Courtney Chauncy Julian seemed to work magic as he established wildly successful business ventures in oil drilling, lead mining, and the stock market. An incredible showman, he was also flamboyant, ambitious, and a notorious philanderer. California at the turn of the century was his stage and his adventures read like fiction until his luck seems to run out at every turn. Broke, humiliated, and a fugitive one step ahead of authorities, Julian exits to China. But his "formula" doesn't work in Shanghai. Here his colorful life ends. Was he a huckster from the outset or did he slide into illicit enterprise because of machinations of political and business power brokers? The answer to this question is left to the reader. WILLIAM GARDINER HUTSON was born in Hollywood, California. His experience as a criminologist provides some insight into his understanding if not tolerance of criminal behavior.