The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-07-13
M'HENRY's PRINoELY LIFE.
Gold and Silver Fountains Played Co
logne Over His Banquet Board.

cold and Silver Fountains Played Co
logne Over His Banquet Board.
From the Philadelphia Press.
HE never sat down to dinner without a
gold and silver fountain playing cologne IL
the center of the table"
His dinner plate always made me think
the treasure of the Montezumas had been
poured at his feet"
The time | dined with him in London
the dinner had been specially ordered in
farls and sent over
4hree Philadelphiaus, all of whom per-
sonaiiy knew the late James McHenry, ex-
| millionaire railroad magnate aud trusted
! financial agent Of kings and queens. were
discussing the lavish personal habits OF the
man yesterday. They have been doing this
tor that matter, ever since the receipt of
the startling news that the body of this
strange man had been exhumed at the order
OF Home Secretary Matthews, in London.
on the suspicion that be had died from ar
senlcal poisoning. A Philadelphian by
birth and for many years by residence, the
INSIDE history Of James McHenry is mar
Velously romantic and unique.
Mr.. M'HENRYs FAMILY.
better known family than the McHen-
rvs would be hard to find in all the Phila-
NSA'A-4H i'AhC DUN. mTS. d. f6llanK69 x.
his sister and one Of his heirs. reached Lon
don the day before his funeral Letters re-
celVed from London from Mrs. Cox indi-
cate, practically, that all his vast wealth
mad been dlssipated years ago.
The father of Mr.. McHenry and Mrs
Cox was DR.. McHenry, well known in social
and literary circles early in the present
| century. tie was eccentric, very versatile,
ana ana dev9tediy fond of writing poetry.
wills good wife," said an time Philadel-
pnlan yesterday, kept a dry goods store,
while the doctor wrote poetry in the parlor
back of the store"
J There were two other children, George
and Alexander. The latter died few years
ago and his descendants are still very promi-
nent In the shipping business.
A great many years ago James McHenry
went to seek his fortune, which he made so
rapidly and lost 50 completely, in England.
de was young man Of polished address
rae mental attachments, and exceeding
culture. he married a Miss Gardner OF
Belfast, Ireland, a member Of one of the
Oldest Irish families, and one whose tact
and graclousness did much to advance her
husbands interests. The photographs
which the Press reproduces to-day were
taken fifteen or twenty years ago That OF
MIR. McHenry was strikiugly like him al
the time of his death, except that be had
grown stouter He must have been nearly
50 when he died, and when some of his
Philadelphia friends saw him last summer
| at lovely Oak Lodge, on the Addison Road
hensington, he was the same hearty enter
| talner, but still saddened by the loss OF
his wife and every one Of his numerous
children.
LOST ALL HIS CHILDREN
A fatality seemed to pursue his domestic
| haT M -
| children. They would all grow up nearly
to maturity would have large sums lit
| orally squandered on their education, Their
would strangely sicken and die Thus he
was lett in his declining years with his only
companion, a niece, Miss BOYD of Belfast
TO whom he was devotedly attached. Miss
Boyd is one of the heirs in his will, Mrs
Cox, as has already been stated, being the
other.
Mr.. McHenry's forte seemed to be getting
members of royalty and nobility interested
in his railroad and other enterprises He
has been known to have expended hundred.
of thousands Of dollars in entertainments in
single year. When he went into the Erie
railroad enterprise he inspired the conf
dence of many well-known foreigners The
lands and property in Pennsylvania owned
chiefly by ex-Queen Christina of Spain aud
the Duke OF Rlanaris. her husband, he pur
| chased twenty or twenty-five years ago
! These were chiefly coal lands acquired by The
royal family of Spain in Clinton and Cen
| ter counties, now represented in the holding
of the Beech Greek Coal Company. In con
sideration for the conveyance Of these iandl
he gave the ex-queen 100000 worth Of
Atlantic and Great w estern bonds. Whe
his friends in America heard that ne wa.
entertaining Queen Christina and the duke
they did not know what his object was.
That he had an object they felt positive.
When they heard later that the ex-queen
had traded her coal lands they smiled sig
nlticanty.
NAPOLEON III. WAS HIS GUEST.
When Napoleon III. was exiled from
France he, toe, became the guest of Oak
Lodge, and he, too, became interested in the
railroad schemes which James McHenry
was fostering in America. He amazed his
Philadelphia caller by mis- talk of fabulous
amounts and juggled with millions of
pounds sterling in his conversation about
plans as though they were sixpence and
shilings.
Mr.. McHenry's visit TO America in 1888
was in company with Lord Bury. They
stopped at the Aldine hotel, in this city. A
previous visit was in company with Sir
Sir Samuel Morton Peto, Thomas Cunard,
Willial Colley, the blockade runner, and
other distinguished English capitalists. No
one could have spent money more lavishly
than did Mr.. McHenry during these visits