Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1897-08-20
VOLUME XXXVU.--NUMBER 40
POOR RICH PEOPLE.
HOW SOME RICH MEN PASS
THEIR DAYS.
The Hard Life of a Cattle Owner
Drinks Alkali Water and Eats
Tough Beef with VacquerOs-A
millionaire MiseT.

Drinks Alkali Water and Eats
Tough Bees with vacqueros-A
millionaire Miser.
The prodigality of the California
millionaire is proverbial. The mag
nificent mansions, built in desolate,
sunbaked localities, turned into gar
dens of Eden by landscape gardeners /;
the dinners that cost thousands of
dollars, the wagers of fortune on n
single turn of a card or a simple
chance, the handfuls of golden eagles
thrown at random into a crowd of
street urchins, the baths in cham
pagne, the men who lighted cigars
with $40 greenbacks, the houses that
had solid silver door knobs and golden
tipped stair rods, and the harnesses of
solid gold mountings, are some of the
whimsical extravagances that have
been the feature of stories told the
world over to show how California
CrGsuses spend their money. Indeed,
to such an extent have people come to
believe that all California millionaires
are princes in liberality that a very
large part of the novels and short
stories nowadays introduce a million
aire from the Golden State of Califor-
MIA, when the plot calls for Monte
Cristo-like character, who throws
money right and left and draws big
checks with charming abandon.
There is, however, another class OF
very rich men on this coast. No one
knows better the science of saving
every dime than they, and no one puts
the knowledge into more rigid prac-
tice. There are a dozen or so of mil
lionaires out here who are objects of
perennial interest among the throngs
of tourists who come every winter from
the East. To the average stern mind
the words " an old millionaire" natur-
ally bring picture of spruce, white
haired man, who dresses in fine linen
and broadcloth, who lives in a stately
residence, where are gathered all his
children in happy home circle, and
where servants anticipate every wish,
and who drives out with his grand
children of an afternoon in big sty-
lish carriage, with a liveried coach
man and footman on the box. When,
then, the Fasteners come to the Pa
cific Coast and have q cheaply dressed,
almost ragged, unkempt man pointed
out as a millionaire, and have little
whitewashed cabins shown as the
abodes of men who own many thous-
ands of acres of land, or focks of sheep
and herds of cattle on every hillside,
they are interested.
One of the wealthiest men in Cali
fornia is Henry Miller. His poses
sions are variously valued at from $9,-
600, 900 to $14,OOO,OOO. He is the sur
viving 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 100000.
Miller owned more than half of the
stock in the business, and had some
81, 800 600 invested in hogs and sheep
as his own property. To-day he is
without doubt the biggest cattle king
of all. He owns several herds of 25,-
GOO cattle each, score of herds of
5000 or 5000 cattle, and many herds
of 1900 and 5000 cattle, besides H.
600 square miles-not acres-of land
in California, Oregon, Nevada and Ari-
zona, on which these cattle, besides
scores of droves of hogs and flocks of
sheep, Craze.
In the recent legal proceedings
brought to effect settlement of the
affairs of the firm of Miller & Lux, it
came out that in 1895 and 1896 the
annual net income of Mr.. Miller was
more than 100000. Yet he lives the
life of the poorest paid, most ignor.
ant vaquero or cowboy on his vast
ranges. He is GA years old, and came
to California from Germany in 1854.
From the day he landed at Monterey,
walked across the foothills and got
job as sausage maker for a Mexican
butcher, he has never had day of
rest. While his partner used to live in
mansion in San Francisco and do
business in q royalty appointed count
ing room, Miller was out on some of
the firms vast ranges. He still ad-
heres to this rough, hardy life. His
accountants go out from San Fran
cisco several times week with state
ments of the business, and to inform
him of orders for cattle in San Fran
cisco, Kansas City or Chicago.
He asks nothing better for himself
than to live among his men on his
ranges, to fight with them when he
sees fit, to swear at them when they
will stand it, to live on tough, fresh
killed beef and bacon, and "slumgul-
lion" coffee, to drink warm alkali wa
ter, and to have no more good out of
his millions than the commonest $50
a-month cowboy. He views ex.
travagance as crime. His vaqueros
tell of him yelling with anger when
tender young bullock had been
slaughtered by the manager of one of
his ranges in honor of his visit. Yet