Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-08-31
WEALTH AT WASHINGTON
MEN WORTH MILLIONS WHO
PUT ON POOR MOUTHS.

| Inc Tax DlkesG NO Ilace TO LOOK TO
Get an Idea of Mans Financial
WOrth-The Three willard Brothers
and Their IdiOcincracies-An Array
of Noted NRmes.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 2s.-OF course,
there are very few mulionaires in Wash.
ington. They could all be tailed on the
| fingers of two hands. Our "rIch men"
are usually worth less than half mill
! ion-much less, if one takes the tax as
| sessor's list as a guide. Otcourse, every
| body knows that William w. Corcoran is
our richest man, as we'll as our foremost
and best citizen every way. He is, l sup
pose, worth five millions. The three
Willard brothers are as rich atleast as one
| good fat millionaire between them and are
| generally supposed to be worth million
or more. They are still at 1t. They have
| been making money ever since they came
! here, years before the war, to be stewards
and clerks in the old hotel, which stood
then where Willards' (owned by two OF
| the Willard brothers stands now. They
| are III one way and another among the
most active men in town, and they are
| always looking for dollars. Henry A.
Willard is the best known. He was once
a member of the Board OF
|
of Columbia, and was an applicant
for the Republican Commissonership in
that board recently so admirably filled by
| the appointment of William b. Webb.
| Henry A. lives in more pretentious resi-
dence than his brother and cOvets the
| honors of social as well as political life.
| But he is just as eager in his pursuit of a
| 50-cent piece as his unpretenti0us brother
| Caleb, who, like the immortal Mr.. Riley,
keeps hotel, and, like the immortal Mr..
| Riley "Heaven save him quite
! kindly, keeps it right WE'LL"
shall not say what Its value is. Both
| Henry A. and Caleb @. like to build
| houses, or rather to repair them. They
| delight to buy a rattletrap old building
for song and then for another song or
| some such trifie repair it and paint it and
rent il for 30 per cent. on the original In
vestment. They like to oversee the work
while 1t is being done. and, perhaps, to
assist a little. The third brother, Joseph
| c., rather keeps aloOf from the
| other two. They are separated not only
! by serious disagreements but by his as
sumption OF superiority to both OF them.
| he deals extensively in real estate, but in
a very quiet way. He is always well
| dressed, and no one ever saw him direct
| ing gang of bricklayers as they repaired
| one of his buildings. In fact, people very
seldom see him doing anything. He lives
| in very plain, small house, with green
blinds, on Fourteenth street, just above
f. The green blinds are always
closed. But still Joseph e.
can be seen, and fine-looking old gentle
man he is, with his fine complexion and
his silvery-white hair. He looks like a
Marquis of the old nobility of France.
| He talks like a very modern, though
somewhat eccentric, real estate specu-
latOr. he is very egotistical, but bright,
and in his way entertaining. He likes
newspaper men. He owns several OF the
Offices the correspondents occuy In what
| Is called Newspaper Row. on Fourteenth
street, and his brother Caleb owns most
| of the others.
THE REAL ESTATE TAXPAYERS.
After one has mentioned COrcoran and
the Willards one has to pause before
naming the next millionaire. Several
names suggest themselves but they do
not carry with them q guarantee that
| their owners have right to a place in
this list. Perhaps | would better turn
from them to the notable names in the
list of the heaviest real estate taxpayers
of Washington. The tax assessors list of
owners of real estate gives you the only
certain information you can get as basis
/ for an estimate about any mans wealth,
/ for the personal lax returns are nOtOrI-
| ously and grossly Inadequate. BY adding
from fifty to seyenty-fiye per cent to the
| assessed value of his real estate you
| can get the actual value of his realty.
| For the value OF his personally you will
have to depend upon your guessing pow
/ ers. According to the real estate asses
sors, the largest holding of real estate in
! the District OF Columbia is that of the
| Washington Gashght Company, whose
stock which nobody here would buy 20
years ago, now cannot be had for twice
its face value. This corporation, whose
/ monopoly no would-be rival has vet been
able TO break, pays taxes on real estate
assessed at 1912 S33. Next on the list
comes William w. CorcOran, banker and
/ benefactOr, whose sense for the higher
| pleasures of wealth ia as keen
as ever. His real estate
| is assessed at 1891 1854. Then comes
| Caleb c. Willard with $327,l59. His
brother, Henry A, has sl5s, ,482 opposite
] his name, and brother Joseph Z. has Sl52,-
/ 1873. Then brothers Henry Z. and Joseph
/ G.. hold jointly real estate valued at $lTS,-
! SO. The Riggs estate, which is now in
several hands, includes real estate hold
ings assessed at upwards OF S250, 600. TX
Senator j. y. Gulee's real estate is as
sessed at $l60,221. John II. Mclean, of
! the Cincinnati Enquirer, pays taxes on
real estate assessed AZ Sl50,43l. Old
"Wash." Mclean, his father, is assessed
/ S42,2l5, and Mrs. Hazen, his sister,
the wife Of the great weather
prophet, at S3l, l,657. William Walter
Phelps pays taxes on S145, ,O43, as the
value Of BIS holdings. Part Of this sum.
however, (and II Is not the forlv-three
dollars, either) represents James q.
| Blaine's new house and lot, which are in
| Phelps name on the tax Assessors
/ books. Benjamin r. Butler, the lone
1 fisherman from Lowell. owns real estate
valued at $ill 1856. Senator James Don
aid Cameron is down for real estate val
ued ~ $li4,3i4. The estate Of the late John
/ o. Evans. the founder OF the Mutual
Union Telegraph Company, comprises
real estate valued at Sii2,G2j.
Judge Walter $. Cox, OF the
District Supreme Court. who tried Gnl-
teau. ia done for Sl31,5s2. Ex-senator
William Sharon stood on the Assessors
books Tor several years as the owner OF
real estate assessed at S2Js,S79. When
Sarah Althea Hill seemed likely 20 get a
drst Judgment against him he transferred
Ii. But he has recently resumed his own
arship. TX senator William sprague
pays taxes on $40. 7s0 worth Of real estate.
Here are a number 0i well-knOwn names.
with the amounts opposite them: George
bancroft, the historian. S3o.3yl; senator
John sherman, S74.ajO; Col. John Hay
Little Rrecches), j, s6l,Oi7; Chief Justice
of the supreme Court of the