The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-08-28
EX-SENATOR HENRY G. DAVIS.
Once a Railroad Brakeman, Now a Rival of
Vanderbilt.
a Letter in New York World.

Saratoga Letter in New York World.
Eek Senator Henry G. Davis. of West Virginia,
has been here for several days. He, ex-senator
Stockton, ex- Senator Stevenson and Senator
Salisbury make up a group nearly every after
noon for the purpose of talking over old times.
Mr.. Davis is the richest man Of them all. He
retired from the Senate for the sole purpose of
giving his undivided attention to the enormous
properties under his control in the State of West
Virginia. Mr.. Davis has the appearance of a man
about fifty years of age. He is tall and not very
stout. He has the spare look of the men of &C
ton who live long lives. His face is very fresh
colored. His forehead is high and Surmounted
by iron-gray hair, which is brushed straight back
from his forehead without parting. His nose is
very large and stands out III the center of his
face, with d turn up at the end very suggestive
of a%lertness and suspicion. His eyes are a cold
blue; his upper lip is shaver, leaving his large
mouth unconcealed; the lower part of his face
terminates in a short, brownish-g gray beard.
Mr.. Davis, if he lives for twenty years, will
probably be the rival of Vanderbilt and Gould
in the point of wealth. There is no capitalist to-
day who has the control of q property with
greater possibilities than has Mr.. Davis. He
has gone all through West Virginia and has
gained control of great tracts of land there for
a merely nominal sum. West Virginia, for a
long time, was undeveloped by railroads or
individual enterprise. 1t contains within it's
area some Of the most valuable coal and iron in
the country. Its timber lands are also of great
value. Undeveloped by railroad enterprise,
tncSe NdludDlt IdHuS udNo Deeu TtSnfOeu as so
much waste. Mr.. Davis obtained control of the
majority of these lands upon the payment of
very little cash down.
After obtaining control of these lands he or
ganized a senatorial syndicate for the purpose OF
advertising this property upon the speculative
market. Mr.. Bayard, Mr.. Blaine, ard one or
two other senatorial friends Of MI. Davis, in the
summer of 1880 met at the White Sulphur
Springs and, with Mr.. Davis, took a horseback
ride through West Virginia. This ride was
~, o6a oCtpnSihlNr for tho nnrnncn Of aora,%1o
The result Of the journey was the organization
and building Of q railroad through the State,
which has since developed the lands to a very
great value. 1t is hardly probable that
enterprise were called upon to pay out
any more money than the original protector. I
know of one senator who is very rich who was
offered 500, 900 in the stock of this company if
he would simply permit his name to be used
AS a director in the enterprise. He refused. He
was already rich enough, and had made it the
rule of his life ncukr to go into speculativesstock
enterprises. The names of the distinguished
people who were Incorporated as stockholders in
this West Virginia enterprise were not used for
the purpose of foisting the stock of a worthless
company upon the public. These names were
used merely to advertise and call atten-
ton to what has since proved to be one of the
most profitable of ventures. Mr.. Davis himself
retains to-day a controlling interest. Democrats
and Republicans, such as Bayard and Blaine,
Elkins ana Davis, are closely allied in this affair,
and doubtless in the division of their very
legitimate profits, they forget for the time
political differences. 1t is estimated that Mr..
Dav:s's share in these West Virginia properties
is to day worth from $50, 600. 900 to SIS, 900, 600,
and that the next ten years will see this property
doubled in value.
Mr.. Davis is very simple and regular in his
habits. His figure is quite spare. He rose to
his position in life from that of a mere brake
man on the the Baltimore & Ohio railroad. He
has plotted and planned for success with great
directness. People with very large Wristbands
should take home the fact that the ongest lived
and the most successful men of the day are the
lean men of the earth.