Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1885-01-08
AN avsA .sJb oAREsa,
Death OF Professor n. Kent Kane :
Fortunes Made aUd Lost-How His
wife Rabbsd lhfm.


Death OF Professor n. Kent Kane
fortunes Made ard Lost-How HIS
wife Robbed Aim.
laiormatlon hAs been received In this
city, anys Philadelphia exchange, Of the
death Of Professor Samuel Kent Kane,
remarkable character, whose singular and
romantic career In that city and other
plscss, where he Was we'll known, Is as
strange IS the life Of the famous Coal Oil
Johnny OF late years Professor Kane
made Phiiadelphia his home, although
his habits were 30 peculiar that he rarely
remained In one oity q long period. He
was in his eth year. He was an uncle
Of DR.. Kane Of Arctic exploration fame,
aud near relative Of Judge John Kent
Kane Of the United States court, who
figured In the famous slavery case, In
which the venerable PAssmore William
aon OF Philadelphia WAS the chief actor.
AZ the time Of the oil excitement he was
Aprofessor Of natural sciences in Obsrlip
College, and was regarded 40 an eminent
authority. He abandoned his collegiate
duties TO engage In the oil industry. His
ventures were remarkably successful.
Every move he made yielded him thou
sands Of dollars, and q short time found
his firm the owners Of extensive oil re-
nneries in Allegheny City, Cleveland,
New Castle and several other places, He
was the torerunner Of the Standard Oil
Company. His properties furnished the
nuoleus for that gigantic corporate body.
The Kane firm Amassed millions OF dollsrs.
but were caught In large spsculations and
compelled 10 90 under, Then the origin.
ators Of the Standard company secured
their refneriss.
Professor Kane then found himself
pennilees and burdsned with q great
debt. He made his way To Colorado aud
was there when the mining fever broke
out. his mining enterprises yielded
almost fabulous returns, and in q abort
slime he was again reckoned IS million.
aire. He invested heavily, made money
az last 40 he could count II, and continued
70 put all his earnings in mining prop.
erty. The turn in the tide came, how
ever, and when the great decline in min.
ing took place Professor Kane was again
caught, heavily loaded with properties
which he could not carry. A second time
his fortune slipped from his GRAN. lint
In this wreck he had the good luck 10
save about S660,0O0. With this neal
sum he came east, put. it all in q great
land purchase, and swellsd II to about 4
million.
Then he met George N. Townsend. the
snver-tonRus, Atfable rogues whose re.
mArkapie swindling transactions are still
nesh IN the public memory. Townsend
drew Professor Kane into one Of his
gigantic confidence schemes, and the
LATTER put about Sl50,000 in the willy
speculator's Virginia lands which were
either valueless or without proper legal
title. The professor also started d
build the West Virginia Central railroad
and sank great deal Of money in it IL
fact all his money was invested in suct
schemes until he again found himsel
Penniless. DR.. Kane, as the subject O
TINS sketch was commonly called, strsyed
about Philadelphia for several years.
hanging on to life by the eyelds. "a tht
phrase goes, until 1851, when he went Il
Arizona to examine some copper mlnine
lands for Benjamin F. Butler and seyers
other Boston capitalists.
While there he again struck luok AMI
sold to William K. Dodge ard other rict
men OF New York, mines which he has
secured an option on, and in three
months he came back with 1886. 900 il
cash. This sum Just lasted about tire,
months, but he returned TO the west. and
made in the year 1882 about q qusrter Of
million in similar transactions. II,
then went to New York, where hs me, /
handsome young woman, became smitter
with her charms and was united In mar
riage to her. Dr.. Kane and his wife Aud
sister took mp their residence In a biz
hotel In New York City. One wet after
noon he returned to his apartments
under the influence of liquOr witt
about $4,000 in bank notes in hi
pockets. He staggered up to table q
which Mrs. Kane and her sister were sit
ting, and drawing money from every
pocket counted out 81 $1,000 notes am
placed them on the table "Are the,
ior me dear 7" said the wife, on whom b,
had already lavished . fortune.
guess so," he humorously remarked a
he sank back on the bed. IL a few
minutes he was fast asleep. The ,empta
ZION Was too much for the woman, anC
when Professor Kane awoke he fount
that the pair had departed with tn,
s37,O0O. AS he could take no action in lav
against her, he never called In the aid @
the police. He never heard OF her AZ ain
IL 10 supposed that she went to Canadi
and subsequently to Europe. At the tim,
OF his death he had lost nearly all hi
money, but owned considerably mininl
property. The cause Of his death /
snshrouded in mystery. Il ia reported Il
have occurred in = railway accident nes
New Orleans, while he was returning t
PhilsdelphiA by way OF that place, bu
other advioes hint that he was murdered
by robbers, who followed him for tn
money he carried. The body hss beef
buried by an only son, who lives In tn
west. DR.. Kane was the first man in tn
world to make soap ont Of kerosene. Il
invented the process, but his patent wa
stolen.