Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1871-04-13
The Curse of Millions.

new ork Correspondence OF the Hocnestef
Democrat.
It is very hard for mankind to
believe thet.wealtil, unimproEed ,
brings misery but that such is
the fact is occasionally made man
Iifest in a most fearful manner.-
We have a few rich men who are
as happy as money can make
them, and The reason of tAls is
simply that they are sharing that
wealth with objects of benevo-
lence. These men are William
E. Dodge, A. r. Wetmore, James
Lenox. Peter Cooper, and Others.
who have learned that this is the
Ionly way iniwhieh, they can eli
inmate from wealth It's otherwise
Iinvitable curse. With these ex-
lceptionS, the richest, men in this
city are intensely miserable.-
This can be proved by those who
are in greatest intimacy .witlrths'm.
For instance the writer knows
| from the best authority that john.
Jacob Astor was haunted by fears
of poverty during the latter p4fs
of his life to painful degree, and
he also knows that this isa very
common curse endured by our
rich men. William, b. 1Astor,
with an estate of thiity millions,
is mdustriousfy scrsping together
bis loose change, aid thus trying
to provide against a rainy day.
A few year., ago one Of the
founders of the banking house Of
Prime, Ward & King committed
suicide at his country seat at AS.
toria. He was retired man of
large wealth, and had every
means of making life desirable;
but the misery Of unemployed
money and abilities which should
have been devoied ophilanthropy,
Grove him TO self destruction.
The same statement applies to the
late Charles NJ. LeupP He had
made a great fortune in the leather
business and lived up town in
sumptuons style, possessing, a
mong other distinctions, one of
the finest picture galleries in the l..
city. Yet this man finished his
course with suicide, while in the
fufness of marhood and possessed
of ability which should have
given him a distinction higher
than that Of mere wealth.
Previous to this, one OF the.
heaviest business men in Exchange
place suddenly arrested the course
of alucrative business by simi-
lar use of his razor. Another
capitalist threw himself beneath
the wheels of a locomotive; while
Van Auken. the butter merchant,
and David Rea, both used the ra-
zor. Scarcely has the latter been
buried, when similar instance
occurs in the suburbs of Brooklyn.
Here an opulent market gardener
and land speculator named Dit
mars Duryea has just committed
suicide by taking -laudanum leav-
ing an estate worth SITS, 600. OF
course he had a reason for doing
this. His wife had died some
time previously and bad be-
queathed her estate, whose value
was $1,000. to other parties than
himself. Being thus neglected,
he had no resort but death, in
which he buried his troubles.
Seven thousand dollars would
not be generally considered an in
ducement to commit suicide; anil
yet | have known a ricil man Of
this city to be so distressed by the
loss of $500, that he finished the
matter by hanging himself. But
at any rate seven Thousand was q
fatal sum to DitmarS Duryea.-
Its loss was so great a cloud that
it obscured the glory Of those pos
sessions which were twenty times
as great, and the result is a bot
tleof laudanum and a coroner's
inquest. 1t may be inferred that
these examples indicate what a
widespread disposition toward sui-
eide exists among rich men, for
where one commits the fatal act
there must be many who are
tempted, but refrain. 1t is well
known that many of this class
carry poison in their pockets and
are ready at any moment when
the temptation becomes triumph
ant to swallow the fatal dose. [
know several successful business
men who have given such threat
ening signs of conduct that their
friends are obliged to watch them
for fear that they may end in just
such tragedy.
"MelI's Kingdom" is the name
given to a circuit ten miles around
Bairdstown, Ca, because it has
baon for twontv voars : T. q tToY,,Dipo