Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-10-05
SENATOR JOE BROWN.
One of the Most Curious Public Char.
acters of the South.
HOW he WON HIS BIG FORTUNE.
Bob Toombs' Thrusts at Him and the Duel
That Didn't Come Off.
TOM oCHILTREE AND PRINCE TUMMY
CORRESPONDENCE OF THE DISPATCH,

CORRESPONDENTS. OF THE DISPATCH,
WASHINGTON, October 4-The Sena-
toral contest which is now waging in
Georgia means the retirement of Senator
Joe Brown. General Lawton. OF Savannah,
administration, tells me that Brown is on
the edge OF the grave. Said he: "Senator
Brown has not been to Washington this
winter, and he is I am told very sick
man. He has, however. as many lives as a
cat. and he may recover and outlast the GEN.
tury. Eight years ago he was worse off than
he is to-day. Every one in Georgia was
talking about his dying. The doctors
counted his hours and sent him to Florida,
telling him he could not recover. The
change of climate put new blood in his
veins, and he has been worth dozen dead
men since then"
Joe Brown is the queerest bird in the Sen
| atorial aviary. He looks more like a
broken-down preacher who has turned book
agent than like Senator, but he is one of
the sharpest, shrewdest and most dangerous
OF the men who made great regulations in
the United States Senate. Senator ingalls,
took him for a sucker, but his sarcastic re-
marks made Ingalls, vince, and though In
gals gave Brown good lashing with his
vitriolic tongue, Browns words sunk into
Ingalls, soul and made him thoroughly re-
spect him.
BOB TooMBS' ESTIMATE.
The only innocent things about Brown
are his looks. Bob Toombs, who was the
direct opposite Of Brown in every respect,
and who hated him with all the power OF his
big soul, used to say that Brown was smart
enough to steal the shortening out of a bis
cult without breaking the crust, and so mean
that ne would carry an umbrella up in the
air on dry day to save the waste in wearing
out the ferule. These were, however, the
words Of an enemy. Brown and Toombs
were men OF different schools, and their lives
were as far apart as the poles. Toombs was
patrician and he came of the first families
of Georgia. He was born rich, and the
blood OF his veins was as blue as the skies.
Brown is plebeian of the plebeians. His
father was one of the poor white trash of
South Carolina, who emigrated to Georgia
when Joe Brown was barefoot boy in his
teens.
Brown drove into the State in an old cart
harnessed to a bull. This bull had bell on
his neck, and there is story that when they
came to ferry Brown had no money to pay
made a trade with the ferrYman to
take him across for the bell, and Bob
Toombs once said that he wished the old
boat had gone down and drowned Brown
and his bell and bull. Nevertheless Brown
is many times millionaire and, the fact
that he became so, necessitated economy and
watching of the pennies such as Bob
Toombs thought no gentleman could possess.
MN ,1o>-r~ mn
1t is hard to tell just how rich Joe Brown
is. have seen it estimated at $50, 900, 900,
but this was years ago and he once wrote
me that his fortune was greatly oyeresti-
mated. General Lawton tells me that he is
the richest man in Georgia if not in the
whole South, and he says that Browns coal
mines in the northern part OF his State near
Tennessee are as valuable as though they
were underlaid with gold.
In addition to these Brown has railroad
stocks and mining stocks and was told the
other day that he owns the greater part of a
town in Texas. He began to make morey
as soon as he was old enough to crawl. He
went from Georgia to South Carolina to
school and drove his steers along selling
them to the keepers of the Academy for
eight months board. He weGt into debt
Tor his tuition and taught during his vaca-
tions to get money to pay his debts. He
was good school teacher and after be was
through with the academy he studied law
while be was teaching school. As soon as
he was admitted to the bar he borrowed
money enough to give him a year at the
Yale law school and as soon as he was
through with this he hung out his shingle.
LAW AND SPECULATION.
Brown made money at the law. His first
years fees netted him 81 200. His practice
grew and he was soon making s., 900 year.
He Invested his fees and made lot of
money in speculation. He bought piece
OF land Tor $3.50. A copper mine WAS found
on it and he sold half interest in it for
S25, 900. He was then elected Judge, and
while Judge was nominated tor Governor
and Ben Hill was his opponent.
Hill was one of the most popular men in
Georgia and he thought he had walkover
Brown canvassed the State, talked like the
common people, exhorted at the prayer
meetings, kissed all the babies and was
elected by 10, 900 majority. The war came
on while he was Governor, and it is said he
even made money out of the war. One story
is that he saw the need the South would
have as soon as the war would close for
cotton cards. Brown bought great amount
of these cards cheap and sold them at good
prices. He made money later on in convict
labor, and il is said that great many of
his mines are now worked by convicts.
DON'T CARE FOR APPEARANCES.
He has three-quarters OF million dollars
in Atlanta real estate, and although the
house he lives in there did not cost more
than So, 900 to build, it adjoins the mansion
of his son Julius, which cost S75, 900, and it
is surrounded by tour acres of unkempt
grass and trees which are worth at least
$50, 900. Brown cares but little for appear
ances, and he pastures his cows and horses
in the back yard. He lived just as simply
while he was here at Washington. He had
for a time Henry Clay's old room at the
National Hotel, and he afterward had
quarters in a modest fiat OIL Iowa Circle.
He did not keen carriage here, although his
income must have been over $40, 600 month,
and both his dyspeptic stomach and his in
clinatiops call for moderate table,
His gastronomic tastes are very simple.
One day in the cloakroom of the Senate
Hampton, Butler and Brown were chatting
of the good things of the table, Wade.
Hampton said that the best thing on earth
was canvass-back duck washed down with
champagne. Senator Butler went into
ecstacies over terrapin and good sherry,
and told how he liked to have a dinner
served with royal old crowd of boys around
him.