Middletown transcript., 1886-09-23
THE RICHEST OF WOMEN.

Who least hath some. who most hath none
= ut all. -, Robert Southwell. q
'THE RICHEST OF WOMEN. 2
Fo The Cresus of South America is a
woman, Donna Isadora Couisno,d Of
Santiago, Chill, and there are few men
or women in the world richer than
she. THERE'S no end to her money
and no limit to her extravagance, and
people call her the Countess Of Mon tie
| Cristo. .'se eeei Ito ls2 li b
While her husband lived he was
considered the richest man in Chill
and she the richest woman, for their
property was kept separate. the hus-
band managing his estates and the wife
her own, and the people say she was
altogether the better administrator of
the two. He left his properly to her,
and the two estates, were united. +
the coal mines alone Sonora
Couisno has an income Of $4,000 a
month";. slsi sslit7,is .j b
She has a feet Of eight iron steam.
ships, of capacities varying from 1000
tol3, 500 tons, built in England, and
used to carry the coal up the coast as
far as Panama, and around the Straits
of Magellan to Buenos Ayres and
Monteyideo. At Lota she has copper
and silver smelling works, besides the
coal mines, and her coaling ships bring
ore down the coast as a return cargo
from upper Chill, Peru, and Ecuador
while those that go to Buenos Ayres
bring back beefand -four and mer
chandise for the consumption of her
people. Nine. Cousino owns every
house in the town of Lota, and every
one of its six or seven thousand inhab-
itants are dependent upon her for sup
port. In Coronel nine-tenths of the.
people, and there are 5000 there, are
on her pay rolls. She has brick kilns
and potteries, as well as smelters, and
makes all the tiles and esrthenware
used on the west coast. 1t is said
that she pays out from 100000 to-
$120, 900 a month as wages in these
two towns, most Of which comes back
into her pocket through the supply
stores, where she sells food and cloth.
ing to her, own people, .....s.4... .'' .' ,,ii ! !
St Although Lota is only mining,
town, it is the widows favorite place
Of residence, and she is now building
a mansion that will cost million dol
lars at least. This mansion stands in
the centre of the finest private parks in
the world, including two hundred and
fifty acres Of land, laid out in the
most elaborate manner, filled with
statuary, fountains, grottoes, caves
cascade, and no end Of beautiful trees
and plants. The Improvement Of the
natural beauty of the place is said to-
have cost Sonora Couisno nearly al
million dollars, and she has a force Of
thirty gard constantly at work .
X Her ability as a manager is remark
able, and she directs every detail re-
ceiiyiing weekly reports from the ten
twelve superintendents who have i'm
mediate charge Of her affairs. While
she is generous to proaigacy, she re-
quires strict account of every dol
lar earned or spent upon her vast
estates, aud is very sharp at driving a
bargain. = ii'' ,9 a.. .'., '',s .s. ' =
I The madamis very fond Of young,
men, and has from fifteen to twenty
young fellows around her. constantly, ?
TO. whom. she gives all the money they
can spend y IN Afeturf she expects
them to entertain her.nl While othei
Ufniliited States feet was at Valparaiso
not long ago she invited all the officers
to spend week with her at 'Macul"
and Santiago, and sent special train
to bring them up. Admiral Upshur
and about twenty aofhis Officers ac-
Iccepted the invitation, lodged at the
widow s. house, rode in her carriages,
and hadya high old time at her ex-
pense. She would not allow one of
them to. spend dollar, and sent
word to all the shops;ands restaurants
that anything the American officers
ordered was to,be charged to her ac-
count. There was q good deal of
scandal over this affair az z Santiago
and the Americans who were not ask
ed to share the madame's hospi--
tality felt at liberty to talk about it.
as severely as they pleased. But the
officers were in no way to blame, for
thisIEssI ONE Of the lady's freaks and
her method of having good time.