The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1876-05-11
The Man of Fifty Millions-Anothev
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man of one idea. His single aim in
ite seems to have been to make
lmoney by keeping shop. True, he
owned great hotels and mill towns
by which money was made, but these,
as has been justly observed, were
auxiliary to the shop. Outside of
that, he had apparently no ambition,
or, he had, never exercised it. His
aims were narrow, because, no doubt,
his powers were limited. What he
might have accomplished, had he
concentrated these powers on some-
thing else than shopkeeping, may be
vaguely imagined; or what result
would have attended q diffusion of
his intellectual force and great vital
energy, may be the subject of guesses
still more vague. All we know is
that he succeeded in making and
selling of goods. 1t is brilliant
record, if you choose, but defined by
a single vivid beam, beyond which
is intense darkbness, nothing more.
Consider tho wido and varied fields
OF human enterprise into which he
eithor did not care, or, doubling his
powers, never dared, to penetrate.-
His record in billiards is o total blank:
the wrotohed man probbaly mover
handled cue in his whole life. Did
he ever make ten strike, or knew
he the deep mystery of the "twistor"
in Cooked hat" History is silent.
LILO yatchcd not, Mother welded ho
tho sculls. 1t may be doubted wheth-
er he over stecrcd so much as q bum
boat successfully, from tho day of his
birth to tho day of his death. If ho
boxed, or fenced, or played at quar-.
ter staff, no ono is aware of it. Tho
man actually cared nothing whatever
for fast horses, 6wned not q single
bull pup, contenting himself probbaly
with a pretty rat>torrior, and abso-
lutely refused to drive tandem or ride
at hounds, from early manhood to
old age! These statements sound in.
credible, but they are true. Why,
Grant or Bonner could have jockoycd
him out of his entire cstatel Indeed,
there is but too much reason to sus-
poct that this unhappy being was alb
solutely Ignorant of short cards, and
could not and did not bet at faro
The fact has been studiously concealed
by Judge Hilton, but il is 80, it must
be 80, He wouldn't even get drunk
of night!
Stranger still, he belonged to no se-
cret society, not even to a debating
society. Who said he was q Mason,
lacklustre Mason, much less bright
Mason? and yet he might have scared
up to Knight Templarhood. In point
OF fact he appears not at any time to
havo been "freo and accepted" any,
thing, not so much as q dependent
Odd Follow. What Red Manly ac-
ton of his was ever recorded, and
who bears witness to his Heptosophic
achievements. His Druidical remains
are few and far between. He never
beaded, or followed, or took part in
professions of any kind; nevcr march,
ed with q thing slung to his mock,
thing in his hand, thing round
his wrist, thing across his shoulders
and plume in his hat; yet he might
have owned prettier soldier cloths
than Jim Fisk's, and paraded every
day in tho year! Never since tho
world began did human boing so nog~
lcct magnificent opportunities. Just
think of it! He novor waa out of
doors on tho fourth Of July. 1t is
shameful, disgracefulj wo havo no pa
tience with such q man. Worse re-
mains to be told. We might alludo
to tho shameful circumstances that ho
shot no pigeons, couldn't fish, invent>
ed no patent medicines, was not q
momber of tho Young Mems Christian
Association, lived wholly apart from
base ball, practice no law, declined to
doctor, was not notary public, novor
made n stump speech, had no title
ovon from Tennessee College, vog.
etated for two and seventy years as
,,1oip Miotor Iod M Ho,,.. -. +,