The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1875-03-04
JAMES LIGKs ESTATE.


The most remarkable auction sale of
which history gives Us an account was held
recently IN San Francisco. A portion Of
the Immense estates of James Lack e1;va,
70 trustees fer public zsas. was sold for two
millions Of dollars The residue Was With
drawn for disposal At a future dav. The
time would appear hardly favorable f5r the
SHE o1 real estate, and ret = sufficient sum
has been realized fo aecoIuulish al the
specific purposes contained IN the exuaor-
alnary deed by which this pabiic spirited
eltlzeR reduced himself, few months ago.
iron vast oPulaace to . position Of simple
ease
JsInes Lack Is a native CT Fre5erclks s5Erg.
Pennsylvania, who learned the trade Of
piano making IN the early years OF this cen
tury. Having taste for adventure. which
was with him net incompatible with GREAT
industry ard thrift, be went 10 South
America, where lie passed several Years in
any business that offered. sometimes max
lny planos. sometimes dealinEein furs- but
always getting ahead When the Nexic7n
7ar threw California iH13 our hands. and
the Tunared discoveries of gold excited
such Interest among A11sriczrs on the
Pacific Coast Mr. Lack resolved 70 seek
his fortune il El-Dorado. His business IN
Peru was releutlesslr sacrificed. and he
started for SaE Francisco Bay with S30.-
0oV cash, the aya's of property worth twice
thai sum There were very few OF the
early e1aIgr4uts who had any such sum Of
money, and siIIl fever who had such head
piece as we're carried Oh the square shoul-
ders Of the Pennsylvania piaBo-maker. He
5ou-ht = lut and large adobe house On
the northeast ccraer Of Montgomery and
Jackson streets % keep his safe full OF
dpubioous n. ard then beam 10 look about
him He saw that a -rsat town was sure
70 grew I'd ca those sand hills and he lost
10 time il selecting and buviag the most
eligible positions IN the future citv. This
Eas Al lS+o, wbea thcTe vas ouly 3 stra--
Cling village there, and tie prices which
Nr- L5ck paid we're usually above the mark
q of times, He wanted only choisa los and
secure titles Ie kept his Own counsel.
and for ya-rs 21cac -,3s, when the vigorous
Young gItr was s7reaCllE out on every
hand there we're many vacant lots and
blocks occupying the best situation whose
oTnersasp 7Fas a mystery 70 every one ez-
oept TIE gai=- spa1ulat0--
Il is now - razrs %. aal does nc.
choose = Esir uztil bls death shaIl throw
his Eg-a-Er1v Iua9 tbs hands Of fa-glia-
corporations and e-asEi1g heirs. IIeihere-
slEe EaCe q deed IA JAY last giving bis
whole estate % ssveo trustees, Thomas 4.
Sa-zlv, D . Nils. Henry !. Nswau.
y i.llzn -al-or5, lTe1-za z Howard, james
0tis and John 0. Earl, F5r uses and pur-
poses O q remarkable character. S4vea
hundred tl0ussud dollars are 10 be devo-
led % the construction On the borders of
Lake Tahoe, CT elsewhere IN the' State Of
California q powerful telescope. superior
70 and more powerful than any tel -ssoLe
ever ve- made. This Is ID be constructed
- rapidly a. Circumstances sil4ll permit,
Three hundred saoEszld arc u Be used -
found and slslGB a institution 10 be called
lie CalilloTlla !Sclo1l gf Necaan.c-l Arts.
Tie ob5est and purpose of which shall be TO
a3uczte The males and females II the p-ac-
-i-4l z-:s cf life. 70 be cpen 70 al vouth
born II Cal.f5rzia Izo hunlsd and fftv
thousand dollars are % be spent IN baild-
ing 2 monument designed 70 commemorate
tie history q Czlltl-uia, and one hundred
and E5ty thousand dollars are 10 De de70tod
= brguss monument 70 Francis Scott +
Key zutlar q the Star SEaa-leI Ban
ne-, probably tie largest proportion Of
monuneB1al g.1ry 70 lhs amount o. c1pT
which provoked i q which we hare any
record. One hundred and Etty thouszud
6ollars a-est9 bs spent n buldIng free
bafhs fJr Szl FrsUrisczns, and one hind
red thousand n establishing home for old
ladies Ello have no means Of support These
are tie principal purposes z the trust,
-Lo1-h there a-E Numerous g--rs q So
083 and $4,000 70 various charities. He
giires s5.Gg3 apiece f5r g-aTestorcg tor
1ll,osa zbo are gone ard the same sun
or less 70 rt1ss who survive less than fftJ
thousand dollars Il IL 4fc-r these rEr-
poses are aes1uI tishe3, ths residue e his
es-sta goes 70 e9C3 portions 70 the CaI-
Z. .r1is Academy 5f SCIENCES and The 50
cierv of ('a,iits-nia Plcnsers 70 be used IN
the ercerion of suitabIs tuilalu-s and the
purchase of li5ra-.es. scientific collections,
a7T5a-at-s- and other things usafI = the
2 q sclence
The trust embraces every inch e ground
s,,z every cert Of money owned by Mr-
I.isk. lie places himself On tie li5t q his
exa t.eaeEs5gl-ias iu 2 curious manner he
tlr binl-alf lie Esa and eljoylant F.
d5ariBg rs lie q his homestead property
i. San jose, II santa Cara county, which I
: 70 reEert after Als death 70 ihe fFo s9ae- I
ties Isl n1e-l1ic1ed, AID be further charges !
thai tie trustees shall pay 70 him - ne
z1ay from day TO day CT fT9la Fesk 70 H-aak ]
9eIslasad q them, R1t, however, eZcee1i4g I
TIE sau q tBeBry-hTe thgRs4l3 dollars Il !
aBE oBe year Ii i sid tl1at II required /
seas .sars12si8u to iHdaca hin 70 receive .
% large q Lbs bsr his oBn use SQel ~ !
short Is . sketch of Tie most eItraQrdilary !
bsgaest Of oar time Il differs widely from .
II : HssEgy7, B.s,ss4sf-s,5fls 57l lie 5art thai