Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1889-12-28

passage tor Honduras right away, "a
Into the interior a. soon as possiblcs and
cable me yes or no from Tcgucigalpa
following your cable with full adviccs.
Let Mr.. - know how much money
you need TO nee you through. Major,
come and dine with me tonight and we
will try to make the time pass pleasantly
for you until we hear from Sir Thomas"
Exeunt the major and Sir Thomas ~ nm
usher enters and whispers, "The direct
ors Of the San Bernardino Vineyard
company are In session In the board
room, sir, and was to let you know"
Every well, they have q quorum. Tell
them TO send for me II am needed"
A ring at the telephone. The colonel
listens and replies, 'Is that sof Well, u
you are sure Of II buy me thousand
Lake Shores. And, by the way, how is
Ruby7 Good. And st. AugustineY' Turn.
ing away from the telephone; "T'll set
his grace now" The Duke Of - comes
in and there IL whispered consultation
with that gray haired aristocrat. And
no 1t goes on with business, covering in.
vestments and operations in every quar-.
ter Of the globe-shcep farms in New
Zealand, quicksilver mines In Australia,
vineyards in California, railway develop.
ment in South Africa and on the Isthmua
Of Tehuantepec, prospecting In Norway,
Persia and Turkey, and where noti
In the midst Of the whirl the man who
had all the threads of direction In his own
hands was as cool and collected as II he
were in his own library with his books
as his only companions. Indeed, In that
refuge he had not seclusion. for saw
him there later in the day and often af.
terward with tho cares which he should
have left sin the city" pressing for at
tention. While Mt his house on this oc-
casion hc called upon me to admire two
Meissoniers that day bought by him for
$4,000; for Our American had also be-
come q patron Of art, and the walls Of
his fine old mansion IN Mayfair, q few
doors from Devonshire house, were lined
with interesting pictures Later knew
how much of the money that he made
was devoted TO charity and how no poor
American who knocked at his door or
whose need camo to his knowledge was
allowed TO go away empty handed.
/ wish my story could have different
ending. A man of such masterful in
tellect, executive abilities so rare, such
capacity for devising and carrying on
great undertakings, Of such generous
impulses, should have had, it would
seem, the full span Of life to bring his
plans TO perfection and ill to the brim
the measure of his usefulness. But it is
the old story of bending a bow 10 the
breaking point. One day few months
ago he dropped de'yd from paralysis Of
tho brain, the result Of ovcrwork. With
q constitution which should have car
ried him to three score and ten he
died at the early age Of 4S. The i'm
mediate cause of his death was the .wor-
ry of mind brought on by the bad faith
Of the Portuguese government.
Under concession obtained from that
government he had built railway from
the seacoast at Delagoa bay to tho Trans
vaal border, just opening to the world
short and easy route to the heart of those
great South African mining regions,
which rival our west in the treasures OF
gold and silver and copper, and surpass
monds. II was great work undertaken
by tho plucky American In the face Of
difficulties which had dauntcd the enter
prise Of tho capitalists of every other
country. The road was hardly built,
however, before the treacherous Portu.
gucso committed ono OF tho most out
rageous acts of spoiation known to the
Nineteenth century.
On tritling prctext, manufactured to
order, the concession was Cancelled and
tho government took forciblc possession
OF the road In which millions of Amcri.
can and British capital had been invest
ed. Col. MacMurdo as sconcessionaire and
owner of the controlling interest in the
Delagoa Bay railway, having never re-
lnquished his American citizenship, APP
pealed to the United States for protec-
tion and redress. Pending an inquiry
by the Washington government as TO the
facts his death took place. Fortunately
Col. MacMurdo's widow, an American
lady, was equal to the emergency. She
took up with firm grip the reins which
had dropped from her husbands lifeless
hands,. Within the last three months
she has visited Washington and in per-
son as well as by able attorneys laid the
case, covering claim for damages to
the amount of nearly $4,000, 900, before
the state department..
Tho American and British govern
ments co-operated at once to bring tho
Portuguese to their senses, and with
signal success, for In the New York
Herald Of June 10 appears Lisbon dis
patch that the justice of their claims is
conceded, Tho Portuguese agree to pay
for the losses incurred through the act Of
spoliation. In any event Col. Edward
MacMurdo, from whose life history
have given single chapter illustrative Of
American enterprise in foreign countries,
will be remembered In Africa rs well as
in Europe and America as one of the
master minds of his time.
MOSES T.. HANDY.