The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-06-26
Ex-sLAVE A CRoEsUs.
Richest Mnn I'm All GuanternaIa was
Born n ChatteI in Alabama

Richest Mnn I'm All GuanternaIa Was
Born n ChatteI in Alabama.
From the San francisco Examiner.
A negro born a slave in Alabama, and
his masters chottel until early manhood,
Is the wealthiest man in Guatemala, and
one of the Observation-Disclosures of the day. His
rame Is Knight although travellers in
Guatemala would scarcely know it by the
familiar Spanish cognomen-Don Juan
knight The late President Barrlos. Of
Guatemala, estimated his friend Knights
riches at over $4,000. His annual income
from his vast tracts of coffee fincas, his
gold mines his enormous banana planta-
ton and his farms of vanilla beans, his
banking and steamboat stocks, besides the
debts interest on money that Guatemala
borrowed from him, Is over 100000. He
lives in beautiful home in the suburbs of
Guatemala City and is ceaselessly busy
looking after his immense interests
The life of Juan knight reads like a
chapter from The Arabian Nights'-this
story of how poor black boy rose, step
by step. from human slavery TO a Million
aires place. knight never knew his father,
because mis- parents were separated at a
sale of slaves several months before he
was born. His mother was a mulatto the
property of tobacco grower, Daniel Up
ton, who lived in Dadeville, Talapoosa
county, Ala. Upton was a scholarly man
and his Wife was a former school teacher.
They had half-dozen slaves all of whom
they treated well. Knight was born on the
plantation one spring morning in 1874 or
1915. Mrs. Upton gave the negro child
sufficient lessons 10 get him started on
childish studies by himself. Later Mr.. Up
ton also became interested In little black
John" and provided him with common
school books.
AT about 10 John knight was the most
promising negro in Tallapoosa county. Mr..
Upton died in 1860, and the smart black
boy was auctioned off to new master
who took him to a cotton plantation in
Central Alabama. The master entered the
Confederate army. Young black John be-
came the overseer of a part of the planta-
ton. For years he superintendent the
gathering of the cotton and its shipmen,
10 New Orleans at the best market prices
until the close of the war
Then he walked to New Orleans and
worked as a wharf laborer for a firm
which handled fruits from Central Amer
lea. lie saved his money. In 1866 he was
sent by his employer to Yucatan, in Cen
trial America, to live there. as boss of the
packing and shipping of fruits to New
Orleans. That was practically the begin
ming OF John Knights millions.
lively, wide-awake person was some
thing unique in those days of siestas and
tropical sunshine. 4 revolution in Guate-
mala, in which Ramon Sanchez had been
ceposed, was just at its close. knight
saw what hard work and an opportunity
to gain the favor of the new administra-
ton would do for himself He proposed
that for a concession of some $1,000 acres
of land suitable for pineapples and ba
mana growing he would go 10 New Or
leans and get the wholesale fruit dealers.
who ruled the American markets thirty
years ago. TO agree to buy 100000 a
year of Guatemala fruits The Guate-
mala government gladly accepted the
proposition. In less than three months
the deal was consummated at New Or
leans. Il was the beginning of the trade
in millions of dollars annuity.
To make long story short, Juan Knight
got other concessions, as he demonstra led
the profit there was In growing fruit for
the United States market The shipping
business TO New York aud San Francisco
was started and enormously enlarged BY
1871 the negro was the largest employer
of labor in Northern Guatemala. Where a
multitude of white men had given up in
despair ever trying to get work out of the
lazy improVident and careless natives Of
the rural regions. knights experience