He wanted firecrackers but ended up a millionaire instead June 19, 2017Historycurtis, evening post, kotzschmar, ladies journal, maine, organ, portland, this week in portland history By Troy R. Bennett He used the three cents in his pocket to buy three newspapers, which he sold on the corner at a profit. By the end of the day, he had nine cents. When he died, 71 years later he was worth $174 million, which is $43.2 billion in todays cash.