The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1898-06-23

Guatemala Government gladly &C
cepted the proposition. IN less than
three mon tbs tie deal vas consum-
mated at New Orleans. II was the
beginning of the trade in millions of
dollars annually.
To make long story short, Juan
Knight got other concessions. rs he
demonstrated the profit there was 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
employer Of labor in Northern Qua
temala. Where a multitude of white
men had given up III despair ever
trying to get work out'of the lazy,
improyident and careless natives of
the rural regions Knights expert
ence among the slaves stood him in
good stead. He was famous for the
zeal he impaired TO all who laborsd
for him. He married native young
woman 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 extensively in coffee growing
in Guatemala, and invested his own
capital in the industry. The govern
ment gave him very advantageous
shipping concession for his efforts
in bringing capital to the country.
Coffee growing proved wonderfully
remuneratiye for 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 un.
common man. He has been a liberal
patron of educational measures. He
is withal plain, modest man, who
is not known by sight very far from
home. He is tall and slender and
shows the effect of bard work, and
constant care and thought concern
ing his enormous business interests. |
There are seven children in Juan |
Knights home, and all have been
educated in the United States. Two |
OF the boys are in military academy |
in Mississippi now. One daughter
is an accomplished portrait painter
in Boston. Once year the father
and mother 60 on trip to New Or
leans, and from there to New York. |
They were in Europe in 1894.
The influence of Juan Knight, the
negro millionaire. is felt everywhere |
in the commercial and financial do
main Of Guatemala-if not in every |
part of Central America. His advice
is sought 10 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 consulted
almost first of all When the Qua
temalans nearly cane to arms with
Mexico nearly two years ago, Juan
Knight was universally Looked to by
the natives to effect peace. His bank
in Guatemala City Is about she sol
Idest in the country. So great is the
in his integrity that some
of his oldest laborers draw their pay
but once in a half year The million
aire planter and miner of Guatemala
has several times visited the planta-
zion in Tallapoosa county, Ala
where he was born and raised.
Hundreds of people there know all
about him and remember his child Il
hood. In 1888, when he was in
Oadeville, he met the son of his first
master, Daniel Upton. He had not
forgotten how Mass'r and Misses
Upton taught him to read and write,
md all the petty privileges they had
shown their chattel, little Black
John. So what did the ex-slaye boy
10 but employ George Upton, a son
If Knights early master, to go
Town to Guatemala and be super !
ntendent at the mines. Not only |
hat The ex-slave found that the ;
widow of his old master was sick ,