The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1892-07-07
THE MONEY KINGS or 'R.
Lives Of EItraTaslHcs Which Ended
III il Suicide OF BsGGay.
BFannOB, the Mormon; RaIstOn, the
brilliant; sharon, the UxOFIOuS;
Hopkins, the ShTeWd; FIOOd,
Fair, maekey, Latham.

San Francisco ESamiRer: Brannan,
the Mormon. vas the pioneer rich man
Of the city; BFannan was . Mormon ell
der, Who brought out here q shipload Of
Latter Day Saints before the discovery Of
gold. When he started from New York
il Was the intention Of Brigham Young
10 found q Mormon empire on the shores
Of the Parific, but Brigham halted BY the
way and built the new Zion Of Salt Lake
City.
Whsn the gold discovery came he nth
ised his followers in mining, carefully
collecting one tenth Of what they mined
as church tithes. This tithing money
started him on the way TO fortune. and
when Brigham demanded the tiihes
Bannan laughed at him. The Mormon
president cursed Brannan. BFannan
laughed and went on making money.
He was worth s6.OOO.OOO In 1856, when
the nrat vigilance committee was formed.
He gave freely to every public purpose.
He sratteFed his fortune in q hundred
ventures. and finally one day the crash
cane. ItNas forced BY BraDnan's drink.
Ing and neglect Of business.
Brnnnan went to Sonora, where he had
been granted big concessions by the Mex.
iran government; bat his land was held
by, the Yakqui Indians, and he could
never secure possession. He returned
here just before his death. When saw
him he was In . wretched room In q
lcheap IcdGing houpe, for which he paid
% cents . night. He told me, with grim
humoF, that he had met that day In the
streets no less than three men whom he
had starred on the road to wealth, and
each one had passed him by on the Othei
side. Yet when be said this he wasn't
bitter, and when he left his last words ID
me we're: "You'li zee that in q few
months III Be on my feet again. There's
lplenty Of lie in tho old man yet"
The neat millionaire to suereed Bran
nan was Milton s. Latham. u lawyer
who developed great taste for building
railroads and developing industrial enter
ipFiseS. He had the finest house In tn
~ . the later iifies, flled with costly
pAinlingA where he held superb Fecep
tiohf He sank 5000 900 In railroad
and mis-, with other disastrous ventures
sWamppd bin. He collapsed and died
leaying ohelrA. His flns nansion va
conseried Into . boarding houas.
A contemporary Of Latham was r. ].
A. PiOche, a shrewd FreDchman, VIII,
once owned acres 10 south San Francisco
He handled his property well, bull
houses, drew enormous rents and wa
soon many times . millionaiFe. He quar-
! relied with his family, and sent them bacI
TO France with ample means. Then h
built superb house on STOCKTON street
overlooking the beautiful bay.
II its mirroFed and frescoed walls coul,
speak they would tell Of aardanapalial
. baaquets and Of orgies In which hour
from Paris took = prominent part. Bu
: evil days fell on Piorhe. Like % man,
othsrs he Lost HE head, drank too niucI
brandy, and one morning was ioun,
7 dead In bis beautiful rooms with bulle
through his head. lac leit his estate d
r such leaTfal confusion that verv little va
rlsaypd from The wreck. His noble man