The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-08-10
AZ IRON KINGS FAILURE.
lS,isment Of RObt. H. Coleman
Of Lebanon, Pa.

announced IN Ihe MOhNlNt NEWS ldSJ
Nondav and his assignment is announced
IN orr dispatches this morning. OF his
failure the Herald says: THE judgments
1bich Robert H. Coleman has recently
hoen c0nfessing for millions and the as
.iynnent of his entire estate, which he
NAV make, have thrown whole county
Ioto vague unrest. His financial fall is
looked upon by the people almost as the
downfall of a king might be regarded by
his faithful subjects.
Robert H. Coleman is a king-an UNI
crowned king it may be now, but he has
been a king. His kingdom was the Le-
banon valley, and his might was the
might of iron.
The chief beneficiary of an estate which
could have been sold at almost any time
for 500 OOO0 600, Mr.. Coleman has been one
of the most romantic figures in American
life. His wealth lay in land Beneath
that land all around Cornwall lay iron.
Millions of tons of ore, so pure as to be
almost ready for the forge or the anvil,
Law in the hills, which were mostly his.
There were three solid mountains of ore
enough, it seemed to those who first ex-
amined it, to girt the world with rail
road tracks and build all the navies of the
seas. There was a glamor of romance
about the young man Robert H. Cole
man, the son of William Coleman and
named after William Coleman's brother,
whose heir he was, who succeeded to the
greatest single interest in the estate and
to the Colebrook and other furnaces.
PUSHING MAN.
He was finely educated when he sue
ceeded to the estate. He had fine bust
ness capacity, and was man of push an
Enterprise. The whole country for miles
around his ore beds felt the influence of
his kindness and his sense of fairness.
He built the Cornwall and Lebanon rail
road for his own convenience, and it is in
his absolute control, and it is the best man.
aged and best equipped railroad in the
world.
A portion of his estate was admirably
fitted for picnic grounds and large open
air demonstrations. He turned it over
to the state for national guard encamp-
ments.
He married a beautiful young lady, to
whom he was deeply attached. Back of
Cornwall, overlooking his vast posses
siOns, he planned a castle for her home
the like of which Pennsylvania people
had never seen. 1t was expensive and
fitting place for the queen of an iron
king. While work was still in progress
his wife died. Out of respect to her
memory Mr.. Coleman ordered it torn to
the ground and every vestige of the castle
removed. The grass is growing greenly
to-day on the spot
These are only few Of the many in
cidents in the life of the man given to
show some of the many interesting sides
OF his character.
MORE MONEY THAN he COULD USE.
Mr.. Coleman had really much more
money than he knew what to do with
He travelled abroad and then returned to
America and married again He looked
around for means of investing his money
He established banks. He built iron
works for the manufacture of the iron
after it came from his furnaces. Finally
IN an evil day he invested in Florida
lands. This led him to become interested
in Florida railroads. He built the Jack
sonvilIe, Tampa and Key West railroad
almost maided, and his friends think
that had much to do with bringing on his
present embarrassment.
When he took to building Florida rail
roads he found something which would
swallow money faster than the Lebanon
ore beds could produce it.
Mr.. Coleman began to feel the pinch of
hard times in 1891, when he confessed
judgment to the Pennsylvania Trust Com
pany of Reading, for 81, 10000 The mat
ter was not made public at that time and
only within the last few days has atten-
tlon been drawn to his trouble.
JUDGMENTS FOR MILLIONS
Now it appears that the total iudg-
ments against him aggregate 50 GOA, 900.
his Indebtedness to the Pennsylvania
IrustCompany, it now appears. is s., 062, =
900 The judgments which were entered
on Saturday in favor ofArchibald Rogers,
OF New York city, are five in number, for
$1,000, $4,000, S25, 900 SIC, 900 and $40, 600
The judgments in favor of MIR Rogers
are said to be for money borrowed to in
vest IN Florida railroads and other en-
lerpnses. The proceedings are of an
amlcable character and are largely de-
signed to protect the interests of the Cole
man estate.
Mr.. Rogers married Mr.. Coleman's sis
Ter and she has a very large interest in
mo iron hills of Lebanon. Mr. Rogers
Is the mead Of the syndicate which has
OLlIt the cup defending yacht Colonia
In addition to these debts which Mr.
coleman has confessed there are suits
pending against him in the United States
circuit court for about S400, 900.
Ihere are also other disputes which
threaten to mar the harmony and auton-
ullS OF the famous estate. A contest is
threatened over the administration of the
estate OF George Dawson Coleman, son of
W AOlGHldu. VINO ultu IN HtAflS IN
Lo9i' When the case came up before. the
register of wills in Philadelphia on appli-
cauon for letters of administration Bert
ram Dawson Coleman objected to the set
uenent. 1t is believed that legal compli-
cations have FASTENED the trouble of Rob
cru Il. Coleman, being assisted by the
iron ore.
ROMANCE OF IRON.
Inc history of the famous "iron bills"
a. cornwall and of the Cornwall furnaces
949les pack more than one hundred and
a. weight years The original deed for
I Ile land was given by John. Thomas and
GGIrRard Penn in 1887 to Peter Grubb
GGI.uoo, IN consideration of the transfer of
YillS munlicent gift, was to pay yearly at
lancaster, Pa, on the first day of every
4FIdrch, the sum of one shilling sterling
lot edch 100 acres For three shilllngs he
~ SUI acres, and these 300 acres contain
rLlc famous ore beds, the richest in the
;morlu, the output of which exceeds the
A"gUlue OF many prince
me owner became known during the
NOIuuon as Col. Peter Grubb and
~ was the great-grandfather of Gen.
g. nufu C'rubb, eX-Nlinister to Spain His
S S allowed the estate to pass largely
t .o" thelr control. Robert Coleman, who
l IHS. IRON forges upon the SchuyllSi1 in
80, purchased one-sixth interest in all
r, property. The Colemans thereafter
L r,'i( 51dsed larger holdings wheneer they
tIUu, and the Grubbs sold, until to-day
thoS mold only our-ninety-sixths of all