The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1897-12-03
THE RISE OF A CATTLE KING.

THE RISE OF A CATTLE KING.
How Rhode Island Boy Became
Millionaire in Texas-Iis Homestead
Patch of Land is Seventeen Miles
Across and His Cattle Number Scores
of Thousands-How Rome Impressed
Him.
Way back before the war there came
to Texas from the wee state of Rhode
Island tall, raw-boned youth, who
wanted to make his fortune. He was
not yet of age, and his stature was so
unusual that it was not many days be-
fore he became known by the sobriquet
of Shanghai" The youth was earnest,
painstaking and willing to work He
had nothing in the world but good
health, a fair amount of strength,
common education and the clothes that
he wore. To-day that TALL raw-boned
youth from little Rhody is perhaps the
richest man in Texas and the best
known stockman in the world. The So
briquet of the early days has stuck to
him, and, although he signs his name
"a. H. Pierce" nobody in Texas ever
refers to him except as Shanghai"
Pierce. Sixty-three winters have come
and gone since Shanghai" first saw
the light Of day, but he Is as hearty
and vigorous now and as easnest in
pursuing his work as if he were under
the two-score mark
There is not town Of any account in
Texas in which Shanghai Pierce Is
| not known. The same may be said of
the Indian territory and Oklahoma,
while, as for Kansas City, st. Louis
and Chicago the stocknlen Of those cit
| les are as well acquainted with him as
| if he had been born and raised among
! them. He is a mighty traveller, and, by
| reason Of his unusual size, he is marked
among men. A man who has never
| seen him, but has heard him described,
| will unconsciously recognize him.
| Some great stories are told about this
unique man. Most Of them are fanciful
or have but a grain Of truth, but the
| plain, unvarnished facts about "Shang-
hai's" career, if once gathered, would
serve for tales of adventure sufficient to
keep a writer busy for many day.
| But Shanghai is chary about telling
the story himself, and few Of those who
| know him well are fully cognizant of
the happenings in the days before he
became recognized as one of the char
acters and one of the big men of the
state.
His friends say that when he came to
| Texas he went to work on farm, but
| left in disgust when he discovered that
a negro was worth more than a white
man. 1t seems that the farmer by
whom he was employed owned several
slaves. On the plantation was a horse
| that only a negro named Pete and
| young Pierce could ride. The animal
| was unusually fractions one day and
threw Pete, and then fell upon him.
This happened near the planters house
The planter and his wife and lot of
attendants ran to the assistance of
Pete The negro appeared to be dead
The planters wife, as soon as she saw
the slaves body, exclaimed: "Oh, good
ness, how unfortunatei There's an
eight hundred dollar Niger killed
| Now, If it had only been Shanghai it
wouldn't be so bad
Shanghai" tells this story himself
so 1t is probably true
The young Rhode, Islander was nat
ura1 horseman, and his knowledge OF
| cattle was good. When he in disgust
left the planter he naturally drifted into
the cattle business. In those days
this was III 1854-there was little else
than cattle raised in Texas. ''Shang-
hal" became a cowboy, and for several
years he endured all the trials and
hardships OF that wild life. Occasion
ally nowadays he tells of the times
when he slept on the bleak prairie ig
midwinter when it was so cold thai
rattlesnakes crept into his blankets te
get warm.
1t did not take the catt1emen long tc
discover that the lanky fellow who rode
SO we'll was not only a remarkably goot
judge Of cattle, but had considerable Ia
tent ability. There was cattle mer
chant named w. B. Grimes, who got te
know Shanghai" and he employed the
young man to travel through southern
and western Texas and buy beeves fol
him. The cattle bought by shanghai
were shipped by Grimes to New Or
leans, and the merchant is said to have
made big profits, owing to the shrewd
ness displayed by the young Yankee
When the war came on the reputation
of Shanghai as a coWnlan was 81
well established that contract wa'
made with him to supply Texas com
! mand with beef. He was always OF
| hand with good supply of beeves, ant
that he and his heard made up the rea
guard in all advances and led the van
guard on retreats.
! Immediately after the close of tn
war Shanghai" formed a connection
with the great firm of Allen & Poole
He traversed Texas for three years a
: the representative of the firm buyin,
dreyes of cattle and sending them t,
Galveston, where they We're shipped t.
New Orleans. In 1859 this firm discon
tinued the business. Shanghai" hat
an interest, and drew out one hundret
thousand dollars cash as his share o
the rofits. He puttered around for
year buying here and there, Away
Z making money, but in 1871 he got no
ton that a fortune awaited him Il
: Kansas He moved there and EN-