Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1890-04-10
CAMPFIRE STORIES.
AN Ex-MILLlONAIRE.
He Tells an Almost Unparalleled Tale of
Financial Woe.

He Tells an Almost Unparalleled Tale of
Financial Woe.
A shabbily-dressed old fellow from the
country was in Atlanta yesterday, TAX
ing in the town.
used to live here" he remarked, as
he smiled upon the editorial floor in
patronizing way.
''Yes, 1 was one of your biggest capt.
talists once, but this is my first visit to
Atlanta in twenty-five years"
A question or two drew the visitor
out
at is a long story to tell, he said,
''but while was in your building pay
ing my subscription for the weekly, 1
thought would drop in and talk min
ute"
"You find the town changed?'
Changed! l should think so. The
Atlanta 1 knew was very different
place. lived here in the good old times.
Do you know that 1 started in as clerk
here in 1860, and in less than four years
was worth million dollsrs?"
THAT was quick work"
Surprises you, does it? Well, it is a
fact The war came on, and l started
In business for myself. l made money
like rip. l bought up country stocks
plies to the Government. l run a fac
cory. Money poured in upon me from
every quarter. Before l could realize it
l was worth a cool million"
''And did the war finally smash you?"
Smash! Why, sir, smash is no name
for it! 1t pulverized me-annihilated
me--wiped me out!'
Couldn't save any thing?"
Not scrap, sir. | will tell you how
1t was. 1t was generally known that 1
was making money rapidly. People
watched me. l was afraid to invest in
land, or buy gold and green-backs. Public
opinion forced me to buy Confederate
bonds and niggers. bought large
plantation, and loaned money to my
friends generally. In 1868 felt salts
fed that if the COnfederacy went up l
would still be rich. But the following
year my bad luck commenced. Do you
want to hear how l lost my million dol
lars?'
"Yes, give us the story" chimed the
newspaper men.
Il sent two shiploads of cotton out of
Wilmington, and the Yankee gun-boats
captured them. l hid lot of cotton,
worth fortune, in swamp, and some
of Sherman'S raiders burned it. Then
my factory and store caught fire and
went up. No insurance in those times,
you know. don't remember how many
hundred thousand dollars l lost by the
capture and destruction of Atlanta, but
l carried my niggers off, and my Con-
federate bonds, and money. After that
l refugeed, and had no opportunity to
buy gold, and when wanted real estate
it was not for sale. In the spring of
1865 l had long spell of typhoid fever.
One fine day / came to my senses and
was told that Lee had surrendered, and
that / was back in the Union. 1t was
hard for me to take it all in. The next
day sat up and looked over the situa-
ton. No niggers, no factory, no store,
no goods. On the other hand, l had
nearly million dollars in Confederate
bonds and notes, all worthless, two va
cant lots in Atlanta, and plaAtation.
had a suit of clothes that cost me 81, 700,
and worth about forty dollars in green
backs. Then l had a lot of promissory
notes.
80 you saved something's"
''Wait and see The friends who had
borrowed my money were all ruined.
They never paid me dime. My cred
itors sued me in the Federal courts, and
swallowed up my city lots and my plan
tation."
What did you do then?'
II became a commercial traveller, and
got a good salary for some years. 1 de-
posted my money in bank and in
sured my life. The bank and the insur-
ance company both failed. But my bad
luck is over. | don't ask any odds. I'm
the most contented man in Georgia.
"Have you made another fortune?"
'YeS. / have farm of two hundred
acres with a log house on it big enough
for my family. My wife does the cook
ing and my two boys work on the farm.
/ help them a little. My
whole property, real and personal,
would not bring over 81, 600, but we have
enough to eat and wear, and we hardly
ever need money.
You may think that am poor man,
but consider myself better off in every
way than l was when l was a COnfeder
ate millionaire.
The old man paused a moment, and
then as he turned to GO, he said:
You may not understand it, but as l
walked your streets to-day, l could not
help feeling little pulled up over the
thought that 1 was one of your first
and that when l did bust
ness here had money enough to paper
the Kimball house. But it's all right
riches have wings, and I've got all 1
need. any how"
The great war capitalist smiled, waved
his hand, and was gOne.-Wallace P.
Reed, in Atlanta Constitution.
CAVALRY CHARGE