Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1883-01-19
ANCIENT MlLLIONAIRES.

ihOlodndS Oh men have enyled AS
tor, Stewart, Vanderbilt, Mackey
kecne. Gould and the other fellows
who can buy Strawberries at 81 pei
| box: but the richest of them are mere
vagrants when compared to some OF
the ancients. There was Minus, fo1
instance. He was the son Of Nimrod,
the old hunter. who made the lions
scratch for holes and tigers take to
bitches. Old MIN left his boy about
t130,0O0.O00 in cash, besides 12O, 600
cattle. Il piece of land about as big
as Arkansas, and 14,0O0 likely slaves.
There We're no lawyers in those days
who made Il specially Of breaking
wills, and young Minus quietly took
possession and cast about for some
plan to keep himself out of the
poor house
He was considered poor young
man, and had he been seen Juggling
his girl to an ice-cream saloon or
riding out in livery rig, his friends
would have said he would bring up
in garret. BY a lucky capture Of
territory from the Assylians, together
with 10000 slaves. f25,OOO cattle, ten
wagon loads of silver and Jewels,
and few other trihes, Minus walked
up the social ladder until big bugs
asked after his wife and babies. and
he could lose three games of bill
lizards wondering if the owner of the
saloon would take a stand off" He
was worth 350,0O0,000 when he died,
and yet for the last five years of his
life he went without mutton because
the price had raised to 3 cents a
pound.
The heiress with $4,000 bank ac-
count considers herself some pump
kins. but what 3 cent piece she
would have been alongside of Queen
Semiramis. She not only had the
lucre left by Minus, but in ten years
she had increased it fourfold. Just
multiply f350,0Ol,0C0 by two. and you
have the amount of her bank balance.
to say nothing of jewels and clothing
and furniture and palaces and slaves
and cattle. Had she sold out and
cleaned up she could have drawn her
little check for about t70O,OOO,000.
She didn't worry about where her
spring bonnet was to come from, and
when new style of dress goods came
out she didn't sit up nights for fear
some neighbor would secure pattern
first. While she made it lively for
her enemies she was soft on her
friends. She gave her waiting maid
t5O0,O00 in lump for dressing her
hair in a new style, and she tossed
the same amount to her dressmaker
as a reward for the excellent fit of
one particular dress. One day when
she saw poor old man travelling the
highway on foot she presented him
with 500 asses to ride on. and in
sisted on his accepting f5O,O00 to
pay his toll and tavern bills.
Cyrus, King of Persia from the
year 53S to $50, had some little
change to begin with, and in ten
years he could draw his check for
t6OO,OOO,OOO. He didn't haggle over
the price of slave when man came
to buy, but presented him with 1000.
He at one time owned 10000 horses.
10000 cattle. 200,009 sheep, $4,000
asses and $4,000 Stoves, and when he
got tired of palace costing $1,000
600, he gave it away to some poor
washwOman with seven children to
support. He one day sat down to a
dinner which cost f30, 600, and in the
afternoon he went on $500 drunk.
The police didn't run him in, or he
would doubtless have insisted on pay
ing fine of 100000 and presenting
his Honor with a corner house and lot
in the toniest part of Babylon.
King Menes was another we'll
heeled man. 1t was too much trouble
to count his cash, and SO he weighed
it. One day when an old friend
asked him for the loan of few dol
lars until Saturday night, he sent
him a procession of 60 asses, each
animal loaded with 100 pounds of
gold coin. He paid f100,OOO for
bird which could whistle, the same
for trick dog, and he had such a
fondness for white oxen that hs
shelled out f25,0 900 apiece for them,
and at one time had drove of 2OOO.
When he got out with the boys he
made things lively. During one
spree in his city of Memphis, he gave
away t500,00O and he didn't get
drunk at that. At one time he had
100000 gold chains, 100000 finger
rings, 100000 costly swords, 100000
daggers, and land only knows how
many fsh-lines, jack knives, cock
screws and tobacco boxes. His wife
had t1,0OOOo0 year as pin money,
and when his eldest son went up to
Thebes to see the elephant. he was
followed by 600 friends. 1000 slaves,
Do0 horses and f500,OO0 for fare.
checks and beer money Detroit
Free Press.