The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-11-26
SILENT BROKER HOME AGAIN.


TITS the silent broker" James Henry
Smith has been known In Wall
street fol years Now he has
received the additional title OF tho
- silent passenger" He arrived I'm
New York recently on the cunard
liner Lucania, and II T. said that on tho
voyage he did not exchange more than 100
words with slis fellow passengers II Ian
Euage could be estimated In money, each
of Mr.. Smiths words had a value OF half
a million dollars, for he comes back pos
sessed OF a fortune Of s50Gn0O bequcaih-
ed to him by his uncle. George Smith. who
died In London a few weeks ago at tho
age of 80 years.
James Henry Smith IL 4s years old, a
bachelor and lives In the WiIhrahaus
apartment house, No. ! West Thirtietsu
street, WHARF, II was expected he would go.
Instead he sent up word that he was going
West Immediately. and tho presumption Is
that the object OF his visit II In connee-
tion with the vast railroad interests OF bio
uncle
Mr. Smith Is the junior member OF tina
firm Of Geides n Smith. No. 10 Wall street.
He ~ believed 10 be worth between $4,000. 900
and s3.eae.0ca outside of his legacy. but tho
exact amount IL not definitely known. for
ne IL one Of the npoSt taesturn men In tho
street and in the email circle In which hs
has moved for many years title or nothing
is known Of his affairs Has Discrimination
to discuss any subject outside OF his bust
ness. and then In the hriefest manner pos
sihle. earned for him the appeikAtion Of
"the silent broker"
George smith. the uncle who left such
vast riches behind him. made the bulk OF
his fortune In America, but he has been
AWAY from these shores so long that to
the presen: generation he IL unknown
He was born I'm Aberdeen. Scotland. Tn
1897. aud mis- early youth was ~ snt on n
farm In is3s he imuligrated To the
United States. and landed with little
more than enough tn pay his way To what
WIS then the far West He settled i'm
Illinois and his Scotch thrift and untir-
ing Industry enabled him to make a small
Investment In land Chicago then was
little more t.sn "a trading post The lido
Of immigration set in 40 strongly In iEss
that the young scotchman's investment
,rehied and auadrupied In value
He for'esaw what was IN come. and In
issg went back 20 Scotland. organized the
SCOTTISH Illinois Investment Company.
and year later went back 10 Chicago.
lie organized banks and in a couple OF
years had gained such a reputation for
probsty that business came 20 him
soiictted and its volume became 80 great
that has rivals organized To crush him.
Put fs@orgs Smith ~aa an able a fighter
a~ he was "a money maker. and instead
Of being frozen out he froze out his corn-
petitors, and made them beg for mercy.
He "a member If the Union Club.
where he dimes regularly ard with great
punrfualfsy every evening at o'clock.
Hts name IL ON the roster also Of the
Racquet Club. tie Sea VA nhaka~forin-
THAN Yacht Club. tsta Down Town Asso-
citation, The wooi Club and re New York
Genealogical and Biographical Society.
George ssnish did moi forget his faithful
agent ia hts all To Peter Gessttes he
bequaaihSsi siao.sa as "A slight token Of his
esteem. ana 80 e. T. Robinson. his book-
keeper ne teff Jsa.sa. Wall street rather
expects that the Silent broker may
make a ss3r tn the financial district In
some of the stocks In which he especially
~ interested. He is ouT 81 the directors
~ the Chicago. Burlington n Quincy ratl-
road. and hts partner In = director IN the
chiesgo, Milwaukee = 81. Paul rsilsoalL