The herald., 1895-09-01
MANY ONCE
WEALTHY FORTY-NI NOW IN THE
ALMSHOUSE


life histories forcibly illustrate the ups
and downs of human prosperity and the
fickleness of fortunes smiles. There was
a time, not so very long ago.w hen either
of these men could have drawn q check
! for half million dollars without fear of
protest, and when their earthly possess
sions EN- braced values away up in the
millions. They were dashing men OF the
world, once upon time. whose presence
was courted and who graced with their
! joyfulness and wit many banquet board
where the wine sparkled brightly. To-
day they eat the bread of public charity
| in the aim shouse of San Francisco. and
| their footsteps become m ore tottering each
day as, without hope and without amb
tion, they journey toward the final end
| a grave in the potter's field.
| One of the ID en- was once d shining light
| in the Bohemian club. He filled with
much credit several important offices in
| that swell organization of prosperous and
intellectual gentlemen, most OF whom
have robably forgotten that s!ch a man
! as Charles A. Lewis, the scholarly gentle
+ man, genial companion and true friend,
over existed. Yet Charles A. Lewis,
| charter member OF the Bohemian club,
ex-millionaire, ex-many other important
positions, once o regular attendant at all
high and low jinks, still lives ut the age
| OF "A years and is an inmate of the aims
house, where he holds tive position of
| librarian at a salary of nothing month,
board, clothes and lodging included. Mr..
Lewis has had an eventful career and has
helped to make history in more ways
| than one.
81 was on the high road to fortune
once" he said in conversation with
| Chronicle representative yesterday. "In
the early SOS l had the controlling inter-
| in ar.,t taI nd oh ha,
J in Port Islay. Peru. that did a business
! of many millions year. Our import
! duties alone averaged $780, 00U u month,
for several years. But General Prado's
| revolution came on. and the result of it
to me was almost total rum financially.
| By the way, this General Prado was the
natural son of Monsieur Prado. who was
! guillotined for murder in France about
| twelve years ago. Our business was
largely in -four and grain. We imported
wheat and manufactured -four. WE'LL
| General Prado was determined to break
| up all the SpLniards who were the prin-
cipal merchants in Peru, as we'll as the
| principal millers. He issued an edct by
! which a prohibitory edict was placed on
wheat and flour was admitted free. Re-
sult-run to the grain merchants and
mllers. True, it was political blow
aimed at the STaniards, and although |
was not a Spaniard. [ suffered with the
! rest. My entire business was swept away
| in a few months"
Charles E. Oney is another distin-
! guished guest of superintendent Weaver.
He occupies a cot In ward twenty-one
and spends most of his days in broooing
over the past and its vanished glcries.-
| He once possessed fortune close on to
million dollars. and enjoyed the personal
friendship of the late Senator Sharon,
Senator William NJ. Stewart and Thomas
| Hanna of Nevada. and was more or less
| intimately associated with the late
| Charles Crocker and other railway and
| mining magnates.
! Mr.. Olney enjoys the distinction of hav-
ing organized the Republican party Of Ne
vada when 1T was u territory, and making
! the first Republican campaign speech in
| E. time that tried mems souls. Nj.
| Olney says that as men grow great they
| become ungrateful. ' can assert with
out boasting,' said Mr.. Olney yesterday,
| that | was the means of securing the
| franchise for the Central Pacific railroad
| from the first legislature of Nevada l
. was living at Gold Hill and owned the
| biggest part of the Imperial nine l was
! flush then, and all the leading politicians
were nv personal friends. When the
question of the fran chise was pending in
| the territorial council, Stewart bitterly
! opposed it and he had great influence.
| Leland Stanford sent for me to come and
| helr him out | came as requested and
held conference with Crooker, Stanford
and Thomas Hanna. the latter being o
M EN- Der of the council at the time. Well,
| instructed Crocker and Stamford how
to act, and l went around and talked to
, all the members of the upper house except
Stewart. l turned the tide. The result
was that when the matter of the franchise
came up next day it was brought to an
immediate vote and carried almost unani-
mously. Stewart refused to vote. Stan
ford told me he was deeply indebted to
me, and asked me how much l wanted
for my services. l answered Nothing
Not long after that / became financially
EN- barrassed and asked Stanford to help
me out, but he no longer knew me.
Sharon was different. Once he hunored
my checks for $45, 900 without any securi-
ty whatever"
John Mcpherson. tall, fcrid and gray,
was once q plunger in mining stocks and
had an office at the corner of Califo MIA
and Montgomery streets. He is said to
have been worth a "cool million" when
i.i his p-ime. Today he is an inmate of
the almshouse, and saves the city and
county 500 a month by his services as
druggist for the institution, for which Q
receives his board and clothes and the ex-
elusive use of small room. Mr.. Nc
Pherson is a native of Scotland and a
dplomaed NJ. A. from the University of
Edinburgh.
"How did lose my money? Better be-
gin by asking how | made it, for it was
made and lost. made and lost over and
over again. | came from Scotland direct
to California in 1858. l didn't have much
success until 1876 whom l went into the
brokerage business and became plunger