The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1891-12-17
A FORTUNE In AFRICA.
Wonderful Success of q Poor
Young Missionary
In Eight Years. Time Through, fsxrrE3rue
80 Business Investments He Eecor=,ss
Rich Man with Three
Thousand Portcrs.

About eight years ago YOU'RE eran
named Stokes went to the Victoris Ny,
anza as missionary in the servier "
the Church Missionary society. lo
liked the beautiful country of Ugz1tsa.
took naturally to pioneer ways, sssd
tact enough to make himself pepusar
with the king and head men, ara be-
came person of considerable influeuro
on the north shores of Victoria Nynnsa-'
He helped build the mission houses,
| studied the language, superinterSlea
the digging Of wells and kept his eye
open for the main chance
Il occurred to him, says the Chica1p
Tribune. after he he'd lived year or
two in Uganda, that brigh. yo1ny
man with little capital could make =
fortune in trade between Victoria Mr.
anza and the coast No such thing as
white trader had ever been heard off in
that region The rcoplc were alb crazy
TO get guns and ammunition, white
cloth. beads and trinkets Of many sorts.
There was great deal OF ivory IN tho
country. and plenty of nlen could b
got to take it To the cos.st. II cor,sd bo
sold for large sum and purchased fcr
comparatively little money. Stokes se-
cided TO leave missionary work 10 those
who lacked business instinct ard
money-maiiing talent. He sent his res
ignation to the society and embarked
upon the career of n trader.
He was able To inte-csta few Of his
friends in England. and invested several
thousand dollars in the goods. A srrsril
caravan took his little stock in trade u
the great lake, where s;toi.es SOLD is out
in hurry. taking rory in e1sc,fisysyys.
The fruits of his first commercial adj
venture were gratifying, and he ilaress-
ed his larger capital in q bigger stock OF
supplies and tried 1t again. Then eesne
the rebellion in Uganda by which Kr4,
Mwanga was driven from the sfuone
and took refuge among the Cael1oEt.
missionaries south OF the lake, wrrers
he remained for over year. When =
favorable opportunity occurred for hira
to return to his kingdom, Stokes Etd
another good piece of business, ,ISys
king needed guns and an1u,sitica.
Stokes had these supplies in abundarN4e.
and he armed a considerable part oe tlse
kings forces. This settled the fate ~
the brother who had usurped Mwcnsyafs
throne. His forces were not so y,esa
armed as those of MwInga. Stafi7es
therefore contributed in q most in1IsSr~
tant way to the success of Mwanca's at
tack upon his brother in Uganda, aaaal
he got big price for the valuabEs IS
sistance he had given. In fact, he Sx-
cured the practical monopoly as no
ivory trade of Uganda.
It is not known how much Stokes In
worth to-day, but he is rich rasn.
Eight years ago he was humble Rss-
sionary, but there is not q partiele e1
doubt that now he could live in lxxwy
on the interest Of his money. y1T
large caravans have come from the IN
terror to Zanzibar and returned TO ar.sex
Africa, but not even the big caravans q
Tppu Tib are SO large as those ROW
employed by Stokes. Two or threo
months ago Stokes was reported co bo
on the coast at Saadani with force uf
three thousand big. strapping fellow.
from Unyamwesi. He needed erery
one OF them to carry the goods he was
about to dispatch to Victoria Nyalna.
Visitors to his camp say that ii present
ed stirring spectacle and that ID rgas
a very picturesque sight at night when
the camp fires illumined the grut9rs Of
huts in which his three Thousand p<1r-
ters were lodging. Stokes himself oc-
cupied large native house about half a
mile from his camp.
His conspicuous success shows WHIST
it is possible to achieve in land from
which many people have affirmed NO
commercial good could come Stokes
has become power in Central African
affairs. and the present prospects swa
that he will greatly increase his FOR
tune.