The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1886-12-23
PALMS AND HIS MILLIONS.
Romance Of the Family and Fortun'
of Detroft's Croesus.

Romance OF the Family and Fortune
of Detrott's Croesus.
Francis F. Palms, of Detroit, was his
ather's clerk on salary of $2, 500 a
7ear. On the death of his father he
became the heir to at least $4,000. 900.
His stepsister Clothilde came in for
like amount. Together they have be-
come the possessors of the largest prop
srty in Michigan.
The children of the very rich are apt
20 be commonplace persons, but in the
Palms lexicon there is no such word as
commonplace. When Waterloo put an
end to the fortunes of Napoleon it also
wrecked the finances of his devoted
young Secretary, Ange Palms. of An
;werp, Belgium. After struggle to
regain wealth, the elder Palms came to
America with his wife, his four sons
and his two daughters. Just what led
them to Detroit no one knows, but the
father soon went to New Orleans. where
he prospered. Only two of the family
remained behind-one of the sons and
one of the daughters. BY one of those
lucky chances the boy got place with
grocer, who became attached to him.
By dint of hard work and great busi-
ness foresight young Palms worked his
way into the firm, and by the time he
was thirty-five years old he was able to
take $4,000 out of the firm and retire.
Giving his attention to farming lands.
he bought 40. 900 acres at 81 to ST.. 25 per
acre. and sold again for $25 an acre for
The land and another $25 for the timber.
AS many as $50 families in a single
county have owed him for lands and
not one has ever complained of him as
landlord.
His investments have reached as
high as 400, 900 acres at time, and yet
with only one clerk he has been able to
take the entire management of prop
erty valued at not less than $7,00O,O00
at the lowest estimates. He never had
to consult a map in order to verify his
taxes, so comprehensive and accurate
was his memory.
So much for the money side of Fran
els Palms. There is, however, another
side less known and far more interest
ing. Mr.. Palms married when he was
about twenty-five years old, and had
one son, in giving birth to whom his
wife died. When he was to marry a
second time the step-mother acted the
part marked out for her by the novel
lists of all generations. She would
have nothing to do with the baby. The
boy therefore was sent to his grand
father at New Orleans to be cared for,
and once out of sight he was also out of
mind. So the boy grew up among
Southern influences and became a gen.
uine son of the South. On being grad
uated from Southern college he set
out on travelling apprenticeship after
the manner of Wilhelm Meister, but on
reaching Virginia he suddenly resolved
to 90 in search of his father. All he
knew was that his sire lived in Detroit
and that there had been a step-mother
in the house.
Arriving i'll the City of the Straits he
took rooms at the Michigan Exchange,
then the fashionable hotel of the city,
and began his Investigations. OF
course everybody knew about Francis
Palms, for even in those days he was
the richest man in the State. And
what was more it was his habit to drop
in at the hotel every evening to read
his letters and take a glimpse at the
newspapers. Early in the evening
young Palms took his stand in the Of
flee to watch for his unsuspecting par
ent. Soon he saw enter a medium
sized man with pleasant face and
twinkling eyes. That, the clerk told
him, was his father. Amore impulsive
youth would have rushed forward to
make himself known and receive the
paternal embraces. But the Palms
family are made of different stuff.
Waiting until his father had finished
reading his letter he watched an oppor-
tunity to start a little conversation.
He began by praising Detroit and con-
trasting it with New Orleans. Motto
ing slight interest on the part of his
listener, the young man ventured to
ask if the former had any acquaint-
ances in the Crescent City.
II believe have father and broth
ers there" was the seemingly reluct-
ant reply.
Indeed" returned the youth.
'.Might ask their names?'
"Palms-Ange Palms, was my faith
er's name," said the elder.
"That is the name of my grandfath-
er," said the young fellow, with a
slight tremble in his voice.
Francis Palms was not surprised, be-
cause nothing ever surprised him.
Moreover, with the thought 1.-THE boy is
my son." came the other ''what shall !
do with him?" He did not know quite
what to do.
He explained that there was lion in
the path of his return to the paternal
roof. The result was that the young
man shook the dust of Detroit from his
feet and returned to New Orleans. The
breaking out of the war found him a
Louisiana planter and the affianced
husband of beautiful Scotch girl.
With the first gun fired at Sumter he
entered the Confederate army and
there he stayed until Lees surrender.
Having the Palms shrewdnness he ex-
changed his plantation for cotton and
worked his cotton as far as Charleston,
where it was confiscated. But some
loophole was found in the act Of Con-
gress granting payment for property
taken from loyal citizens, and eventual
| ly young Palms got paid for at least a
part of his 800. 600 loss. Returning to
New Orleans the family influence was
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