The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1885-08-25
=, AToR DAVIS.

Il
ono Of tho FUTURE atoney kings ~ thii
uountry-Hiswsst virginia Enterpriae.
ssra.sca %. n n. WORD
Ex-senator Henry 9. Davis, Of West
Virginia, has been here for several days
He, ex-senator Stockton, ex-senator
Stevenson and Senator saulsbury make
up q group nearly every afternoon for the
purpose q talking over oil. times, M.
Davis Is tho richest man otthem al, DO
retired from the Senate for the sole pull:
pose Of giving his undivided attention to
the enormous properties Under his con-
troll in the. State Of West Virginia. Mr.:
Davis has the appearance OF o man about
fifty years OF age. BE Is tall and not very
stout. He hiss the spare look Of the men
OF action who live long lives. His lace Is
very fresh colored. His forehead Is high
and surmounted by iron-gray hair which
| h brushed straight back from his forehead
without parting. His nose is very large
and stands out In the centre OF his face,
with a turn up at the end very
suggestive OF alettness aud suspicion. His
ewes are a cold blue; his upper lip 10
shayen, leaving his large mouth uncon-
cealod !: the lower part oil his face termin'
stes in a short, brownish-gray beard. MI.
Davis, il he lives for twenty years, Will
probably be the rival OF Vanderbilt aud
Gould In point Of wealth. There Is no
capitalist to-day who has the control o.
property with greater possibilities tnan
has Mr.. Davis. He has gone all through
West Virginia and has gained control Of
great tracts OF land there for merely
Nominal sum. West Virginia for long
time was undeyeloped by railroads or IN.
4 diyidual enterprise. 1T contains within
its area some oil the most valuable coal
and iron in the country. Its timber lands
are also OF great value. Undeveloped- BY
railroad enterprise these valuable lands
have been regarded as 80 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
ho Organized Senatorial syndicate for the
purpose OF advertising his property upon
4 the epeculative market. Mr. Bayard, Mr..
Blaine and one or two other Senatorial
friends OF Mr.. Davis in the summer Of
1880 met at the White Sulphur Springs
. and, with Mr.. Davis took horseback
Tide through West Virginia. This ride
was made os.ensibly Tor the purpose Of re-
creation. The result Of the journey was
the organization and building OF railroad
through the State, which has since devel-
oped the lands to very great value. 1t
Ia hardly probable that the Senators who
went into this enterprise were called upon
10 pay out any more money than the orig
inaf protector. know oil one Senator who
is yery rich who was offered 500, 600 in the
stock of this company II .hs would simply
permit his name to be used as adirector in
the enterprise. lie refused. He was
already rich enough, and had made It the
rule OF his life never 70 go into speculative
stock enterprises, The names. OF the dis.
tinguished people who were incorporated
as stockholders in this West Virginia en-.
terprise were not used for the purpose Of
foisting the stock Of worthless company
upon the public. These names were used
merely to advertise and call attention 70
what has since p,oyed b be one OF the
. most profitable OF ventures. MIR. Davis
| himself retains to-day controlling inter
est Democrats and Republicans, such 40
Bayard and Blaine, Elkins and Davis, are
closely allied in this affair, and doubtless
| In the division Of their very legitimate
profits they forget for the time political
differences. II Is estimated that Mr..
Dayis's share in these West Virginia prop
critics is to-day worth from $50, 600, 900 to
SIS, 900, 900, and that the next ten year,
Will see this property doubled in value.
Mr.. Davis Is very simple and regular In
J, hishabits His fgureis quite spare. Herose
! to his position in life from that Of mere
brakeman on the Baltimore & Ohio Rail-
road. He has plotted and planned for
success with great discreetness. People
with very large waist bands should take
home the fact that the longest lived and
the most successful men Of the day are
tho lean men Of the earth. think this
fact Is beginning to be understood. |
have met number Of stout men this
summer, and I find that nearly all OF
them are trying feebly aud otherwise to
follow some plan of diet which will re-
duce them to leanness and something like
their old energy OF action.