The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1876-09-14
Ghtaateltige'tfess
THE CATTLE KING.
,aryiug Fortuncs OF John TAI
eXantler.

A correspondent Of the Quincy Wig
writes as follows OF Mr.. John I. Alexan'
u, widely known rs the "Great Cattle
Einp Of the Mississippi Valley" who died
,.cc0,ly in Jacksonville, III:
.Nr Alexander was in his tiity-htttl
,s,r and few men have done more to nd
yance the interests OF The West. lie ws
aVirrinian by birth, but spent his early
Ss,,. in Ohio, and assisted his father in
J,iviny cattle from that State over the
Illeobsny Mountains TO the Philadelphia,
p'I,imore, New York and Boston mar.
teis. lie was thus brought up in the
cattle trade, and when, at the age oil
twsnty his father suffered aseyerc tinan.
cial reyerse, young Alexander came West
IN try his own luck. He came 10 y.
Iouis and atterward travelled through
Central Illinois, from which region he
collected and drove, on foot, his first ven.
ture in Western cattle to the East. Alter
trading for three or lour years, he began,
in 1915, to open his farm in this country,
now on The Toledo, Wabash and Western
Railroad, near the station known by his
name. These lands were brought
to u state OF excellent pastur-
,gp, and then Mr.. Alexander start
el out on his venture, which was one oil
the very first Of the kind, dealing in Tex.
a. cattle. Although it was then necessa.
~ to drive them 10 Logansport, Ind, the
nearest railroad terminus, thence ship by
rail TO Toledo, and thence again by steam.
rr and rail to New York, lie fast accu.
INFLATED a fortune. lie continued to ship
from 1900 10 $4,000 head yearly, but
With little further gain, till the breaking
out Of the war, when he launched out at
full length in the mule trade, making his
purchases mostly in Missouri, where pri.
res we're for time remarkably easy. Not
to dwell on the exige1cies Of this enter.
prise, il Is enough to'say that by the. time
The war was over hc had settled oil n
large amount Of debts in which he had
been involved by previous transactions
in Texas cattle, was out OF debt entirely,
had 1900 acres Of land valued at $50 an
acre and had n deposit OF over 100000
in bank. It would appear that such an
accumulation Of means could hardly
meet with reverse; but such was not the
case. lie purchased the farm known as
the lroad lands near the Toledo, Wa.
bash and Western Railroad, in Cham.
pagn county, a tract OF twenty.six thous.
and acres, and began It's Improvement.
About the same time he suffered
heavy losses by the Reputation 0i
contracts with certain railroad COM
panies, so that his entire loss in
The space Of a year and half amounted
to near two hundred and fifty thousand
dollars, and he stood apparently face to
face with crisis in his affairs. Hefound
what seemed to be way out OF the trou.
lie by u sale which he negotiated, in
effect, with Canadian company Tor the
Broad Lands Farm for SG25, 900; but the
company failed 10 ratify the purchase,
and he turned his entire estate into the
hands Of three Assignees for the benefit
Of his creditors. 1t was estimated that
at this time his liabilities were about
Sl,9OO,O0O, but Ills estate was ample to
pay il lOllar for dollar, and he was de-
iermined it should be done, and II is be-
lievcd that II was done, and that by his
own e1ertiOns several thousands acres OF
land were left, In 1873 he began to re-
cover from these rcvcrses, and has grown
h wealth and influence year by year
Elhenergy has had It's influence on the
cattle raising Of the region for miles and
miles around, and among the great cattle
dealers Of the West he has scarcely Or
equal and never . superior as q man o.
energy, integrity and perseverance,"