The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-05-24

Richest Msa In Guatemala Born on an
Alabama Plantation.

From the a Francisco Examiner.
A negro, born a slave in Alabama.
and his masters chattel until early
manhood. Is the wealthiest man in
Guatemala, and Is one of the multi-mil-
lionaires of the day. His name Is
knight, although travellers in Guate-
mala would scarcely know il by the
familiar Spanish cognomen-Don Juan
knight. The late President Barrios of
Guatemala estimated his friend
knights riches at over 81. 800. 900. His
annual income from his vast tracts of
coffee fincas. his gold mines. his enor-
nous banana plantation and his farms
of vanilla beans, his banking and
steamboat stocks, besides the debts in
terest on money that Guatemala bor-
rowed from him. is over $500. 900. He
lives in a beautiful home in the suburbs
Of Guatemala city. and Is ceaselessly
busy looking after his immense inter-
ests.
The life Of Juan Knight reads like a
chapter from the Arabian Nights
this story of how a poor black rose. step
by step. from human slavery to a mil
lionaire's place. Knight never knew
his father, because his parents were
separated at a sale of slaves several
months before he was born. His moth
err was a mulatto. the property of a to-
bacco grower. Daniel Upton, who lived
In Dadeville, Tallapoosa county, Ala.
Upton was a scholarly man, and his
wife was a former school teacher. They
had a ~half-dozen slaves. all of whom
they treated well. Knight was born
on the plantation one spring morning i'm
1874 or 1S45. Upton gave the negro
child sufficient lessons to get him start
ed on childish studies by himself. Later
Mr.. Upton also became interested in
little black john" and provided him
with common school books.
AT about 16 John knight was the most
promising negro in Tallapoosa county.
Mr.. Upton died i'm 1860. and the smart
black boy was auctioned of to a new
master. who took him to a cotton plan
tation in central Alabama. The master
entered the confederate army. Young
Black John became the overseer OF a
part of the plantation. For four years
he superintended the gathering of the
cotton and its shipment to 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
America. He saved his money. In
| 1866 he was sent by his employer to Yu-
catan. in Central America. to live there
as boss of the packing and shipping OF
fruits to New Orleans. Thai was prac-
tically the beginning of John knights
millions.
A lively. wide-awake person was
something unique in those days of sizes
tas and tropical sunshine. A revolution
in Guatemala, i'm which Ramon sam
chez had been deposed. was just at
its close. Knight saw what hard work
and an opportunity to gain the favor
of the new administration would do Tor
himself. He proposed that for a con-
| cession of some 80. 900 acres of land suit
able for pineapple and banana growing
he would go to New Orleans and get
the wholesale fruit dealers, who ruled
the American markets so years ago, to
agree to buy 1000. 900 a year of Guate-
mala fruits. The Guatemala govern
| ment gladly accepted the proposition.
In less than three months the deal was
consummated at New Orleans. 1t was
the beginning of the trade of millions of
dollars annually.
To make a long story short, Juan
knight got other concessions, as he
demonstrated the profit there was in
growing fruits for the United States
markets. The shipping business TO New
York and San Francisco was started
| and enormously enlarged. BY 1871 the
negro was the largest employer of labor
i'm Northern Guatemala. Where a null
titude of white men had given up in
despair ever trying to get work out OF
the lazy. ~improvident and careless ma
tives of the rural regions, knights ex-
perience 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 woman in
Stapa in 1872. and the union has been a
great help to his About 20
years ago he induced New England capt.
tai to embark extensively in coffee
growing in Guatemala. and invested his
own capital in the industry. The gov
m gave him a very advantageous
shipping concession for his efforts In
bringing capital to the country. Coffee
growing proved wonderfully remunera-
tive for a dozen years. The negro
planter branched out i'm other directions.
He went to Philadelphia and contracted
to furnish many thousands of feet of
mahogany yearly for 10 years.
There is another side to this uncom-
mon man. He has been a liberal patron
of educational measures. He is withal
a plain. modest man, who Is not known
by sight very far from home. lie Is tall
and slender and shows the effects of
hard work and constant care and
thought concerning his enormous bust
ness interests.
There are seven children in Juan
knights home and all have been edu-
Gated in the United States. Two of the
boys are in a military academy in Mis-
sissippi now. One daughter is an ac-
complished portrait painter in Boston.
Once a year the father and mother go
on a trip to New Orleans and from there
To New York. They were in Europe in
1894.
Tine influence of Juan Knight, the
negro millionaire, is felt everywhere In
the commercial and financial domain OF
Guatemala-if not i'm every part of Cen
tral America. His advice is sought in
all financial projects of the government.
When a syndicate of capitalists sends
to Guatemala for an expression of opin-
ion concerning a Don issue in Central
America, this wonderful ex-slave is con
suited almost first of all. When the
Guatemalans nearly came to arms with
Mexico two years ago Juan knight was
universally looked to by the natives Il
effect peace. His bank in Guatemala
City is about the solidest in the country.
So great Is the confidence in his integ-
rity tina some OF his oldest laborers
draw their pay but once in a half year
The millionaire planter and miner oi
Guatemala has several times visited the
] rl.ptatsan "a Italia nanza county Ala