Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1893-07-13

\ Land and Cattle Company--The Story
4 of the Willy Yankee, Isaac C. Atkinson,
Who Hocussed the Wilmingtonians.
q The story of +. d. r. Sutton's down
FALL and the frittering to the winds of
sahe large share of a fortune close on to
$500, 900 reads more like bit of bril-
liant fiction than any prosy fact that
would arise here nowadays.
n Mr.. Sutton, as Is known to most peo-
pie informed upon the general financial
affairs OF Wilmington, was not well-to-
Ho personally. His position in regard
10 the command of large sums is due to.
Ahe fact that he married the daughter of
rich farmer, Levi H. Miller, whose
possessions in Pennsylvania and in this
EState represented values at one time
closef probably to million than half of
Shat sum.
~ A NAPOLEON OF FINANCE.
Sutton Commenced life as clerk in an
INSURANCE office here. He developed ex-
eellent business abilities He was adj
nlittedly quite sharp and very industri-
pNls. His lucky marriage gave him the
opportunities, as a young financier, that
HI hungered for. His father-in-law
eGr lieyed thoroughly in him. Certain in
ta1u itments he made showed up well. He
ne1 nmenced paying regular visits to
ppQf, iladelphia. He got among sharp set
III re, and, it is said, cut quite figure.
MIN was soon the envy Of his old COM
Ale rs here, the young men of his own
H'fg,s They heard occasionally of his big
N}ln asactions, while they themselves
EHr Eyed behind To drive the quill at
hankers or a brokers' desk and were
L forced to content themselves with the
modest distinction of an occasional mar
hin on city railway stock, in Eastlake or
&reston lots, or any such small gifts
Name Fortune might throw in their
way. Sutton had passed out of their
@orlc, quite beyond them, and shone
&bove as the young Wilmington Napo-
Non of Finance. Soon, however, little
#ories of disappointments and rumors
III the young financial star falling into
he hands OF the Philistines were banded
Bout the city. The tales spread like
x#ildfire and knowing ones winked at
d DE another.
40 Levi II. Miller, the father.in-law, is a
d liet old man and he had not much to
ri by. But he was watchful. He had
Q ID enough to know that he was already
.BH wv acbp Wdlbl Win LIS DtiBub JpuHe5
y, n-in-law to express himself or make
Eminent on matters. So far as the
MSublic is concerned he had the excellent
Il pod sense to keep from talking.
~ INVESTMENT OF $250,000.
tSM However, in one of his trips to New
III n ork, for by this time Sutton had
i Transferred his operations largely to the
M4etropolis, Sutton came across New
highlander named Isaac G. Atkinson,
his mans mission at the time was the
\ &ursing of certain investment known
the Atkinson House Furnishing
company. The New Englander'i
n friendship developed, ON Sutton's part
nto a sudden and most unexplainable
n nancy for this particular stock. Atkin
v Non saw his opportunity. 1t was a very
= 4hort time before the Wilmingtonian
VAand.in-hand with his father-in- law
re- Mas the uncoveted possessor of to.a
ii 81 $3.50, 900 of the stock of the Atkinson
in House Furnishing Company. And the
n Niory of the financial features of the
Fansaction is reported as follows:
Y IM A JUDGE cUMMINs REMINIscENcE.
# The big Kent Building, at Water an6
WDrange streets, assessed at $35 900, anC
vi Me two Devondale farms, in this county
al assessed at So, 1856, were obtained BY
ed tkinson for 100000 worth of the AT
Ninson House Furnishing stock. TheI
4 Sutton gave notes, endorsed by Miller
i. ggregating 100000, for another blocl
m III that much of the stock. And then
d g&stly, Sutton gave his personal notes
Sggregating $4,000, for still anothe
skunk of it. So, here the father-in-lav
BID the promising young son.in-lav
Necame the distinguished owners of
!, narter of million of the article which
~ tkinson emptied into their laps, n,
q, dpubt, with feyerish alacrity. Thi
n AMOUNT, of $250000 of Atkinson Hous
diminishing Company stock, represented
Molly small share of the stock issue,
w the Atkinson Company, so that thes
!, }filliant Wilmington financiers wer
" &xen then only minority stockholders
rsl Illus was completed the strange cou
ID }tS which Sutton became the owner Q
l.ttle goods that Atkinson was only to
III &ikd to unload.
s'I The most interesting feature in regar
..&to the Miller-Sutton disposal of tn
,SiN Kent Building is that this very sam
and !property is that which Miller accepte
Nfrom ex-Judge Walter Cummins of tn
municipal court, which was that official
payment to Miller for debt of $4,000
A. .Miller had to take it, for that was a.
~ Ae could get out of the wreck. Bot
" Nutton and Miller, it may be readil
lysl .i9een, never looked on that acquistio
is56s pet one. They were Away
EN- Nd ious to get rid of it and the meetin
Nth Atkinson was no doubt the specii
H. aispensation of kind Providence tina
al 2pened the way for the profitable di:
n %@osition of the unlucky piece of re,
0state. But now Sutton discoveru
with rude shock his first lesson
EASTERN speculation tactics.
ain 1t was simply TO find out that he ha
th# &eeded the Delaware property to Atkil
" <on personally. The sharp New EN-
bay IRnder made the most of this clean Ne
0Nngland goods in New York where i
NV sresence, in his itching palms, rsconst
al hted him clean man before his fello
|Speculators, who now looked on him
cavalier, sans peur ct sans reproch
Kit the investment market. Brother A
MRnson was now a new man and he
in''Uhis head as high as the next.
=, As soon as the transfer was made,
i'll is related, Atkinson took prompt stel
N realize on the paper given him |
me Sutton. He did not let the grass gro
: "a al xnder his feet. The judgments at Il
list term of court in this city show th
rail Ma sold it to the several banks who a
re sear as plaintiffs in the list of jud
~' pents which may be found elsewheI
eros M THAT SMART YANKEE.
d M Atkinson not only sold the notes, b
IT, mortgage on record in the court hou
"A ere, dated January gath of this yes