The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-01-03
COURIER FRIDAY JANUARY

Wilmington, N, C., under the guns of Fort Fisher. This blockade king carried on thriving trade in the con- trahand 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 few days ago almost destitute. His funeral eX- penses were paid by the son of an old friend ........
 Among the English houses who were engaged in blockade running, and own ing by far the largest fleet of splendid steamers, was that of Alexander Collie & Co.,, the reputation and high com mercial standing of which was at the time worldwide.
 Alexander Collie's home in London, situated in Kensington Gardens, was one of princely hospitality, It was gor- geously fitted up, had a corps of liver jed servants and the entertainments given there were on the most eXtrava- gant and lavish scale This grand es- tablishment was especially made the home of the Confederate officials and friends of the Confederacy in England, and Mir Collie had often as his guests ex-United States Senator J, M. Mason, the Confederate commissioner to Eng land, and MT. Slidell, the Confederate representative to France.
 Following their successful trade and speculations during the war, Alexander Collie &, Co. went into the cotton and cotton goods trade establishing branch houses in Egypt, India, Australia and South America Operations were be- gun on a gigantic scale and in an eff fort to corner cotton goods in all the markets of the world somewhere in the early '70s Collie made the largest fail ure known to the history of commerce. His liabilities above his available as- sets were forty million pounds, equiva- lent to two hundred million dollars.
 Alexander Collie, the head of the house, who was held responsible for the failure, had to flee from England. He was spirited away to the private yacht of friend, in which he sailed to Bar celona, Spain. His flight from Eng land caused an immense sensation, and though pursued by creditors and de-
 
 tectives, he successfully eluded them. From Spain he went direct to South America but in a few years reappeared at the White Sulphur Springs as a travelling artist George McNeil by name. He was there recognized by 1 George Reterkin Grant, wealthy Eng | lishman, who owns a handsome estate about two miles from the springs. MT Grant kept Collie's secret, and he re- mained in that vicinity for several l years. He afterwards went to Rich. mond, where, owing to his knowledge of finance, he became associated with the late Colonel H. c. Parsons, James G. Blaine. General Butler and others ir l the Richmond X Alleghany railroad 1 Prosperous for a time, he projected other railroads. but misfortune seemed i to follow him. and finally he became again embarrassed, and, comparatively without means, came to this city
 One of the strangast things in con nection with the blockade king was that, although he Rived in comparative | poverty in New York, his wife was liv. ing in luxury in London. As Alexan. der Collie, he was supposed to have l been lost at sea. He evidently madc some disposition of some property ir favor of his wife, and went to life oi | obscurity and poverty alone.