The sun., 1892-12-14
The Two Wills Filed on Monday.

On Monday the wills of the late JAY
filed at tho Surrogate's Office, the one dis
posing OF an estate Of an estimated value OF
$72 900 900 and the other Of $5.O0O.0OO.
Long before JAY GOULD had come to
New York. and even before he was born.
Mr.. HUNT was already n rich man. promi-
nent in mercantile circles. He possessed n
fortune which was accounted large in those
days. He had gathered his money Sy care
full economy. and therefore when his busi-
ness came to grief he had the sympathy of all
those who knew him. When subsequently
Mr.. HUNT got again on his feet financially.
he proved that he was entitled to this re-
gard in peculiar measure. He invited
his creditors to n dinner. and under the
plate OF each he put check for the full
amount OF the debt. principal and interest.
though such payment could not have been
exacted of him. The incident made great
impression on tho business community OF
those comparatively simple days. and his
creditors. to record their admiration Of his
integrity, gave him n testimonial OF silver.
which, according to the request Of his WILL
is to be preserved by his heirs as an honor
able memcnto
Before the war Mr.. HUNT was established
in tho woollcn goods business in Maiden
lane. and was prosperous. Mr.. GOULD being
still poor young man. Among the sales
men in his employment were Mr.. HENRY
CLEws and also the BRoKAw brothers. now
tho possessors OF great wealth. He lived
economically. and gave to his business the
most painstaking attention. making his
accumulations very gradually. At no time
in his long career did he spend any money
for nero social display. After he had re-
covered from his early business disaster
there was probably not o year in which he
did not lay by large part OF his income.
That is. he made his accumulations in the
old-fashioned way. The size of the fortune
he has left proves OF itself that it was built
up thus conservatively. It Is not one OF
the vast estates made rapidly since the war
and increased in large blocks by lucky ven-
lures. 1t has been rolling up gradually
during sixty years or more as the result Of
the slow accumulations of a life of economy
and the most cautious and conscrva-
tive methods. During the greater part
OF that time Mr.. HUNT lived ut
the hotel Mt which he died. and his expenses
were trifling. rs compared with what they
would have been if he had maintained q
house OF his own and indulged in the pleas
ures his income made possible for him. He
also died widower and without children.
The growth OF even moderate fortune to
$5.0OO.OOO during sixty years Is not ut all
mystery under such circumstances.
Mr.. HUNT. then, was not open to the crit-
cism. so frequently made by the moralists,
OF having been in haste to get rich. He
followed the old maxims about going slow
and sure. He accumulated his fortune by
saving. by sclf-denial: and thus he was
able to hand down to his heirs five mill
lions. 1t is method which receives
much commcndation, but people gencr-
ally do not follow it. They want to
enjoy their money as they go along and
therefore If they do not get rich suddenly
by a lucky chance. they do not get rich at
all. Still. probably the opinion of the
great majority is that Mr.. HUNT was fairly
entitled to his five millions because of the
self-denial with which he had accumulated
them according to strict and honorable
business principles.
At the time when Mr.. HUNT was first
looked upon as IA rich man his fortune was
not Il twentieth part Of $5.OO0.0O0. III those
days al estate such as he has now left
would have provoked wonder throughout
the Union. Relatively it would have been
as great as JAY GoULD's is to-day. and the
philosophers OF the period might have dis
cussed. after tho fashion of this time,
whether tho republic is safo when
so vast an accumulation OF money by
one of its citizens is possible. 1t would
have been II reasonable discussion. too
il it is reasonable now. Ifa private fortune
of S72,O0O.OOO is dangerous to the pub
lie welfare, so also in its degree is for
tune of .S5,0OO,OOO. So also is a fortune of
$5OO. 900. Of $4,000. or any fortune at all.
II there is public danger from it. the peril
is in the fortune itself. rather than tho
means by which it was obtained. Whether
it has been made slowly and tim
idly by saving. or rapidly by such
daring methods as JAY GOULD used.
the power welded by the money is the