Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1899-12-22

In to go to New Orleans and get tns
wholesale fruit dealers, who controileu
the southern markets about tnlIty
Years ago, to agree to buy $1,000, O0o
wear Of fruit from Guatemaa's plahta-
tions. The government accepted ms
proposition, and within three montns
knight had put his deal through. this
was the beginning Of a trade which
eventually became worth several mil
lion dollars annually.
This first success opened knights
ewes to other possibilities ana oppor-
tunities. Subsequently he obtained
other valuable concessions from the
Guatemalan government. "hen ne
demonstrated the profit there was In
growing fruit for the markets of the
United States The shipping business to
New York. New Orleans and San
Francisco was tremendously enlarged.
by 1887 Knight was the largest employ
err in Northern Guatemala. White men
had often desoaired Of getting work
out of the lazy. improvident and care.
less natives of the rural districts or
the state, but Knights exnerlence
among them stood him in excellent
stead.
"Don Juan was rich and something
more than thirty years old when ne
married young native woman. a mar
riage which was great help TO MS
fortunes. About twenty years ago ~
persuaded capitalists in New York AMI
Boston to embark extensively In coffee
growing in Guatemala, and invested at
the time $780, 900 Of his own money. Ad-
vantageous concessions were made TO
him nv the government for his success
full efforts in bringing capital into the
country. For many years coffee grow
ing proved marve1ously remunerative,
and at one time the annual shipments
of the bean from the Knight planta-
tions were the largest from any prl-
yate estate In Central America.
=" Some years 400 Knicht came hore
and also visited PHILADELPHIA and Bal
timore, where nc contracted to furnish
so many tens Of thousands of feet OF
mahogany annually for ten years.
Then he returned and bought no great
! tracts of mahogany trees in Nlc1ragna
and Guatemala. At one time. and he
contrary. Knight was the second lar
gest dealer in mahoganv logs in the
world. His was Midas touch. Ev-
ervthing which fell into his hands re-
solved itself into gold. He was the
bosom friend of President RufinO Bar
rios. who was killed In battle In An IL.
1885. in the course Of one Of those
charming little revolutions the natives
Of Central American states are so fOn1
of getting up when tfmo hangs heavily
on their hands. Had Barrios succeed
ed in uniting the Central Amoricnn re-
/ publics Their as he contemplated. II
would have more than doubled
KNIGHTS property and increased his in
fuence in Central America. With Bar
rios. KNIGHT formed the svndica'e
which built the first to'n""on', limos IN
Guatemala. and no i,~os+~7 his o"~i+a'
and induced American coffee planters
down there to construct rai'rood con-
Meeting the Gulf of Mexico with Qua
temala City.
I For years Don Juan Knieht has
been Interested in gold mining and in
1885 the shafts and tunnels which he
had been boring for long tima with
valuable mines. For more than twelve
vea-s the mines which ne owns IN
Northern Guatemala have kent 10'
men hnsv every dav in the week and
have Welded more gold than any others
in Central America. with the execution
Of two in Honduras and one in Costa
Rica. He has invented moch'nerv for
crushing the peculiar ore which comas
from his mines. and has fairly aston
ished the natives ~ his system Of
tramways, by which he saves ono-
fourth the labor Of hauling ore to the
stamps.
"Tn many ways is the influence Of
knight felt in Guatemala. His opinions
are soupht after and his advice is
treasured. He gave LITERALLY &c the ma
tional hospital. which was founded by
Barrios about fifteen years ago. and 70
his Individual efforts entirely Is due thu
raising Of the caDital for the new rail-
way now stretching across Guatemala
He is as nopular as any one from the
United States can be in a Central
American state.
Knight has divers peculiarities
which might be set down as suDerstt-
tions. On no account will he allow any
one to photograph him. nor will he
venture forth by day in anything but
a red shirt or shirt which has com,
of that brilliant color in its ornamental
makeup. No matter what the fabric
or what the occasion. there is sure TO be
a thread Of red in the garment. and he
has shirts Of all degrees of redness. It
intimate with knight that wears ago.
when he was a poor, ragged coon in
New Orleans, he was told one day nv
an old negress that red was his lucky
color, and upon putting it to the test
he became convinced that red was all
the old woman said 1t was. Knight Is
fond Of music and frequently has an
immense orchestra at his home. But
he will never allow the flute to be play
ed in his presence. He will not pay a
bill on the 18th of the month. nor will
he undertake any financial transac-
ton on Friday. He will never permit
any light at night in his magnificent
sleeping apartment or In his private
office, except that supplied by COM
mOn Pickering tallOw candle"