Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-10-20

we're In his pay and subject 70 his oroers'
The Supreme Court Justices. / have rea-
son 10 believe. were pensioners. more vi
less, upon Meigs. While continuing 70
keep up his quinta In Santiago. ne i've.
In one OF the finest palaces OF Lima, anu
kept open house like a Prince. Any man
with a decent coat on his back, whe'ner
known or unknown. could sit AT MS taoi1
and be served and no questions asneu
His table was usually laid win unIiS
forty covers. ! have been his guest pu'
seldom In n great company. He liked me
and frequently invited me. but dlsHEeu
TO seem to be q hanger-on upon ms
bounty. Men sought him out TO use MIN
something / could not 90. his s'S',i
Mrs Woods. told me that many times sue
had said TO Meigs: who Is that geh'ie
man at table there?' 1 don't know;
have never seen him before ne "oulu
reply. No better wines were In ian.o
than were on Melgs's table. his cisaIs
were made especially lot nun III -.
Neigs told me personally that they cos'
bi,, "A cents apiece. After dinner, on one
nocaeion we retired to the nat roof
wh,cb. I'm those countries. is used by the
hc,ter class to take the evening air. oh
this roof he had the best billafu-tapie 10
n. obtained for money. Here he served
his quests with cigars wrapped III soiu
foil exactly as the Emperor Napoieoh
had his made. Mogs said they were ms
snecial brand. When n daughter OF the
President Of Peru married Meigs pres.
ent was a circlet OF diamonds mat coS'
$4,000. -.
"hs I have said, Melgs was not an
engineer. In what did his great ability
consist? In my opinion in his marvel
Ions ability as a financier. He was paid.
of course. in national bonds, ana ne
personally placed those bonds In Eng
land and France on far better terms
than any Peruvian had ever been able
n do. He extended his enterprises and
built A railroad all over Bolivia, coun-
try that. as an English fnancier said'
never promises to pay ana never pays
And vet Meigs succeeded in placing bo-
liv!an bonds at so much better terms
than the government financiers thought
possible that they begged OF him that
he would return to the government
lot of unplaced bonds that it might
claim the benefit OF the premium. They
made a satisfactory ARRANGEMENT with
him and ne returned the bonds. 1t is
needless to say that they were utterly
unable to dispose Of them.
SIMPLE HABITS.
although wasteful in the expenditure
or money, he hUS VI
simple habits and tastes. He was plain
in manner and never eXtravagant in
dress. His conversation was filled with
admirable practical sense. He had no
education, but he knew a great deal
about men. As an organizer and con-
tractor OF grand works he was never
equaled in South America and rarely
surpassed anywhere.
"IIe was liberal patron OF writer's and
artists, who never went TO him for aid
I'm vain. ! remember when he gave So
0g0 TO Hector Narcla. q distinguished
writer Of the Argentine Republic. to en-
able him TO start a Spanish journal in
Paris. Meigs, no doubt, expected to gain
little notoriety in Europe by means of
the enterprise. OF course. il was a failure.
"Aiei gs never talked to me about the
shadow which hung over his earlier life,
but lie knew that / was familiar with II.
The fact that he was criminal and n
fugitive. and that he could not return
10 his native land. made his life gloomy.
Finally, he set his friends and his money
70 work. and few years before his death
the Legislature Of California granted him
amnesty But he never aVailed himself
OF the privilege. He died Of paralysis in
Lima after left South America. What
fortune. if any. he eft ] have no means
Of knowing. hut ii Is certain that during
his lifeline he was the richest man in
South America"