Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1873-10-31
A Colored Millionaire and Miser.

| The New Orleans .Times," in recount
ing humorous instances of wealthy delin
quent taxpayers in that city who make BY
not paying, gives the following interesting
sketch of a colored millionaire and miser
We have 10 the Second District nota.
Bile exemplifcation of what we have been
saying in the person OF a colOred millionaire,
who has fought off the payment of his city
taxes until his indebtedness on that account
now amounts to about fifty thousand dollars,
and probably about the same sum to the
State. He is an historical character. His
abstemious to say miserly-life makes
him man with whom to accumulate filthy
lucre is the song that burdens the tongue
by day and disturbs the mind With itful
dreams by night. Disdaining rest. his &C.
tlvity is wonderful emulating poverty, be
lives and transaoss his enormous business in
little, old and obscure one story house, far
removed from any of the business centres.
The reader might pass his house a thousand
times and never for moment imagine that
within it are to be found the evidences OF a
ptlnCely tOltuuo- liz uuuSc UcSiu W LONE
worn aud dilapidated appearance The
paint hangs in scales on the doors and win
dow shutters But look within. The first
room, which constitutes ''the Office" APP
pears to have been kind Of lobby, six or
eight feet wide. partitioDed of from the
main room This is the rich mans office.
First in view is desk with pigeon holes
full of ole. musty papers. looking as if they
had been tanned by the dust and moisture
Of hundred years. An iron safe and a
chair or two complete the picture. Beyond
"the Office, are the rooms with which con-
stitute the residence of this remarkable man
and his aged mother, now in her ninety
ninth year, and yet looking scarcely day
older than her son.
Such is the residence of the man who has
from seventy to one hundred tenants &C.
cupying houses scattered from the vicinity
of the St. Charles Hotel to the EXTREMIST
suburbs Of the city, and bringing him in
reuts ranging from twenty dollars to two
and three hundred dollars month It is
hard to place an estimate on his wealth -
Altogether he owns over two hundred and
fifty different properties, certainly worth
800, 900, besides bonds and cash funds to
an amount of which probably he alone is
aware. Yet this man never pays any taxas
except when he sells particular property,
and then he pays the amount due on that
particular property. Year after year he has
managed by means Of exceptions, appeals Or
other methods, to "stay' proceedings until
the aggregate Of his taxes due to the city
approximates the enormous sum of Fifty
thousand dollars. We noticed in the
sheriff's office tax writs against him dating
back to 1861 To one of these writs-and
there was a huge pile of them-and to the
notice of seizure accompanying it was at
taohed more than six yards of foolscap paper,
filled to the last line with closely written de-
scriptions of his properties
Does the reader ask why he does not pay
his taxes? There is but one answer which
bears the semblance Of reason The city
charges him ten per cent interest, and be
can readily make from eighteen to twenty
four per cent on his money. He never loans
his money except on mortgage, and every
year he adds more or less to the number of
bis city lots BY purchases at sheriff's sales.
Of course as long as he can do this the lit
tie balance of fifty thousand dollars due to
the city for taxes will never be paid. Every
tenth year prescription wipes out the taxes
for one year without payment, and that is
another reason for deferred payments.