The daily morning journal and courier., 1900-03-17
FILLEY,s LIFELONG TASK.
To Pay the Debts of Another for Whic


 | To Pay the Debts of Another for Which
 He Had Made Himself Responsible.
 St. Louis, March 1.-Giles F. Filley i was buried to-day. The same Mother
 Earth that took to it's bosom years ago 1 John How, the man who ruined him, i has received this Jean Vaijean of mol-
 ern days, and both are at rest. The story of Giles F. Filley is as old as the l eternal hills-cOnfidence, trust, betrayal i by a friend, rigid after adherence to 1 duty, and ruin for so doing. This man i for thirty-fiv years gave his brain, tEe sap of his strength, the soul of his honor
 to the effort of discharging $1,35O,O00 obligation, every dollar of which moral i ly and legally should have been paid by John How, but which legally MT Filley was bound to discharge. He never com plained. He never said that such pun ishment was. unjust Year after year, until the failure of his concern, the Elk celsior Manufacturing Company, last month, he saved and slaved to pay the debt he believed he owed.
 Just before the Deputy Sheriff came in January last finally to close the doors of the long established Excelsior Manufacturing Company MT Filley walked wearily into the office of his son Charles and exclaimed
 This is hard, my boy. It it's hard to lay down like this after so long a life time"
 For fifty years he had been a promin- ent business man of this city whose name was reported as are few. Tor thirty-five years of that period he had been wiping out the dishonor of friend. Little wonder that he was weary nor wonder either that with the cloe- ing of his establishment, his debt of honor still not wholly discharged, the heart strings should loosen, the cord of life snap and death come. Such story seems unreal, a bit of romance, because 1t is so real, so absolute mat ter of fact.
 When John How was Mayor of St Louis during the closing days of the Civil War he was thought to bc the wealthiest man in the town. He owned extensive tanneries and other business enterprises. The home of How was on Locust avenue, and next door--1527-- was the Filley residence. The two men were bosom friends. MT. Fillsy trusted How as only one man gives himself to another in whom he believes. Both were on the high road to riches; for each, life could not seem brighters How need ed ready money He appealed to MT. Filley for aid. MT Filley instantly en- dorsed his notes for amounts that in the end aggregated $S00000. A little trou- be over one of these notes led MT. Filley to investigate the standing of his friend How fled the city. Then it dawned on his neighbor that he was legally responsible for every dollar paid on the notes he endorsed. He accepted the situation.
 His friends urged him to go into bank ruptcy and settle for 50 cents on the dol- lar This he refused to do. He drew on the resources of the Excelsior Company to meet the notes. He never comprom- ised but two of the notes--one held by bank which would accept nothing but a compromise and one possessed by the late Captain Eads, who would take but 30 cents on the dollar. The other notes with interest were paid in full-all but few. Death intervened, and prevent ed their payment The interest on the notes in the thirty five years aggregated over $50O,0 but MT Filley made no His business prospered for time Up to 1880 and 1881 he was able to keep abreast of his misfortune. Then fire and a strike cost him $25O GOO. Still, he recovered from this until three years ago, when q change in the i conditions of the iron trade seriously | affected bis company He had no re- | serve capital to draw upon. His life's | work was represented by the cancelled | How notes He breasted the rising tide | as best he could, meeting payment after | Last month he could no long, | CT command money and the end came. | Now he is in his,grave.
 How, after his exposure and flight, | appeared in Arizona, where he led dogs life. He returned to St. Louis in | time, but was coldly received. He of- | fered no atonement to the man he had | wronged. Going from St. Louis to Mun- | tana, he died there. friendlesa and pauper. The amount of his indebtedness yet unpaid by Mir. Filley was $lS0,0O0 This will be settled in the final winding up of the firms affairs. So that, al- though the brave man was fOrced to quit before he could do all he intended, the How indebtedness will be wiped out by what he built up and Flleys name be stainless forever.-Chicago Times-Herald.