The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-07-11
M%ILLIONAIRES IN RAGS.
gERF RIoH MEN IN CALIFORNIA
VINO DON'T SoUANDER MONET.

7 ~ boonnIN
Mean to loco Riis s,osud Fertune-A aninien-
sirn whose oniy Eun IL Pedro-A wheat
A,uE in RsEs-A p1uiisuairs Shepherd.
POMONA, CAL, July 3.-The prodieality OF tho !
California millionaire 10 prov erbinl. The mnr.
pliocnt mansions, built in desolnte, sunbaked
localities, turned Into ga.doas Of Eden by land |
scnpc gardeners; the dinners that cost thou
.ands Of dollars, the wnEers o. a fortune on a
sinvlo turn Of q card or q simple chance. the
handouts OF golden eagles thrown at random
Into n crowd Of street urchins, tho baths In
champagne. the mon who lighted cigars with $40
Vrccnbacks, the houses that had solid silver
door knobs aud golden tipped stair rods, and
the harnesses of solid gold mountings, nro some
OF the whimsical extravagances that have boon
the feature OF stories told tho world over 10
show how California Crnsuscs spend their
money. Indeed. to such an extent have people
come TO believe that all California millionairos
arc princes in hbcrality that n large part Of tho
novels and short stories nowadays introduce u
millionaire from the Colder State Of California,
when tho plot calls for n Monte Cristo-llko
character, who throws money right and left and
draws big checks with a charming abandon.
There is, however. another class Of very rich
men on this coast. No ono knows better the
science OF saving every dime than they, and no
one puts tho knowledge into moro rigid prao-
ticc. There are q dozen or so OF millionnires
out here who are objects OF perennial interest
among tho thronss Of tourists who como every
winter from tho East. To tho average Eastern
mind the words IAN old millionaire naturally
bring n picture Of a spruce, whitc-haircd man.
who dresses in fine linen ana broadclotb, who
lives In q stately residence. where arc gathered
all his children In n happy homo circle. and
where servants anticipate every wish, and who
drives out with his grandchildren of an after
noon in n big stylish carriage. with n liveried
coachinan and foo.man on tho box. When. thon,
the Fasteners como to tho Pacific coast and
have a cheaply dressed, almost ragged, UNI
kcmpt man pointed out as n millionaire, and
have little whitewashed cabins she VIII as the
abodcs Of men who own many thousands OF
acres OF land. or flocks OF sheep and herds of
cattle on every hillside. they arc interested.
One OF the wealthicst men in California Ia
Henry Miller. His possessions arc variously
valued at from 50, 600, 900 to Sl4, oo0, 900. He
Is tho surviving partner of the greatest cattle
firm in the world, that Of Miller & Lux. Chas.
W. Lux died ten years ago. and left an estate
Of 81, 900, 600. Miller owned moro than half of
the stock in the business, and had some 81, 800.
900 invested in hogs and sheep as his own prop
erty. To-day he is without doubt the biggest
cattle king Of all. He owns several herds OF
ZO,UUU Cattl6 CdCn. n SCOro OF nerQS or 6,UUO or
1000 cattle. and many herds of 1000 and 5000
cattle, besides $4,000 square miles not acres
Of land in California, Oregon. Nevada. and
Arizona. on which these CATTLE. besides scores
of droves Of hogs and fiocks of sheep, Craze.
In the recent legal proceedings brought to eff
feet q settlement of the affairs Of the firm of
Miller & Lux, 1t came out that in 1895 and
1896 the annual net income Of Mr.. Miller war
moro than 100000. Yet he lives the life of
the poorest paid. most ignorant vaquero or
cowboy on his vast ranges. He is g. years old,
and came to California from Germany in 1854.
From the day he landed at Monterey. walked
across the foothills and got q job as sausage
maker for a Mexican butcher. he has never had
q day Of rest. While his partner used to live
in a mansion in San Francisco and do business
in o royalty appointed counting room, Miller
was out on some of the firms vast ranges. He
still adhercs to this rough. hard life. His ac-
times a week with statements OF the business,
and to inform him OF orders for cattle in San
He asks nothing better for himself than to live
j among his men on his ranges, to fight with them
,vi,' he sees : Mt, to swear at them when they
and bacon, and '.slum-gullion" coffee, to drink
warm alkali water, and to have no more good
crime. His vaqueros tell of him yelling witt
slaughtered by the manager Of one Of his ranges
IN honor Of his visit. Yet he is neither a miscr
Nor a Is mean to ee %a more a1 lsn Spe and atl-f TO- inapease p sio
herds. He admircs a man who will work and
'E Bssan' t %lSSnfifS t Sis iaea h0a aii his a din M. and I'D he %o aPs
Snows any detail Of the business ss better It rA thar
and packing beef; he always joins with his
vaqueros in the annual branding operations.
and he ,b has st had many many at a row nro With a .C cowboy oy be- be,
hides were not well cured.
ularity among the vaqueros about Gilroy.
was stopped BY u Mexican highwayman He
pocket.some 5000. AS the man turned away
with tho gold Miller called after him..
got a long drive to make and I've given you
ell the money l had. Can't you let me- have
The highwayman handed Miller $50 of tho
money he had taken from him and each passed
Several months later Miller saw the same
man in a saloon at Gilroy. He went up to him,
took $50 from his pocket, and offered It to him.
Here's the money 1 owe you"
You don't eve me anything" said tho Mex
OF course l do: here, take It,"
Nothing to me, " insisted the Mexican.
you remember me borrowing $50 from
you in the pass a few months agOi'
Don't remember anything about il" said the
Mexican, and Miller kept his money;
out humor. and tho cattle herders liked his
grim satire.
A little dried-up man, with deep.set black
eyes, long white hair, and shabby clothes, may
be seen sitting about the hotel offices, barber
shops, saloons, and other public places where
there are free chairs and newspapers in the city
Of bakersfield, in the san joaquin Valley, any
day. He has not been out Of tho town in TWEEN.
" years, and IL Is not likely he ever will go. He
Is Daniel Il. Walters. and he is worth between
1000, 600 and $500 900. lie came to Cali
fornia in the gold excitement in tho carly If
ties, and made n fortune of $40, 900. He was a
happy, joyIal young man then. fresh from Yalo
COLLEGE. He spent money. freely, and went
back to New York on u visit, In two years no
rGtirned TO California with all his money gone.
This time he found it was no longer possible for
q man to pick up Il fortune in the gold d~iggings.
lie became a lawyer. and had q bare subsist-
cnce for n decade. That was when he became
a money saver, and learned oXaetly how many
years Old he discovered quicksilver deposits in
santa Clara county. That brought him several
hundred thousand dollars. He invested in
lands In the San joaquin Valley, and increased
ms wealth ten times over In tho course Of
twenty years.
He has n wife and three children and many
grandchildren. His sons and his daughter worked
as laborers after they became II, and have
never lpd 81 dollar nj n IA from their father MIRA