The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, July 19, 1903, Page 13

'With His Favorite Horse, Which He Is Too Blind to See. THE SUNDAY CALL Laments That He e * o - lind, so one ear other t tones are cve whose and motto in but has carried all you can, cratic ef in comfort than any- h he declares he will e string, now that he them. t many men, evenamong sider themselves big, nciers—itke Jesse D. t swell up with per- ride at the sale of ten and in California, es- se ten thousand acres nest to be had in such centrally located nterey and San, Benito wer still who would e sale of ten thousand of the world a “little u shall presently see— and nothing more to this modern over-lord of upward of sev- enty thousand acres. Just pause to think of that for a brief moment. Even after selling ten thousand acres he still remains master of over seven times as many more—thirty thous- and of which he now owns outright and over forty thousand of which he controls absolutely by reason of his ownership of all the water rights appertaining there- unto, which is no small asset to the man who would be either farmer or cattle man—whereby hangs the tale of all Jesse D. Carr's past and present “strenuous- ness.” He did not sell those ten thousand acres merely because he needed the money, but to complete the final link in a life- long chain of acquisition. That “little deal” was only an incident in & larger scheme of things he has planned and par- tlally executed since his last birthday, for no sooner was that “little deal” closed than he purchased almost ten thousand acres more to round out his vast holdings in Northern California and Southern Ore- gon—his famous Modoe County ‘“ranch,” if by any limitation of the imagination such a royal principality can be called a mere ranch—about which he has waged such a long and bitter legal warfare with some of his neighbors on one hand and the Government authorities' in Washing- ton on the other, until, with his charac- teristic tenacity, he finally won out. “You see those eight or ten thousand acres that I have just bought were in my way,” he explained with tlunt directness the other day as he settled down com- fortably in his big revolving chair and elevated his feet on the well-worn desk in the new offices he has just had bulit for his personal convenience on the edge of the wide lawn that surrounds his fine home—*The White House,” as some call it—in Salinas, “and I had to have them. They’ve been in my way for a long time, but the other fellow finally realized that they were of a whole lot more use to me than they were to him, so we've just straightened the matter out to our mu- tual satisfaction. “Land is no good without water. He had the land, but I owned the water right. Now I own both. That's perfect- 1y simple, isn't it?* and he chuckled unctuously, “Yes, some people do say I'm a hard man, but I guess that there's not many of them who know me very well. I've never gotten a dollar that I didn't work for. Many times a millionaite now, eh? ‘Well, I think I've got enough to keep me out of the poorhouse. But I never cared to make money just for its own sake, though my motto is, “Work hard; earn all you can—but—get all that's coming to you." That's how I came to own those thirty thousand acres up in Modoc and— well, let me give you an idea what work will do. “Away back in the '40’s I was down in New Orleans in the cotton business. Things went to smash—no matter how. I worked about six years paying off the debts. (Over $300,000, "tis said, though Mr, Carr is much more modest about the amount.) That gave me experience, Enough to last me all my life. I dug out. . 13 Following the Long Hand Railing From His Office to His House at Salinas. JESSE D. CARR, WHOSE RACEHORSES AND CATTLE DEALS HAVE MADE HISTORY IN THE WEST.—?swto by Tsber VRIS 1Y DI 1705 v AATS) A A P SO SISt SIS AR S - Plunged into the Mexican War with = long string of mules as a sort of trader and semi-official commissary to the Tennessee Regulars. Got more experi- ence. Had about $20,000 worth of goods on those pack mules. The guerrillas cleaned me out. Caught me in an am- bush and robbed me of everything I hai, even the mules. Left me more flat broke than I ever was befdre—or since. If you've ever been that way you'll realize what a good motto mine is. Also why some people call me a hard man. Also why there are over 5000 of the finest cat- tle that ever stood on the hoof now browsing on my little Modoc place. I swore then I'd never be broke again, and I never will. “I was about 3§ years old then, with a wife and three children—two boys and a girl—in New Orleans. The children are all alive arried, My girl mar- ried e, who had quite a ranch near M Park, but he’ dead a great n and Never was much on few min some picture tes taken pictures myself. Waste of money." It comes as a shock of surprise after K g the old “Cattle King” speak of is “boy,” quite as if he were a callow uth to be confronted by a gray-bearded man who adm to nearly 65 years as that self same “boy “But, as I was about to say, I struck out for California. Left on my birthday, June 10, 1340. Never forget it. Came by way of Panama, but it was slow business. Missed aboat and was down In that beastly But they were hot place on the Fourth a patriotic lot. Made me orator of the day, and I gav a speech that was weather. ¥inal- on August 18 and “ollector of the Port Kept the job for then went to That name I became nd soon got a was made Deputy ( ved ranch on my Own acco e. But t to and Monterey Coun- ty place caught and, w ve had it ever since. or until I sold those ten sther day. too, that I be- Modoc place. I efore the Modoc In- war with the Govern- or about a year or s not very surprising went up s began that the ranch has spread some singa then. It didn't take me long to see that water rights here are more valuable than th hemselves. So I y. That's why I even though I all those 30,000, or mosk a frontage on the wa- ter. There's about eight or ten miles ot frontage on Tule Lake and over twenty- two miles of border around—completely around—Clear Lake. My land lies in long water and the other f they wanted to raise cattle they had to have water and they couldn’t get it without driving their cat- tle over my proper And as there were miles and miles of fence around my place —oh, about twen to forty miles or ve of fence—that's where all the trouble be gan. They kept tea ing my fences do and we went ie law about it. Bud when the Washing- ton folks sent ut picked my an expert that set- tled the diffi Some of the fe is still down and I'm just as well satisfled. I only wanted all that was coming tq me--sim- ply that and noth- ing more, and I got that, because it was my right. But the best testimony that was given for me was given by my neighbors. 5o I guess we are all right. Now these last two strips—one of some 5000 acres and the other of 3000 or 4000 acres— just round out my holdings nicely and —well—there won't be any more trou- ble. “Now before we g0 over to the sta- bie for these pic- tures come in the house and have a drink. I've got some fine old im- ported whisky sent me by Senator Bate of Tennessee, Don't believe in en- couraging a young man to drink., but this is a fal occasion. Never drank a drop my- self until I was over 60 years oild Now I have ghree cocktails every day —more it the weather is bad. Fellow's got to get something out of lfe. Come on.” And, rising, he led to the house, guiding hia footsteps along devious pathways by the hand raflings he has had con- structed everywhere about the place so that he can move about without assist- ance. And with right royal hearty good cheer he plays the host, for notwithstand- ing his double affliction Jesse D. Carr has the saving sense of humor and bluff good fellowship. Even his so-called enemies tell stories of his charities. And this is the man who at %0 is hand- ling one of the biggest enterprises in the entire West, even unto the smallest de- tail, and with the foundation of a splen- did constitution and a wonderfully keen and active mind as his warrant, expects to remain the “Cattle King™ for over ten years more. the way