Mesa free press., 1898-10-21
DISSIPATION OF FORTUNES.
How Millions Are Thrown to the
Winds s-Fact and Reputation.

Winds Fact and Reputation.
When John III. Innlan died we sup
posed he left an estate of about 81, ,OOO.-
BOO. For years he had been classed
among the very rich men of this city.
hear now, by way Of Atlanta, that he
left practically nothing; that his for
tune was diminished enormously in
disastrous speculation in the two years
Immediately preceding his death. Sam
Inman, the head of the big cotton house
In Atlanta, complained two years ago
that he had done all for John that he
could afford to do; that he sent him
100000, and didn't intend to put UP
any more. The Inmans have handled
as many as 100000 bales Of cotton an.
nually.
1t Is the talk in Atlanta that Inman
committed suicide. People no longer
speak Of it in whispers, but openly. lie
was the most omnivorous Of men, and
thought he had the stomach of an os-
trich. Like Brignoli, he could eat
dozen chops at sitting and repeat the
performance within an hour. Notwith-
standing his prodigious capacity for
food, he never was obliged to wear an
abdominal supporter. His physique
did not run toward embonpoint. He
was In no sense bon-yiyant; simply
gastronome-an Apicius. If required
to answer the old question, "Do you
live to eat or eat to live?" he would
have said, 81 live to eat" He taxed
his stomach to the utmost, destroyed
the mechanism, and died at the early
age of SO.
Are the great fortunes Of our pluto
Gratis dwlndling? Are we not giving
them too high rating? We thought
Ogden Goelet worth at the very least
$100,OOO,OOO. The most conservative
men placed his fortune at $50,OO0,000;
yet 1t dwdndled to less than $1O,000,0OO.
The $3O,0O0,O00 of "Spite-house" Rich
ardson dropped to $50O,0O0 as soon as
1t struck the court house. George NJ.
Pullman was supposed to be worth
every cent Of $50,O0O,000. Immediate
ly after his death 25,0O0,0OO was the
figure; but the latest reports name ST.
900, 900 as the value Of the estate. How
Is this? Can it be that we are far
wrong in placing the fortune Of John
D. Rockefeller at $2OO,OOO,OO0? Will
it dwindle to $5O,OOO,0OO when he shut
fles off? Is Gen. Sam Thomas, part
ner Of Cal Brice and Inman, worth
doubt it. What is Cal
worth? His is, about the only fortune
that no one tries to estimate. From
the way he flies around he must have
big money.
Who can tell whether Uncle Coils
Pacific Huntington is worth $3,OOO,OOO
or $3O,OOO,OOO? What is Flagler's for
tune 100000 or $75,0O0,0O0? Is it
possible that James 3. Colgate is worth
$40, 100000? No. Is. John E. Andrus
worth $3O,OOO,OOO? l think not. Is J.
Jennings McComb worth $30,O00,000?
Where did he get it? Is Charles L. Tiff
fany worth $3O,00O,000? That is his
rating. And there are John D. Arch
bold, whose fortune is estimated at
$4,000, 600; R. e. Hopkins with $500O, |
300, Asphalt Amzi Longeye Barber
With $25,OO0,000, John T. Terry with
S3O, 100000, William Rockefeller with
$50, 600, 900, H. Walter Webb with $5,-
300, 1000, Warren B. Smith with $685.
100000, Mrs. ELLIOTT +. Shepard with
$50, 100000, Cornelius Vanderbilt with
S11O,OOO,OOO, Willie X. Vanderbilt with
SOC, 900, 900, Frederick Vanderbilt with
$40, 100000, George Vanderbilt with
$50, 10000 George Gould with $780,
300, 900, and so forth and so on.
The safest way to get at the size Of
mans fortune is take the public esti-
mate and divide it by ten. l generally |
ind that man who is rated at $780,
200, 600 cuts UP for about $2,00O0OO. It
Is the custom In this day and genera
ton to converse In millions. We ac-
count man poor whose has not more
than $1,OOO,0OO. He is between the
devil Of entertainment and the deep
sea Of financial streSs-toO well off to
be parsimonious and too poor to trot |
heats with the Croes:'ses. He cannot |
afford $4,000 for a dinner and recep-
ton without feeling it. 1t is SO easy |
TO talk millions that we invariably use
the word in the plural York
Press.
Significance Of Prefix.
It is a common mistake Of those who