, 1885-02-14
LDNGWORTH'S LUCK
The PECULIAR HISTORY OF The
cINclANATi MILLIONAIRE.
n Sian who Made clncInnati-rhs 20
cuiiar circumstance which Seat
Him TO the Fntura P~orhopols
His Later life


r"Halston" in New York 1imesl
Coming over from Newark the other day I
met a descendant OF the late Nicholas Long
worth, the man who made Cincinnati. The
young man told me the story Of how the
splitting Of a fow casks Of wine by irats
Philndelphinns pushed an Insignificant Ohio
village into consequences as a western city.
Old Nicholas Lougworth who, by tho way
was the fatherinlaw OF the late Governor
Ward, OF Now Jersey, was 50 queer that
many people thought him crazy, but with all
bis cranky notions he was smart enough to
nmnss an estate valued at SIS. 200, 900. At
the time OF his death, In 1865, he was ono Of
the richest men In America He was born
In Newark In 17s2, and the old homestead
which sheltered his youth still stand at the
corner OF High street and tho thoroughfare
bearing his name and interesting tho home
lot Of the Longworth farm. In early life he
ran away from home and hired out
TO an Ohio farmer. But he soon tired
Of the existence on a Buckeye farm.
Agriculture In Ohio reminded him too
much OF the New Jersey scenes he had quit
ted He therefore took summary leave Of
his patron When next heard from no wns
making wine from Wild grapes. His business
soon Increased so that In a few years he was
recognized as the leading vino Manufacturer
OF the country. He was the first man to put
Ohio wines on the market
On one OF his speculative trips he had no.
ticed the little village laid out by Col Lud-
low in 1853. This miniature Cincinnati
Ludlow had fondly hoped would loom up as
a rival to staid Philadelphia. Eventually It
did loom, but its first start was tho result Of
q peculiar circumstances. In an excess OF
fanaticism a Quaker city mob seized a cargo
OF Longsworth's wine, broke open the cask
heads and allowed the ruby burden to food
the CUTTERS Nicholas Longworth wasn't
the man to stand such an affront His heart
was In the magnificent industry he had
reared as anxiously as a parent watches a
child He determined to nave his revenge.
With a population Of 1900 souls at that
time, 1t offered about as much inducement 10
investors as the average New England coun-
try town OF today. Nicholas, as l have said,
was a strong-minded, crochetty old chap. He
had noticed the ine position Of the Ohio
town Without further ado, carried com
pletely away by his desire to aget square,
with Philadelphia, he purchased 100 acres
within the boundaries OF tho future Cincin-
natl This area he cut up into streets and
lots, built houses, and improved his purchase
in all possible ways. With Nicholas went
his Philadelphia wine stock. He erected
warehouses in the western town and calmly
turned over TO It's authorities half OF the
$4,000 remaining TO him for the purpose Of
establishing a court house and otherwise ON
bellishing the center of mushroom Porkopolis.
In less than twelve years Cincinnati had 90, 600
people around Longworth,s warehouses.
Real estate ran up TO enormous figures for
those days. Nicholas Longworth's invest
ment Of 300, 900 had swollen to colossal pro-
portions. Before he reached his Goth year
he was one Of the twenty millionaires Of the
land, and the old Philadelphia score was
wiped out In his latter days old Nicholas
became careless, and his slovenly habits
were famed all over the country. / am told
a rather good story about him at this stage
Of his life The old Astor was his favorito
New York hotel One day, after partaking
OF one Of the meals for which the hostelery
WINS even then famous, the millionaire
perched himself out on the stone steps In tho
sunshine. After hopping his brow with a
big red ~bandanna, he carelessly placed the
handkerchief in his dllapidated old hat lying
beside him, and then calmly went to sleep.
Passing out OF the hotel, a gentleman noticed
what he took for a tired-out beegar. one
Of the fraternity frequenting every public
place. He charitably dropped a coin into
the old fellows hat and others followed the
example. Nicholas, in waking up, discov-
cred the pennies. A grim smile stole over
his features. and he quietly picked up the
hat with its burden OF pence and walked in
to the clerks desk. "Oh, hoi' quoth he, 10
they took me for one Of your beggarG Well,
as this contribution was intended for bog
gars, beggars shall nave it." So saying, he
dragged the astonished clerk out Of the hotel
and up Broadway. AT every turn almost
some unfortunate was mot, and as long a.
his coins lasted he wrapped them up one by
one in dollar bills and distributed them. But
that wasn't much for the owner Of half Of
Cincinnati, was iii