Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 07.pdf/282

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Communications in regard to the contents of the Magazine should be addressed to the Editor, Horace W. Fuller, 15% Beacon Street, Boston, Mass. The Editor- will be glad to receive contributions of articles of moderate length upon subjects of inter est to the profession; also anything in the way of legal antiquities or curiosities, facetia, anec dotes, etc. THE GREEN BAQ. The Editor of the "Green Bag." Dear Sir, — The February number of the Green Bag contained an interesting article on Samuel J. Tilden as a lawyer. I became acquainted with Mr. Tilden during the summer of 1864, at Marquette, Lake Superior, where we were at the same hotel. His name had been very familiar to me from his prominence at Democratic conventions, though he had never held an important public office. He came to Marquette from the Democratic national conven tion at Chicago, that nominated Gen. McClellan for President, with several other members of the conven tion. His business was to examine some iron mines in which he held a large interest. One of the mines figured largely in the presidential campaign a dozen years later, on the charge that he had not paid the income tax due from it, but the suit was withdrawn after the election, and it had served its purpose as a campaign argument. 1 had much talk with Mr. Tilden, partly on account of this mine, which a Boston gentleman had requested me to attempt to purchase. The difference, however, in the estimated value of the mine between the parties was too great for any result. I asked him for his opinion of the prospect for Gen. McClellan, but, lawyer-like, he asked me for my opinion, without giving his own. He made a political speech while at Marquette, by request, and I was interested in it. He had a good voice, was remarkably clear and emphatic in his statement, con cise in his language, and was certainly an impressive if not an eloquent speaker. He spoke readily, though he had evidently made no preparation for the effort. In company with him was his warm friend, the distinguished William B. Ogden, the first mayor of Chicago, and known as the " Railroad King" from his great railroad interests, and his prominence in building the early railroads that centered in Chicago. He was an unusually line looking man, of large views, great business sagacity, and interesting in conversa tion. He was full of information about his travels in this country and Europe, and of reminiscences of the

famous men with whom he had been brought in con tact. I remember he spoke of having business with Stephen Girard, whom he described. He was en thusiastic in his allusions to Mr. Tilden, whom he regarded as the ablest railroad lawyer in the United States, and no one could have been a better judge, speaking especially of that power of concentration and calculation, on which Mr. Hall has dwelt in his article. He alluded, too, to his fine library and large general reading. Mr. Tilden's special reason for visiting Lake Su perior was to see an iron mine he had purchased, and in which Mr. Ogden and other friends had be come parties. He spoke to me with some pride of having taken the responsibility of the original pur chase, involving several hundred thousand dollars. He and his friends went out to inspect it with a mining engineer brought with them as an expert, and I was invited to join the party. The mine was located in a forest, at a distance from the railroad and from any village, and tents, provisions, and everything necessary for camping some days in the woods were taken, not neglecting Kentucky's favorite beverage. As we prospected, ore seemed to be abundant everywhere, and the engineer and others would knock off from the rocks piece after piece, and hold up for inspection. Mr. Tilden seemed specially pleased, and would show pieces to Mr. Ogden, and ask with much satisfaction, " Is there any iron there?" The engineer pronounced the ore of good quality, and of its abundance there could be no question. Satisfied as they were of the value of the mine, the site for the mining village was selected, the location of the branch railroad was fixed, and all other needed preparations for working a great mine agreed upon. Before their labors were finished I took my de parture with another gentleman, an experienced practical iron man, whose whole life had been spent in iron mining. As soon as we were out of hearing, he turned to me and said, to quote his own language, " That ore is not worth a damn." On inquiry, several years after, I learned that after spending several hundred thousand dollars, the mine had been abandoned, as the ore had proved refractory. I little thought at the time what a space this small, smooth-faced, plain-looking man was destined to occupy in American history. Of his remarkable 253