El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-07-17
The Richest Man In The World
More ABB ut Don Could
With His Gold Going To Bring Billion Dollars To


| house and his ranch over into the Uni
l ted States, and if he lives little longer
he is sure to add a good many millions
to the wealth of Texas and a stron g
republican vote, for he is not an admir-.
er of the theories of the Nebraska ora
| tor.
| HERDS OF FINE CATTLE.
For the last ten years Don Juan has
spent large sums of money in improv-
ing his stock. A few weeks ago he
sent 2, 700 head of white-faced 2-year-
his Zapats ranch. That was regarded
| by all stockmen as the finest herd that
ever was seen in this country. On an
other part of his great ranch he has
been breeding black Polled Angus
| cattle, and he now has herd of about
10000 of these famous cattle, all of
| which he expects to move north of the
Rio Grsl de this summer and fall:
About $1,000 calves and II, ZOO head of
! branded on the Los Floritas this
spring.
Besides his vast landed possessions
and his countless herds of cattle, mules
and horses the old gentleman owns a
gold mine in Chihuahua which has
yielded him many millions. He con-
siders this chihuahua bonanza the
greatest and most valuable piece of
property in the world He never tires
this famous gold mine, and never day
passes that he does not warn his son
never to part with the Inca's Bride, the
name of the mine.
ST l were younger, he often says,
81 would take enough gold out of that
mine to buy the world" With all
their great wealth they are rather
strange people, or, at least, they would
be considered that way by the modern
title-hunting millionaire set of our
country.
TEXAS WIFE.
In one of the periodical convulsions
in Mexico which forced Don Smidio
into exile, he married Texas girl,
and it appears that even all the COM
forts and Injuries that attend the pos
session of illimita BILE wealth have never
been able entirely to crush her love for
the land of her birth and the people
whom .he loved so well long ago. Tex
ans have always received warm well
come at the home of the Smidios in
Mexico. They ave sc n and q daugh-
ter, both of MARI. ageable age, but they
have never made an effort to bring
them in contact with rich people. The
young man has recently become en-
gagged to the daughter of a poor cattle
owner in Texas, and the whole family
warmly approves of the match. though
they are well aware of the fact that the
young girl never in all her life wore
anything costlier than a calico dress.
1t is rumored that Sonora Inez, a good
looking girl, is rather we'll pleased
with the attentions of a young Amer
lean vaquerO who has recently been
promoted from the hurricane deck of q
mustang to seat in the Office of sic
grande hacienda. 1--WE have money
enough says the old gentleman, and
it is my desire for my children to make
matches based upon love and affec-
tion.''
When asked by a tax collector for an
estimate of his wealth, the old don re-
piled:
''God alone can answer that ques-
tion."
FABULOUS WEALTH
Afterward, while talking with a
friend upon the subject, he said :'With-
ont Boosting, | believe myself to be
the richest man in the world, and
think it is not difficult to demonstrate
that fact. 1 have made close survey
of my gold mine called Inca's Bride.
and find little more than 5. 900 feet of
run a shaft into the. mountain, follow
ing the ledge for 200 feet. The ore
averages about $1,000 to the foot.
Closing my eyes to the hidden.bonanzas
and the increase in the
thickness of the lode, which
measures ten feet all along
the line, l have got no less than
5, 200, 600 blocks of quartz worth no
less than 81, 600 apiece, go you see am
over in millions, which is invested in
ranches, cattle and horses" This is
not at all the dream of a boasting Wis
for it is a we'll known fact that
the 1nca's Bride is one of the richest
and most extensive gold bearing lodes
in Mexico and it is highly probable
that the shrewd cd fnancier is cor
rect in the conclusion that he has
reached as to the wealth of the won
derful mine.
WILL MOVE TO TEXAS.
He says that if he lives to complete
all of his plans, and succeeds in trans
ferring the bulk of his property across
the Rio Grande, he will add at least
81, 900, 600, 900 to the wealth of Texas.
He does not know his exact age, but
be remembers that his parents were
Germans, and that he was left an or
phau about the time that Iturbide as
cended the throne of Mexico. He WAS
old enough to carry mnsket at that
time, though he does not think he was
more than 10 years old. He does not
look to be an old man, but heis positive
that he has lived more than ninety
years. He loved war, and he never
missed an opportunity during his long
career to get into the thick of every
revolution that swept over the country. |
He had grown somewhat tired of the |
ceaseless turmoil about the time the |
French invaded the country, and be-