Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1898-08-14

hHlSHI 5 HlllilOHS.
A lively, wide-awake peyson was
Hmething unique in thos8 days of
49, anu crurltr.. I'd rev
olution in Guatemala, in which Ramon
Sanchez had been disposed, was just
at its close. Knight saw what hard
work and an opportunity to gain the
favor of the new administration would
do for himself. He proposed that for
a concession of some $4,000 acres of
land suitable for pineaDDles and ba-
mana growing he would go to New Or
beans and get the wholesale fruit
dealers, who ruled the American mar
ketS thirty years ago, to agree to buy
$2,000,000 a year of Guatemala fruits.
The Guatemala government gladly ac
cepted the proposition. In less than
three months the deal was consumma-
ted at New Orleans. 1t was the be-
ginning of the trade in millions of dol
lars annually.
To make long story short, Juan
Knight got other concession, as he
demonstrated the profit there is in
growing fruit for the United States
market. The shipping business to
New York and San Francisco was
started and enormously enlarged. By
1871 the negro was the largest en-
ployer Of labor in Northern Guate-
mala Where multitude of white
men had given up in despair ever try
ing to get work out Of the lazy, i'm
provident and careless natives of the
rural regions, Knights experience
among the slaves stood him in good
stead He was famous for the zeal
he impaired to all who labored for
him. He married a native young wo-
man in Stapa in 1872, and the union
has been a great help to his fortunes.
About twenty years ago he induced
New England capital to embark extern
sively in coffee growing in Guatemala,
and invested his own capital in the
industry. The government gave him
very advantageous shipping conces-
cion for his efforts in bringing capital
to the country. Coffee growing proved
wonderfully remunerative for a dozen
years. The negro planter branched
out In other directions. He went to
Philadelphia, and contracted to furnish
many thousands OF feet of mahogany
yearly for ten years
There is another side to this I'M
common man. He has been a liberal
is withal, a plain, modest man, who is
mot known by sight far from home He
IS tall and slender. and shows the eff
fects of hard work and constant care
and thought concerning his enormous
business.
There are seven children in Juan
knights home, and all have been ed
hcated in the United States. Two Of
the boys are in a military academy
in Mississippi now. One daughter is
an accomplished portrait painter in
Boston. Once a year the father and
mother go on trip to New Orleans,
and from there to New York. They
were in Europe in 1894.
The influence of Juan Knight, the ne
gro millionaire, is felt everywhere in the
commercial and financial domain of Qua
temala--if not in every part of Central
america. His advice is sought in all
financial projects of the government.
When a syndicate of capitalists sends to
Guatemala for an expression of opinion
: concerning a bond issue in Central
America, this wonderful ex-slave is con-
-&alted almost first of all. When the
en- aians nearly came to arms with
two years ago, Juan Knight was
Ally looked 10 Dy the natives TO
race. His bank in Guatemala City
the solidest in the country. So
the confidence in his integrity
OF his Oldest Iaborers draw
hut once in half year. The
planter and miner of Guate-
xeral times visited the plan
,oosaL county, Ala, where
DnuG raised. Hundreds of
o1l ot,c,,& h{,r, ov5 -