The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-12-13
BLOCKADE KING"
TWO MEN THE ONLY MoURNERS AT
HIS FUNERAL.
At One Time He Could Have Drawn
His Check For Millions, But Died
Destitute-A ChecIzered Career.

NEW YORK, Dec. 1.-TWO men
were the only mourners at Woodlawn
cemetery yesterday at the funeral SER
vices over the body of Alexander
Collie, man who few years ago was
known in every European capital In
the civil war he was a noted blockade
runner, who established headquarters
at Wilmington, n. c. Under the guns
at Fort Fisher this blockade king car
ried on a thriving trade IN the contra
band articles of war and exported the
cotton of the south.
Collie. who at one time could have
drawn his check for millions of dollars,
died almost destitute and his funeral
expenses were paid by a son Of an old
friend. There is no name on the coffin
plate, for he died under the assumed
name Of George Mcneil.
Alexander Collie'S home in London,
situated in Kingston Gardens, was one
of princely hospitality. 1t was gor-
geously fitted up, had a corps of liver
led servants, and the entertainments
given there were on the most extTiava-
CANT and lavish scale. This grand es-
Enlistment was especially made the
home of the Confederate officials and
friends Of the Confederacy in England,
and Mr.. Collie had often as his guests
ex-United States Senator ]. NJ Mason,
the Confederate commissioner to Eng
land. and Mr.. Sidell the Confederate
representative to France. In Whining
ton, n. c., the firm leased one of the
handsomest houses in the city. Fol
lowing the successful trade and specu-
lations during the war, Alexander Col
lie & Co. went into the cotton and cot
ton goods trade and opened branch
houses in Egypt, Brindia, Australia
and South America. Operations were
begun on a gigantic scale and in an
effort to corner cotton goods in all the
markets of the world, in the early '7O's.
Collie & Co. made the largest failure
known in the history of commerce.
His liabilities above his available as
sets were about 100000 900, equivalent
to s200,000,000. Alexander Collie, the
head OF the house, who was held re-
sponsible for the failure, had to flee
from England, and he was spirited
away to the private yacht of al friend.
in which he sailed to Barcelona, Spain.
His flight from England caused an
immense sensation, and though pur-
sued by creditors and detectives. he
successfully eluded them From Spain
he went direct to South America. and
in a few years appeared at the White
Sulphur Springs as a travelling artist,
George Mcneil by name. He was there
recognized by George Peterkin Grant,
a wealthy Eng1ishman, who owns a,
handsome estate at the springs.
Mr.. Grant kept Coliie's secret and he
remained in that vicinity for several
years. He afterward went to Rich
mond, where, owing to his knowledge
of finances. he became associated with
Colonel II. c. Parsons, James G..
Blaine, General Butler and others in
the Richmond & Allegheny railroad.
Prosperous for a time, he projected
other railroads, but misfortune seemed
to follow him and finally he became
again embarras sed, and, comparatively
without means, came to this city.
One of the strangest things in con-
nectfon with the BLOCKADE king" was
that while he lived in comparative pow
erty In New York, his wife was living
in luxury in London. AS Alexander
Collie he was supposed to have been
lost at sea- He evidently made some
disposition of some property in favor
of his wife and went to a life of OBJ
security and poverty alone.
He was turned out of the HARLEM,
fiat, where he lived several years ago.
and went to live at the Colonial hotel.
on One Hundred and Twenty-fifth
street. There he was found by several
friends, among them Richard Lamb.
eldest son of Colonel Lamb. of Fort
Fisher. These men experienced much
in aiding him on account of
his pride