Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-04-10
MR.. MONROE MISSING.
He is Said to be Financially
Embarrassed"
HE WENT OFF TO MEXICO.
His History in Los Angeles = The
Founding Of MOnrOvia-A Big
Change of Fortune.
HE WENT OFF TO MEXICO.

About three months have passed by
since the day when Mr.. w. N. Monroe,
founder and Mayor of Monrovia and
Chairman of the Republican County
Central Committee, babe goodbye to his
family and boarded Southern Pacific
east-bound train with the avowed inten-
ton of going to Mexico. He did not
make his departure generally known,
nor does it now appear that ne should
have desired to do 80, for he had the
best OF all reasons for keeping his move
ments unknown-he was in financial
straits The statement may astonish
those who have only met him in the
ordinary channels of social and business
life, for the general understanding has
been that he was man wealthy, as the
world goes, and certainly of apparent
solid financial standing.
And so he was some two years ago, for
at that day his bankers say he could
have cleared between $500, 600 and $4O0,-
900 at few months notice. Twelve
months later however, he negotiated a
loan of $25, 900 cash with the Pacific
Bank, placing with them over $40 900 in
securities, and to-day be is said to not
only have no money bnt to be unable to
meet the pressing demands of his cred
itors. 1t would seem to be hard mat
ter to explain how such a marked re-
verse of fortune should have occurred in
such a short space of time, especially
when it is known that Mr.. Monroe is not
a gambler, drunkard nor in any way
addicted to living in the manner that
has been often described as going to the
the dogs. The only way that his imme-
diate friends can explain the change is
that he lacked the fine fin
ish necessary to a good business man.
AS boomer, man who could 60 into a
primitive region and make a clearing
which would ultimately develop into a
settlement, and late on into fiourishing
town, he was pre-eminent, as is evil
denced by his record in Southern Cali
fornia.
HIS HISTORY HERE.
It was in the year 1875 that w. N.
Monroe became first generally known in
this part of the country. He hailed from
Indiana, but claimed to be one of the
Virginia Monroes who gave the country
the President of that name, and he had
one or two interesting little incidents
connected with his antecedents. Ore
was the manner in which he had won
his wife. While an officer in the Union
army he was detailed to make raid on
some of the opposing force who were
quartered in southern Missouri. In the
performance of this duty he took num-
ber Of prisoners, among them charm
ing little lady, Miss Hall, with whom
he became much enamoured, and ulti-
mately married. In Los Angeles he
soon made himself a marked man, hav-
ing keen eye ever open to business
proposition, as was evidenced by the
fact that he obtained the contract for ex-
tending the Southern Pacific Railroad to
Yuma. He did the work so satisfactorily
to his employers that when Mr.. @. P.
Huntington decided to build the "Inter-
national Railroad" from Eagle Pass,
Texas, to Torreon, on the line of the
Mexican Central, Mexico, Monroe was
offered and accepted the contract. 1t
was big piece of work, entailing the
construction of 3S3 miles of railroad, but
Monroe carried it through as successfully
as he had done his former task.
He made what is termed "a hard
name" for himself while doing it, how
ever. "Red Monroe" soubriquet he
received on account Of his complexion,
was in ill favor among the working ele
ment OF San Antonio, from which place
he had to draw his labor supplies. His
camps on the Sabinal were spoken of
with dread, and finally he was compelled
to have his work done by negroes and
Mexicans, for no white man would work
for him. The completion of his task
found him in the possession of good
sum of money, and with it he struck out
again for Los Angeles, the earthly para
disc of his dreams.
IN LOS ANGELES AGAIN.
ginning to show signs of the violent up
heaval of fortune she was about TO un-
dergo, and realizing that the pending ad
alone, Monroe began to look about for
good outside property that, by its loca-
ton, would be necessarily affected by
the boom that the parent city would re-
ceive. He found what he wanted at the
southeastern end of the great Santa
Anita ranch, and in company with Mr..
II. II . GpOAlCO dLIu u uuBO i'iSAhCli u VI AaSe
of IL 900 acres of foothill land was pur-
chased. The rush which many foresaw
came in good earnest, and the manner
in which Los Angeles sprang from a
small frontier town into the fourishing
city it is to-day has been too often
told to need repetition here.
AS she strobe forward so ad-
vanced the Mource Spence Bicknell
estate. and the frst-named of the trio
finally decided to lay out a town on the
property and thus call greater attention
to it. The project was realized three
years ago, and Monrovia spIang into ex-
istence, the little town being named in
honor of her founder. Then w. A. Mon
roe conceived the idea of direct railroad
connecting his foOthill town with
Los Angeles, and within few months
the first train of the Rapid Transit Rail
wap was running in tulfilment of his
scheme. He was in the zenith of his
prosperity in those days. He erected a
magnificent residence in the eastern part
of Monrovia, and laid out around it a
lawn and shrubbery that every visitor
to the city was taken to see and admire.
The lots of the town sold like wild-fire, and
brick blocks and other substantial build
| ingsgoingupin in neverydirection showed that
| the neWly-created town was a success.
Monroe promised too much, however.
Everyone who purchased one of his lots
was assured that it was the finest invest
ment that could possibly be made, and
| inducements of most tempting nature
/ Ao1d ont Tho Iou No no ..,l~o