The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-07-17
STORIES OF ROBERT Bonner.
The Prtntcr-MIIIionairc and His
brilliant Ecccntricitics.

cn page. The late Robert Bonner for in
stance was q master OF many To be
sure. he could not paint a picture nor
could he carve a marble faun. But he
could shoe a horse and as an advertiser
ne had no equal Besides this, he could
set type with mlchiue-like rapidly aud
precision and decision and could tel
paying story at glance Also. he never
owed cent longer than it took to pay ii.
All of which is more or less art.
In 1874 MI. Bonner came to New York.
He brought with him $50 90 a cent He
put il in bank, and one day the cashier
wrote down in red ink in his bank book
$50
at was my interest" said Mr. Bonner
81 had TO ask him what it meant He
told me. aud / was overwhelmed with
astonishment I told him | hadn't made
the money. No, but your money did
ne answered.
THAT settled IT, I learned that day that
money makes money. ana mat to be rich
you must save. So I have saved"
Mr. Bonners greatest pride was that
he never borrowed or owed. The only
thing ne ever borrowed was maxim
from Emerson-'O disconnected man!
Whatever You want, pay the price and
take H." He did Whenever he wanted
anything he paid for it. The price some
times came high. But Mr.. Bonner got IL
all the same one day he suggested to a
friend that Edward Everett ought 10
write for the Ledger The friend smiled
You couldn't get Everett to write at
any price" said the friend.
YOU Wal; and sec" said Mr. Bonner.
Mr. Everett was occurring at that time on
Washington, using the proceeds toward a
fund for the purchase OF Mount Vernon
Mr.. Bonner wrote to Mr.. Everett that he
would subscribe $4,000 to the fund If Mr.
ETtya unit Ii h..
Ledger. The famous Bostonlan accepted
There said Mr.. Bonner What did
| tell you2 It came high, but ! got IT,"
The only time in his life that Mr. Bon
ner ever made a bet was when ne was a
typesetter on the old Hartford Courant
Jour" of the name Of John Hand came
down the line with the advance reputation
of being the swftest compos tor on earth
Maybe" said the Courant men, "but
you haven't tried Bonner yet"
HUH said the Jour ''Ill try him for
$40 a side"
u never bet" said Mr.. Bonner.
you better not" laughed the chai-
lenger
Mr.. Bonner changed his mind He pu,
up $40, got down to work and besides con
Stunning two pieces of custard pie set 800
ems Of solid minion type In twenty hours
and twenty-eight minutes. The feat has
never been cdualod
time about $3.50 900 for trotting horses he
never raced one or allowed one to be raced
for money. His first horse was bought
In July, 1856 AT that dine there had
been just nineteen horses in the world
decd and alive, that had trotted mile in
2:3O To-day there are 5000 on the list
To Mr.. Bonner is due much of this. He
was the first to show what might be ac-
complshed by Intelligent shoeine, ana
without doubt no man alive has ever I'M
dersjood the foot of the horse as definite
ly as he learned It,
This was effectually displayed some time
ago at the sale of Palo Alto trotters MIR
Bonner looked them over and nicl,cd ont
Ahsei chief as the best of the lot But
every other high horseman in America
had discarded the animal as unsound The
gay the colt came 10 New York he was
lame, but that made no difference to Mr.
Bonner. He sent his brother TO buv ANGEL
Chief, and set a limit at 81 800. In virtue
OF MS iameness Ansel Chief was knocked
down at $500
MIR Bonner grinned with delight He
took the colt 10 Tarrytown and pared
down his toes. In a few days Il was as
sound as a dollar. moving squarely and
fest, and at the age of went The mile in
2:15h.
''You See" explained Mr. Bonner "the
toe of its hoof was so long that il stretch
ed the suspensory Hgament | Just had il
pared down and relieved the strain. IL
cost above cents labor and saved me
81. 600"
Speaking of Tarrytown. Mr. Bonner'a
place was one of the finest trotting farms
in the country. But, strange to relate.
he never spent a night there from the time
he bodsht il TN the day he died Why, no
one ever knew. II was a notion Of his
just that and nothing else.
Once Mr.. Bonner wanted place IN
Nragf ph 10. IN tIr,s
factory, and asked whether there was ma
larla in the nei3hborhood. The agent said
no; there was no malaria IN Westchester
but over across the line there was plenty
Every householder IN The county told him
the same thing. So Mr.. Bonner bought the
place, and promptly got malaria few
days afterward an advertisement appeared
IN The New York newspapers. Mr. Bon
ner offered his place for sale In the ad-
Vertisement he enlarged upon the face that
10 was the only place in the entire county |
where malaria could be caught. but. not |
withstanding this great and uncommon |
advantage he would sell II at a reasonable !
price. In support Of his statement Mr..
Bonner called attention TO the assertion Of |
every real estate dealer in the neighbor- |
hood that there was no malaria in the (
county He sold the place.
Another story told Of Mr.. Bonner Is |
sometimes laid to the nimble wit Of the |
ltituidDtt w illhH H. lidNeTS. MT. Bon /
ner was riding In street car one day with |
his son, then a little boy. The car was |
crowded and Mr.. Bonner had taken the
boy on his knee. Presently a handsome |
and stylish young woman entered and Mr. |
Bonner nudged his son from his knee.
My boy" said he gravely, get up and
give The lady your seat"
Even the young woman had 10 Join In
the litter that followed.
one rule that was always inv'olate in the
Ledger office was that nothing even re-
motely suggestive should appear
You shall not print In this paper"
said Mr. Bonner even a single word that
my mother could not read aloud without
shame 10 her Infants"
There is nothing on earth" said Mr.
Bonner again and sull once more like
ADVERTISING II you have anything to sell
IT,"
one Of MIR. Bonner's early IDEAS was to
buy up the entire advertising space in o
New York newspaper. His display con-
sisted IN repeating over and over with be-
ill., -.