The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-12-11
A SLAVES RISE TO WEALTH.
JUAN KNIGHT. A MILLIONAIRE OF
~" GUATEMALA err.

100, 49,. the War, He Mnde n Fortune In tile Erui
,s Trnde-Hls Influence IN Central America
'f y, Los ANGELES. Cal. Dec. 5.-"The most re
markable person l saw In my travels In Cen
trail America said Major Edward NJ. Powell
g was Don Juan knight OF Guatemala. l saw
him several times in Guatemala City, met hin
once. went through his handsome residence
near the city, and found him a most agreeable
3 man and a most interesting subject for study
From a dozen old residents Of Guatemala City
go. : i heard the story. of his wonderful career:
Juan Knight is the Spanish for plain John
Knight. and the possessor Of this name. which
-. means so much everywhere in Guatemala, is
3 anegro who was born 10 slavery In Missis-
sippi. Every one in Guatemala and all the
. Sc o financial and commercial interests In Central
.gg America know about him. His wealth is
,'H Peculiarly rated In Guatemala Mt S4.50O.00O
and he is thought by conservative men to be
se7 worth fully $3.0O0,000. But for an unlucky
80 deal in bonds Of an electric car line In Guate-
- ''Ntnaia City a year ago, he would be about
81, 200.0O0 better of to-day. He Is n man
"a" about s feet 10 inches tall. weighs 100 pounds.
& q. and Is so light colored that one would take him
'Ht for a dark Central American, only for his
~ kinky hair. He speaks English and Spanish
t.s. well. ia a thorough reader of the news of the
day. and is proud Of America. He lie an ener-
.ss7"' Retic! restless man even yet, with all his for
QtrHN tune and he has dozens OF schemes for In
ssh1nN crensing his wealth several times over before
Q ne gets ready TO retire permanently from
~ business.
'ns; gS6tIt isisaid by people generally in Guatemala
that Juan Knight has an annual income of
about $400.00O. He spends more than $780,
7s 600 of this. for he and his big family live in
royal style. and the whole family gives gener-
: - "ously TO charity. Once last June Don Juan
gave more than 5000 tabout $1,000 in
f American money to help along n fair for the
'"sunport of the old and INDECENT women In
as Guatemala. The enormous income NJ this
.FS remurkablp negro pOInps from his grant poMaa
AZ. plantations. his gold mines. his big banana
,,t plantation. his Investments in banking. steam
ic boat and wharf stocks. If he saves only one
> g half his income through another decade. he
will have another 81. o 1000 fortune at his
command. But he is constantly engineering
great financial schemes. and thereby adds
'r fast to his capital.
THE home Of Juan knight Is one OF the
? places that visitors in Guatemala City drive
out to see. 1t is about three miles west of the
suburbs OF the quaint. struggling old city.
The house is n sprawling two-story affair with
more than thirty unusually large looms. The
Central Americans who are rich love to have
big rooms in their houses. The parlor at the
Knight mansion is eighty feet square and the
other rooms are in proportion. The house is
furnished with costly furniture from roof
to foundation. There are in it satin and
mahogany sofas. grand pianos and enormous
mirrors from Paris and velvet carpets from
New York. The rooms were decorated by a
corps OF artists from New Orleans and they
were five months at work. The dining room
alone must have cost a small fortune, 1t Is
finished throughout in polished mahogany
and plate glass mirrors. The floor is n mo-
sale of the rarest hard woods In the forests OF
Central America. There cannot be a more
elaborate floor anywhere in the Union. The
o grounds about the house comprise about two
acres. They have been embellished with mar
BILE copies of statuary from Italy and France.
with n maze OF twisting paths. clumps OF
's@ahrubbety. artificial %Rrottoes. beds of bright
Towering plants and unique designs in lawns
and vines. .
besides this the knight family has another
estate OF 5000 acres out at the mountains,
where tile coffee t1,.cas flourish; The whole
+, finest orchids in the country are on this plan
ta,ion; There are acres OF roses. lilies in rows
so h$!,. m Riss iN"s; aud and T'p Eanapa s'f iisid P"'d The fhs
buildings for the iaberers, families and, the
houses and coffee. curing plants have been
eFs s9Sere az ar "n s exeen sSii ID eye in s51 So6 Enipbt,s
hon,s, and ali haye been educated in the United
ac;"iemy.i in MisssisssiHspi now. 4 One e" dauR Gat.,af IS
,ort ri , na,ares r., ip boston, Once in two
and they have sent their children thither with
;TLSs story = Juan K.i ! sl tie is the story
81 naarsv! f iHflu Sny.s ri In s to ier papfIcS SRa G e sesms
Ssi n1Rs lncFTsdibIe; bnt no one II The Slty
sSs ssaase 4 ihe sT iat'e ER N5s sP PSTH IL / SsTeh his 81 t siave:
thai. went to Georgia a few months before the
MMf TssissIipI. 'I Ris motRer WA Was 13 q m N a stsSs @9m IN
o 81 n w tSso became groR by in nhsadd Een, the property
81 Dadeyille. Tallapoosa county. Ala, Knight
s :ass t 5es1 SO Ss saves. T1s a T sshIol'HFlE Fly; k ktHd n %sn a
rf'' former sch9ol,eaeher who believed it, her
9 p as Srdainea t BY :. Es' serip a9Htsa q Mpsl g.
~ III nee eiac 4 PGs sSg Born aq "a an + ou kptfiHti and Sn the The
plantation one sprinR morning in 1874 or 1S45
sni i brieSs' AFR Mr.. 9 Hpton r nS9te seild that %af he sf ,%os
given n" to hor own in and her Il ais, sRs c lhnifid5reGt'q IN
f thee p sumner 81 when yhhssn h teacher land and pupils sat on
sroaind nearby and listened tic to ali 1T that Hn w ens
tom So Ths sp neal Of t tG .Ms slaY Hp s9y for I6pt an me sd SeHc
s s:asisf in Y sl%ssi f ] Eaf:r 5 VI; t JsS Ss1 si s 81. g.;
he SSy eG E asat fia9w on .s sns h hslPsa him p1.nt Ths' s Gns
~ fle c2rne tstone upon which the boy later built
yi.h' his / nc and Il The ' Ssh sfn sla a%a T IN tSs
eHsaihis sst a he 4 wG,le sD sfs ag eelyiIsses ai IL H., The
's snG stu9 d. 'h At p aSout n ID y En| Rarm Wss ih to mead read
linton died at that time and at the execu.
s Ter. 1875 SsiS 4 shs sH Sax SE'869 9y p %as ]aaeeId In AO Si TO
aHSn amssI, " 1or ! y son OF T fhs a dn a : a county cunt, q
large sum itooI . a negro at that time. But ai"ve
p pSss wno f2sd lad fe Vent and viii, IbiE SIs weTe m al a
- ter, ter 70 q c9Ht ,oP. p la, in central Alaba@a,
Is } }nf %ae eh SeGei t 2%. d 5as aSas spr ArS;y ana ao ar;
became oyeIseer of part of the plantation,
p For four years he supefintended the gathering
When his master came home from the war
~ knight declared his freedom. He walked TO
New Orleans. and for the first time in his life
, went AWAY from his masters properties In
" New Orleans he worked as a wharf laborer
for u. firm which handled fruits from Central
Ameries a., he saved his money. One day In
Yucatan 10 superin,end the packing and ship
ping OF fruits to New Orleans. He received
The fortune of John Knight dates from
-'"' thar time. He lived In Yucatan "a year. Worked