The Kinsley graphic. [volume] (Kinsley, Kan.) 1890-1940, 1894-07-13
BECAME AN INDIAN PRINCE
Career of . New York Irishman Who Ma
ried . Hindo0 Woman.

Career OF . New York IrtShmon Who mar
ried . HindoS Woman.
A notice from the surrogate's court,
recently published in the Eagle. re-
>alls the singular history of former
resident of the Eastern district The
citation Is issued to the legatees Of the
late James Darragh to appear n court
no,c on December 81 to attend the J,s-
dicisl settlement Of the account Of
Enoch L. Fancher ana John McCann,
executors Of the last will and testament
of James Dafragh, deceased.
| Darragh was a remafta bic man. He
was born at Turgan, Ireland, some
sixty fears ago, and came here poor
boy. After some yeers he engaged in
the manufacture of coir or cocoa mats
and mating, and with small success.
He eo1ld not compete with the finer
fiber that camis from the east He sold
out all his belongings and with. the
little money thus realized sailed for
India, leaving his Irish wife and two
daughters here. This was some twenty
FIVE or twenty-seven years ago: He
settled down in Allepy, port on the
west coast of Hindostan, ruled by the
rai ah 81 Travancore. The latter state
runs in a harrow strip down the coast
to the extreme point Of the great Pc
ninsula, Cape Comorin being sitpated
at the extremity of Travancore. Here
the Brooklyn man resumed the old
manufacture Of eoir fiber into cordage.
mats and mating. He prospered and
gained the confidence OF the ra3ah, to
whoii he finally became Indispensable.
He was allowed ID Coin money, and
gradually acquired extensive tea. coffee
and cotton plantations and established
factories in Aleppy and Madras. He
established the importing house OF
Darragh & Small at No. TT Water
street, New York, which does ain
extensive business in tiger and
other skins, Indian and Persian stuffs
and rugs, cocoa fiber manufactures
and, in fine, all the products of the
Orient. In the meantime Darragh
forgot his ties here and married a
high-easte Hindoo woman, whose
daughter was married to Mr.. Small.
Darragh's book kecper and manager
here. Becoming Mr.. Darragh's son-in-
law, he also became his partner and
looked after the New York end of the
business. A factory was erected on
Spencer street, which was burned
down some time ago and rebuilt by Mr..
Small The first Mrs. Darragh and
her daughter returned to Ireland,
where they now reside. Some twelve
years or SO ago great trouble arose be-
tween Darragh and his consignees
here, who were then George w. Dow &
Sons. They brought suit against the
East Indian for a settling. Judge
Fancher was his counsel. Darragh
won and the case was taken to the SUI
preme court, where he was ultimately
successful. His counsel wired him,
and he got the dispatch in forty-eight
hours. He came on here, and on his
return went to his old home in Ire
land, where he made his will, appoint
ing Judge Fancher one of the eXecu-
tors.
AS matter of fact, if the stories
told of him on the ships be used to
send here were true, James Darragh
lived like a full-fedged East India
petty potentate and kept regular
harem in true oriental style. About
four years ago one of his ships, an old
Black Ball liner, came into the Allan
tic dock with an immense cargo of coir
products, skins and Indian tea. She
was a wonderful flyer, too, and passed
one of Skolfeld's crack American clip.
pers in rounding the Cape of Good
Hope as though the latter was an
chored. 1t always was a grievance
with him that his ships had to sail
under the British flag instead of the
stars and stripes. Although the Spen-
Ger street factory is still running in
full blast, few Brooklynites now think
of this remarkable and adventurous
exile from the City Of the Churches
Brooklyn Eagle.