the appearance
and his step the elasticity of a man
about two decades his junior. Natural-
his is a buoyant spirit, but, unlike
the ordinary promoter, there is nothing
of the flamboyant about him. It is In
teresting to note that both he and Still
well were born in Western New York,
and that both began their big financial
operations in the Middle West. Before
he went to Amherst College, which he
was compelled to leave before gradua
tion on account of ill health, Mr. Moore
received his preparatory education at
Cortland Academy, Cortland. N. Y.,
where Alton B. Parker. President
Roosevelt's opponent in 1904, was edu
cated. There are two very notable rather
modern Instances of mining men win
ning victory after defeat. Just before
W. S. Stratton 6truck the Independence
mine, and so brought about the found
ing of Colorado's largest mining camp.
Cripple Creek, he had lost his savings,
$3000, in a worthless mine, and was all
but ready to close in disgust his 15
years' search for gold "high up." N.
C. Creede, whose discoveries led to he
birth of Creede, Colo., spent -fruitless
years searching the mountains alone,
and he. too, just before victory was
won. felt that he had been defeated
in his fight for a fortune.
(Copyright. 1908. by Dexter Marshall.)
""Twist" a Bronco
large flat stone he tapped the horse's neck
for a few minutes steadily, but not with
sufficient force to hurt him. "He'll feel
that perty soon an find it easier to turn
than brace his tender neck again the
reins.'
When the pony had been reversed that
Is, tied head and tail on the opposite
side and allowed to rotate another half
hour, he was dripping with sweat and
completely subdued. The bronco twister
mounted and the oolt allowed himself to
be ridden about e flat until he tangled
in his trailing riata and fell, the rider
still on top.
"Now, we'll turn him loose an see how
he behaves. hisself," remarked the trainer,
and unslinging the ropes he again
mounted and rode the now tractable horse -in
circles and figure eights, wheeling and
turning at will.
As the trainer concluded: "I'd a heap
cooner twist this critters neck with a
rope than have him break his back an
mine too over yonder cliff.
Which was the Justification ol
Bronc's" hard lesson.
To a Buckwheat Cake.
North American.
0 thou blert fruit of bee-atarrfd, snowy fields,
Hot harbinger of hoary Winter's way.
Which, put away
Such dreams as turn December Into May,
Within the garage gastranomic yielda
Or any other month. Thy speckled aide
That fleam beneath the liquid maple's erhees
Bespeak fom dappled nightmare which one
rides
In eorry dreams. When Winter winds blow
keen.
And bad at seven
Is like to heaven.
How doth thy call arouse the ahiverfnc; pouI.
To cloth itself with speed, and downward
haste
To where thy browning billows inward roll,
Dnn to the tarte!
Then think I of the riches which men toll
To gain, and, having, cannot turn to thee.
Lest good digestion, murdered in the moil
Of money madness, sends ita ghost to fre
The demons that our nightly rest despoil.
Thou -art my morning manna ana my
milk;
The maples sap which veils they ruddy
face
And causes thee to slip my throat like
silk.
Was made for thee. It was a special graes
That grew the tree and thee
Near to each other's native place.
On frosty mornings, when the shriveled
sun
Peeps o'er the eastern hills, it seems to me
He Is but om of thine own kind, well
done
And smiling. Thus it is to be
So warm a benefactor of the race.
And when by - night I see in dreams
heaven.
Whatever else, for joy hereafter makes.
1 take it I In vain had thereto striven
It Peter passed' me not the buckwheat
cakes.
The estimated value of dairy products faa
1007 was $Su0,u00,oo0, and that of poultry
$ti00.t?0O.0OO.