Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1890-11-14
A MAN To BE ENVIED.
Mr.. Cable, C0ngressman-Elect for
This District.
His Wealth. Travels. Books and Gu
rIous ana Valuable CoiIections-His
Nature and Companionship OF the
Most COngeniaI character.

L..
gentleman, from which article the follow
ing has been clipped:
Ben T. Cable, who will represent the
Eleventh Illinois district in congress for
the ensuing two years, comes from good
old stock. His father. p. l.. Cable. was
Kentuckisn and a gentleman of educa
ton and culture. Mr.. p. L. Cable
studied and practiced law in Kentucky
for number Of years, aud in 1855 res
moved TO this city. Here he iden-
uied himself with railroad, banking and
coal mining interests. and he became
wealthy man. Mr.. Gable, Sr., was the
man OF all men who promoted the inter-
ests Of this thriving city. He gave lavish
ly to all public enterprises and was be-
loved by the entire community. Mr..
Cable was candidate for congress once.
This was in 1870, when he accepted the
nomination of the democratic party and
made contest with John b. H4wley. Mr..
Cable was defested by majority of forty
or fifty votes, although he reduced the re-
publican vote almost 1900 Mr. Cable
died here n few years ago. and his widow,
lovely woman of high character. lives
here with her son Ben.
The congressman elect is 80 years of
age now. He was educated in the Rock
Island public schools and aiterwsrd COM
pleted his studies 1T the Ann Arbor Uni
versity and under the tutelage of private
teachers in the Old World He is about
five feet eight or ten inches in height,
fair complexion rather sturdy build. and
the jolliest companion imaginable. Every
in, a. -.
acquainted with Ben Gable and when IL
became known thst he wanted to 90 to
congress the matter wss settled at once
Ben was voted in, Rock Island standing
for him. All of his old schoolmates went
out and electoueered for him. 1t wasn't
In the pins TO beat him at all.
His wealth il then spoken of, the mod
esty OF the gentleman himself, his worlds
wide trayeis over Europe, China, Japan.
the East Indies and elsewhere as well as
the fact that be was abroad when he re-
ceyed the nomination.
The article continues:
Money has not spoiled Ben Cable at all.
He and his family have more than they
can conveniently use, but they are by no
means inflated over their possessions.
The family lives here 10 the home built
years and ears ago by Mr.. p. L Cable.
IL Is magnificent structure. elegantly
and comfortably furnished-in fact. a
model home for wealthy people. Ben Ca
BILE inherited from his father Il great love
for books. He has cultivated this taste.
and knows books AS well as any man in
America. lie knows them ali through from
cover 10 cover, for he reads and studies All
his leisure time. MIR Cables money has
enabled him to CRAFTY his tastes in this
respect, and he has probably the finest
private library in the west He is psr>
ticularly fond of the examples of the
early printers-Csxton and Guten berg
and has several specimens OF their skill
MIR Cable has In his possession a number
OF Latin missals, and among the most
noted OF these is one that was once the
property OF Charles VII of France. II
was written in the latter part of the
fourteenth century. He paid 81 600 for
Life OF Christ year or two ago. The
book was printed in 1880 and was, ac>
cording to an inscription on one OF the
ny leaves, presented by John OF Got.
tingen TO Label Condo" He has Kings
borough's Mexican Antiquities" Hol-
lingshead's English chronicles of 1897.
and copT OF Jacob, printed at Leip-
zig, 1915. II WIS the property of Samuel
L. Coleridge, and shows his annotatjons.
written in an eliminate hand The
Nuremberg chronicle of 1404 is one of
MI Cables treasures. He has numerous
books bearing the imperial arms of France
OF the time of Napoleon l. Mr.. Cable Is
particularly fond of a copy of Burns
poems, printed at Albany, N. Y, in 1897.
Ii shows the bOOk.plate and autograph
OF George Washington and the book plate
and autograph of Bushrod Washington
rs wei. Mr.. Cable is fond of extra
illustration. and has for some years COLI
lected engravings and eichings for the
illustration of Boydell's Shakespeare. He
has collected several hundred expensive
pictures of celebrated actors and actress
es who have delineated Shakspeare's
characters. There were nine volumes of
the book when he began his work and
the number has doubled since Judging
by the amount of material he has ut hand
there will be about twenty-seven volumes
when the book is completed, and it will
have cost Mr.. Cable At least 80. 500.
UNIQUE AUTOGRAPHS
Mr.. Cable has portfolio after portfolio
OF autograph letters from distinguished
men and women. Some of them are
unique. Susan Cibber writes to David !
Garrick, and admitting she has been dis |
appointed because he has not called to |
see her for several weeks. wants to know |
when she will have that pleasure. Susan |
was evidently afraid the letter might mis-
carry, so she addressed II ITO Mr.. Gar |
rick. at perriwig-msker's, the corner of
the great piazza, COveDt Garden" He |
has letter from Nine Vestris To Georpe
Ann Bellamy, who wrote a book entitled |
An Apology for the Life" George
Ann enjoyed herself while she was here
on earth. and five volumes were required
10 make the necessary apologies
Tor sins OF omission and commits.
sion. In 1888 Lord Wslpole wrote a
friend asking as to the existence of the
Castle OF Otronto, of which he had lust
heard. Mr.. Cable has this letter and
others from Samuel Foote. the come
dian, Mrs. Siddons, the tragedienne, and
and hundreds OF others.
His taste in painting, enpravings.
stchings and ceramics is AS excellent and
cultivated as in books He has collected
he cho cest specimens of Japanese art
ne can get, and some of his finds are
treat oddities. He has several EXAMPLES
II the workmanship of the Japanese in
figures of dragons made from
ron. Every JOINT in these figures works
IS freely as If OF recent construction. al
hough made q century ago.
FRIENDS ALL OVER THE WORLD.
This is Zen T. Gable. the son OF the
ichest man 10 western i44iin,ois-an edu-
aied, refined, cultured gentleman, :, and
'ithal an unassuming man. He is we'll +
nown among the club men in New
,ork. Chicago. San Francisco-in fact,
lr. Cable has friends all over the world.
nd big pile OF congratulatory tele-
rams received since the election lie on
he table in his library. Perry Belmont
some respects resembles Mr. Gable. but
here Is this marked difference between /
he two men; Perry Belmont is an aris> ,
'crat and never entirely allows himself
forget his position and wealth. Ben
aole captivates one before he knows it
nj Oh