Connecticut western news., 1883-04-11
A WESTERN BANKER.
The Railroad Prince-Alexander Mitchell
 of Milwaukee.

Among the pedestrians on the avenue recently was a short, stout man in the neighborhood of sixty years of age. His face was full, broad and massive. Eyes gray, sharp, keen, under beetling gray eyebrows. Nose aquiline, mouth large and firm in outline The face was clean shaven to the lower line of the heavy jawbone. A shining silk hat was we'll down upon the head The rotund figure was plainly dressed in dark clothes. A dark green cravat, upon which gleamed ruby pin, made the only patches of color in the dark attire of the pedestrian He carried his fat yellow-gloved hands down in the pockets of his overcoat as he walked stolidly along This man was Alexander Mitchell of Milwaukee, the President of the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul road, and the head of one of the richest banks in Milwaukee.
 MT. Mitchell was a member of Con- gress from 1874 to 1875. He used to have rooms at Wormley's Hotel. AL though he was worth at least $15, ,OOO,- GOO he used to walk from his rooms to the Capitol and return. He is very quiet and unobtrusive. During his first winter few people in Congress knew much more about him than the fact of his being successful Milwaukee banker. During the great financial debate of his term MT. Mitchell prepared a speech upon the subject of the wisdom of the resumption of specie payment. MT. Mitchell was very modest man, and as no one paid much attention to him in the House he did not expect to have many listeners for his speech. One of his friends who heard he was going to make speech thought he would prepare a surprise for him. The friend went to the office of the Washington Chronicle and had a paragraph printed merely giving the amount of MT. Mitchells wealth Then he went up in the reporters gallery and pointed out MT. Mitchell as one of the great fnanciers of the Vest
 Nothing attracts so much attention as a reputation for enormous wealth. In 8 few days Mitchell became one of the celebrities of the House. When the millionaire finally arose to talk, if every word was coinable into gold dollar he could not have had more profound at tention. Mr. Mitchell arrived here last week from Florida, where his wife has a great orange plantation. He came here i in 8 private palace car. He was &C., companied by his son and heir, John Mitchell, a swarthy- y-bearded man of forty five. Mr. Mitchell came to this country 8 poor Scotch lad and made great for tune. One may think he owes his wealth to the great opportunities he found here. It is doubtful.
 A school friend of his who remained at Glasgow is worth forty millions, and he, too, started poor. Such men as Mitchell cannot help getting rich. Sev- eral years ago Mitchell went to Europe. In France he met his old school friend, the Glasgow banker. The two went about together all day. The Glasgow man paid all the bills. At the close of the day, when the two sat down to dinner, the Glasgow banker pulled out card, and turning to Mitchell said ::
 Sandy, you owe me $1.65."
 This was Sandys share of the expense of the day, and he promptly paid his share to the exact penny, as matter of course. This rigid exactness in the smallest of expenditures is one of the | common elements in ina character oi these two very rich men. Yet, with all this exactness and care, no one has ever dreamed of calling Mitchell stingy ol close.- Washington Sunday Herald.