The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1851-11-09
Our New Orieans Correspondence.

NEW ORLEANS, Oct ~, 1901.
Anothr Chapter on McDonough, the Millionaire.
About the middle of last August, after labor of
nine months, the notary completed an inventory of
the celebrated McDonogh estate. IL seems that
his effects, en- bracing bills payable, amount to the
sum Of two millions five hundred and ten thousand
two hundred and ffty.two dollars and sixty cents,
(s25lO 252 Coz This estimate falls far short of the
impressions respecting the old mans wealth at the
time of his death-immensely less than his gn cal
culations. McDonogh q strange creature in
many respects. Itwould be very wrong to designate
him as miser, in the ordinary accepsation of the
term. Although the item in the inventory referred
to as /" articles used by the deceased, personally,
do not exceed the meager sum OF SIS SO, an inspec
tion Of his spondence his known contributions
to colcn societies. and the number Of slaves
he manumtted and transmitted to Liberia at his
expense, establish that he must have expended
several hundreds Of thousands Of dollars in the
Of colonization. He closed his pockets hermetically
against private charities and exacted his dues to the
last farthing with perinacity and remorseessness
that would have done honor to the Jew Of the play
In pursuit of credited j me he would swim through
an ocean OF widows and orphans tears. His great
energies were devoted to the acquisition of postum
nous notofiety, and he satisfied of securing
it rs Horace, Bacon, Milton. To this end, from
earliest ,naDheod to The last momen. of his exist
ence he adopted the abstemousness Of an anchorite
He knew MS fellow men only as the possessors of
certain moneys" which ne must obtain lie met
them only on the "Rialto" find chat ho once be-
ca me tender and ''sighed like furnace" the ears
of Madame Pontalba, when she a merry. hearted
girl. Even then, | am disposed to think that
money rather than love the of his wooing,
for the lady was he weathiest heiress in the Cres
cent City. She laughed at his VOWS, and young
MoIl rch dad cait hop | nj unit Iara
a characteristic aneedoJe. After the lapse OF many
years, when both parties had become raukly
'sere," it became important for the widow Pontal-
ba, IN order to carry cut some projected improve
mens, to purchase a small lot Z. LITTLE value, that
belonged to the eccentric Mac. She approached
him with smiling face, after her agent had been re
fused the purchase, and begged of him not deny
her the favor. She plead the old love he bore her
II was too much for the old man. Apparently very
much affected, he consented to dispose of the lot,
worth few hundred dollars, for the price of fifty
thousand dollars. AS have already intimated he
devoted his life to accumulation, for the sole purpose
OF investing his acquisitions in such manner that
Immortality might ensue. IL is curious to notice
in oorrobo-ation, the comments he is constantly
making in his staid iegers, in reference to the &C
cretive value Of his various purchases In his
bold calculations he dispes futurity as house
maid would a spiders web-"a year is but as
day." For mere song, no purchases troy
tenanted swamp lot The entry Of the a,qui-
sition is duly made. Then follows his vatici-
nation " In two hundred years, this lot will be worth
one hundred thousand dollars Throughout his
entire will, the same morbid disposition for future
fame is apparent. He will have none of his posses
sions severed. Then, again, be hunts no a scheme
of philanthropy, utterly disoofdant to every cling
Of his nature have doubt his original Intention
to invest his pro perty in grand colonization
project; and it is probable that his clear head
found il impracticsble, 40 he becomes fierce lover
ofjuveniles-he who had lived long life in utter
disregard or rather in positive violation, of every
socialtie. A reader might ask, Why the length OF
time for the notary to comp ete his inventory Aud
the answer elucidates another popularity Of this
strange being. At least fifteen thoussad lettsrs
were found among the deceaseds papers. He al
ways enclosed cory Of his answer in the original
least five hundred thousand memoranda, of every
size and description. He never came 20 New
Orleans Che resided directly opposte) without max
ing a memorandum Of what he was going to do,
which, upon his return, he ieligiously FLED away
For three entire months, four persons, embracing
the notary, were constantly employed at an average
of seven hours a day, in an examination Of his
papers. Ihave been told that there were several
cart loads Of them. But enough Of McDonogh. Ii
is probable that the proceeds Of his estate will be
employed, for several years 10 come, in expenses
Of litigation. Fortunate the attorney who is prvi-
legged to nibble at the big cheese. INDEX.