St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1886-03-20
A CASTAWAY'S LUCK.
The Story Of Montevideo's American Mill
ionsirc Philanthropist.


ionaire Philanthropist.
"There are very few people in this
city who know what a big figure a
Philadelphian is cutting down in Mon
tevideo, the capital of Uruguay. in
South America" remarked Captain
Ulmer, lately commanding the barken-
tine Wandering Jew, of this port, who is
now in the employ of the Pennsylvania
Railroad Company. Il was down there
about year ago." continued the Cap
tain, land saw considerable of the per-
son in question, a man named w. D.
Evans, well advanced in life and one of
the wealthiest citizens of the Uruguayan
Republic. Evans claims to be an Amer
lean and Philadelphian, but the pre-
vailing idea among the citizens of Mon
tevideo is that he is Scotchman. At
any rate he insists that he is not Scot,
and he has brought all his children up
with the strict understanding that they
are American to the backbone and must
never acknowledge any flag but the
stars and stripes of Uncle Sam.
He struck Montevideo about thirty
years ago without a cent to bless
himself with, having been wrecked
while mate of the ship Young Me-
chanic. of Rockland. Me-, and saw
ing only the clothes on his back and
battered old boat, in which he got away
from the wreck. He had unlimited
pluck, however, and went TO work at
once to make living by ferrying peo-
pie about the harbor to and from ships
lying in the roadstead. and jobs of that
sort. Not long after he took to the
business he was caught in sharp
squall just outside the harbor and was
capsized. Four hours later steamer
coming in hove to and picked him up
while he was clinging to the keel of his
upturned craft He thanked the officer
in charge of the men who had put off
to rescue him but declined to go on
board the steamer, asking as great
favor that the sailors help him in right
ing his capsized boat, as it was all he
had in the world to make living with.
Admiring his grit. they gave him the
required assistance, and an hour after
the steamer dropped her anchor he
sailed past, and was given hearty
cheer by the men on the fo'castle deck.
He picked up little money by
means of the old tub he had refused to
desert. and invested in a bit of prop
erty, which soon doubled in value. and
then, going into real estate as busi-
ness, fortune smiled on him and he be-
came wealthy in a few years. Now he
owns whole blocks of houses in the city.
and his own place is one of the finest
in the entire country, while his fortune
is continually swelling. His hospitality
is a by-word down there, and it appears
to give him especial pleasure to enter
tain Americans, while for the Yankee
aaval officer. and shipmasters who sail
into port he can not make too much
fuss over Them He often talks about
Philadelphia, but does not say anything
about coming back here to live. Pow
erty is no bar to a man finding friend
in Mr.. Evans, for he is ready to well
come Il poor chap out Of the fo'castle
as the commander of a man-o' war. but
he won't take any stock i'll men unless
he thinks they are square He has
always given a very cold shoulder to
Winslow, the Boston forger, who
found haven in Montevideo
lin the center of his private park
there is splendid bronze fountain
which cost him a good many thousand
dollars, and it is surrounded by huge
basin. stocked with splendid trout and
a big school of goldfish. Floating
about on the waters of the basin is the
old boat he saved from the wreck, and
he thinks as much about it as he does
of any of his children, No stranger
ever escapes being taken to do rever-
ence to the boat that twice saved his |
hosts life and laid the foundation of |
his splendid fortune.
"'When was flat broke she was my |
only friend he says 10 the people he
takes down to the fountain to see his
rickety old pet. and though you may
not notice anything pretty about her,
she's the most beautiful thing / ever
saw OF course, such a man is inn
popular, and in all the valley
Of the River Plate there isn't man
who don't feel proud of Evans ac-
luaintance if he has the pleasure of |
him. .''-Phiiadelphia Record.