The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1897-12-22
THE NEW WHEAT KING.
Career of Young Joe Letter From College to
Wheat Pit.
From the Philadelphia Times.

From the Philadelphia Times.
Chicago, Dec 20.-Five years ago Joe
Letter, the new wheat king of Chicago,
graduated from Harvard. Friends of his
father, Levi q. Letter, suggested that the
young man be allowed to follow the profess
sion of gentleman of leisure; they did not
consider him capable of attending to the
serious affairs of life.
For year and half the elder Letter
thought it over while his son Travelled and
hunted big game in the wild and woolly
west Then the two held conference. Mr..
Letter asked Joseph what he intended maxi
ing out of him himself Joseph thought he
would like to go into business.
"Of what sort?" asked the father.
Taking care of your interests would be
about right" replied the son.
The man of millions admired the young
mans nerve, but he was a bit skeptical
He determined to put Joseph on probation
for a year At the end of that time Mr..
Letter Sr, in examining into his aHalrs
found that Mr.. Letter, Jr., had made good
use of his talents; he had not only not let
ANYTHING get away from him, but had in
creased his fathers rentals to the extent OF
$780, 900.
This was enough to convince Lew H.
Letter that his son was made or the proper
stuff-any man who could get more out or
his property than he himself could was
Mr. Letter placed all of his interests in
the young mans hands, and repaired to
washington to spend the rest Of his days in
ease.
Today Joe Letter manages the entire
otter estate which is valued at $50 100000,
&c the controlling spirit of the Chicago City
Railway company, is a director of the Peo-
ple's Gas Light and Coke company (other-
wise known as the Gas TrusD, director
In the Illinois Trust and Savings bank and
Of Ianh W
in the history of Chicago.
Young Letter is over feet In height,
with the figure of an Apollo. He buys
good clothes and he knows how to wear
| them Some of his raiment looks loud, but
| this general effect may be caused more by
| his large physical proportions than by the
| size of the checks in the clothes.
He is not given to jewelry, q modest
scarfpin now and then and small gold
watch-chain being his limit He belongs to
several clubs, among others the Chicago,
| the most exclusive in the city, the Athletic
| ever takes place at the Chicago Athletic
| club but that Joe Letter Is a spectator from
the front row. He generally attends the
| big foot ball games and once in while
| takes in base ball game. Every year he
| puts in from two weeks to a month hunt
| ing big game in the Rockies or the wilds
| of the northwest with a few of his init
mates. He is quite an enthusiastic cyclist,
| is a good Judge of horses, rides we'll, drives
we'll and Is a good walker. He lives unos-
| tentatiously in the old Letter mansion at
| No. Tower place, keeping the home open
| the year round, and always ready to re-
| ceive Mr.. Letter. Sr., who spends about
| two months out of the twelve In Chicago.
Early in the summer young Letter
thought he saw his way clear to making a
| big profit In wheat, which was then selling
at Ga cents. He took his former college