The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-03-13
ONCE A TRAMP, NOW RICH.
Sir Thomas JOhnstOne Upton
Worked in Rice swamp in
America.

Sir Thomas JOhnstOne Upton
Worked in a Rice swamp in
America.
From the New York World.
London, March 1O-The flotation of the
joint stock company which is to take over
the business here of Sir Thomas tombstone
Upton, the provision, tea and coffee mer-
were made to the amount of f25, COO COO
G125,OOO,OOO) for the f25OO,0OO ($12OOO.OOM
asked, of which sum Upton, for himself,
the directors and his friends, retains fl
10000 (s6,OOO,OOW.
The fotatlon is pronounced to be the
most sensational ever launched There
was an extraordinary rush of people who
knew nothing about the affairs of the COM
pany. But the tip was generally circu-
lated that it was a good gamble" and
the craze extended to the West End, where
ladies of title, officers and public men were
among those who besieged Sir Thomas
Upton, imploring him to take their money.
Remarkable scenes were witnessed at the
Bank of Scotland, where the lists were
| opened The police had to regulate the
crowds. Money in hand, women and men
fought for place
From a stowaway to the richest mer-
chant on earth; from a worker in the
rice swamps OF South Carolina to the pos
SCISSOR of millions From such beginnings
has Sir Thomas tombstone Upton risen In
a few years, by his industry, and, while
he has made a huge fortune for himself,
he has vastly benefited the poor Of London
and other great cities by supplying them
with good provisions at cheap prices.
Speaking six months ago of the new men
in London, Upton said:
tits only eighteen years since ] stood
behind counter waiting for customers"
Now eighteen hundred persons are en-
ployed in the headquarters of that bust
ness to capitalize which London yesterday
fought to contribute ten times the money
needed. There are sixty Upton stores in
London, Upton stores throughout Great
Britain. Upton has a packing house In
Chicago where 1900 or 5000 pigs are killed
every day, and he has 600 refrigerator cars
to carry his products to his customers
throughout the United States He has
great tea plantations in Ceylon, he is
contractor for the British army and navy,
and, incidentally, makes ginger ale, MIN
eral waters and candy.
81 began by working twenty-five hours
out of twenty-four," said this merchant
knight. Now work only eighteen hours
out of twenty-four."
Linton is of Scotch-Irish blood. He is
only forty-one or forty-two years old, tall,
straight, athletic, always well dressed,we
groonled, always unassuming. His father
was wage worker. When the son was mr.
teen years old he sailed to America to seek
his fortune For two years he worked in
the rice swamps of South Carolina. At the
end of two year he had so little money that
he slowed himself away on a steamer sail
ing from Charleston TO New York, and
was permitted to shovel coal for his pass
age.
The capital with which Upton started,
eighteen years ago. was fl00 loaned to him
nv his thrifty parents No man can honest
lv turn 200 into millions by accident. He
must have brains first, and then be
shrewd. far-sighted, fertile in resource,
courteous, fnasterful Upton will admit
only that he has known how to advertise.
Soon after he opened his first store he
houpht the two latest hogs in the market
monsters. These were carefully scrubbed,
decorated with ribbons and guided, wad-
dIing through the streets to the store, with
a banner over them "Lipton's Monsters"
The Princess of Wales, TO celebrate the
Queens Jubilee, started a fund to give
dinners to the outcast poor of London. The
f,nd Ianguished until an unknown donor
cave to It f25000 Cs125,O00) Rumor had it
~ awhile that William Waldorf Aston
was he who recognized how hard II Is for
hungry man to rejoice, even at his
0ueen's Jubilee. 1t turned out that Upton
ave the money. The Princess of Wales