The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-03-10


| Nothing Is more interesting than the
| history of the genesis Of great fortunes,
and of all the ways in which the founda-
/ lions of fortunes have been laid the most
| curious is probably the receiving of a
sound fogging by the founder. There re-
| Gently died in San Francisco John MaGee,
| one of the we6lthiest residents of that
| city of millionaires. John Magee's i'm
mense fortune came originally as a result
| of a flogging which he received in San
| Jose, Guatemala, in 1874. In that year
Magee was a British consular agent in
| San Jose. He fell out with the military
| commander there, one Colonel Gonzales.
! Gonzales threatened and stormed, but
Magee defied him. Thereupon the colonel
took Magee from his consulate, ignoring
| the protection of the British flag, and or
| dered him to be fiogged for his contu-
macy. He got sixty lashes on his bare
back and then was thrown into prison.
A British man-of-war came steaming
| into the harbor of San Jose, and a wrath
| full man was her commander He de-
manded that Magee be delivered over to
him Immediately, under penalty of blow
| ing the town sky high. Magee was given
| up. but that did not close the incident
| Unless an apology for the insult to the
| British flag was made Immediately by
| the Government of Guatemala, the flag
saluted and an indemnity paid to Magee
| the British Government threatened dire
| full things Guatemala appealed to the
| United States, but this country replied
that the Monroe Doctrine did not ;.rotect
| little Central American Republics in COM
hitting such outrages as that perpetrat-
ed by Colonel Gonzales, and Guatemala
was advised to comply with the Just Brit
ish demands. Thereupon the Government
offered to pay to Magee SS00, 600 S. 600 for
every lash he had received The apology
and the salute of the British flag were
also forthcoming
Now, this amount cannot be found ev-
cry day In the treasury of Central Amer
lean Republic, and while the Government
OF Guatemala might agree to pay the
amount the collecting OF it would prob
ably be delayed and attended with trouble
and complications Masee was wise in
his generation. He knew the people
among whom he lived and he knew also
the value of certain concessions upon
which he had long had his. eye. So he
said to the Guatemalan Government that
he really could not distress it financially
by accepting such large amount of
money, but would be content to call it
square for certain concessions which
would cost it nothing. Magee got his con-
ceSsions at once, and they Included the
right TO establish a bank In San Jose and
" l.
Government was go grateful to him be-
cause he had not insisted on cash that he
was protected IN his monopolies in every
possible way, and thus he laid the founda-
ton of his enormous fortune
Another California family, now possess
cd Of great wealth. can trace the begin
ming OF Its fortune to an almost similar
rebellion. Patrick O'Brien was a mission
airy in China. He was arrested by the
Governor OF Yen on trumped-up charge
of corresponding with the rebels and pub
hciy hogged with bamboo rods. Then he
was put IN a cage and exposed to the
teers and Insults of the populace Finally
he was allowed to escape to the coast
lie thereupon came to this country and
Iald his case before the authorities In
Washington. This Government demanded
from China that to the reverend gentle
man he paid an indemnity of $780, After
considerable delay and much haggling
the Chinese Government paid the amount
and thus another fortune was started
Early in the nineteenth century Robert
Jenery was sailor on board a British
man-of-war. Now, Robert was thirsty
soul and had a weakness for beer Capt
w. Lake, the commander of the man-of-
war. had a barrel of beer on board. which
he had designed to drink himself but
Robert slyly tapped the barrel and had
still on" for several days, much to the
wonder of the officers of the ship, who
could not imagine how he got it. Finally
the captain examined his barrel OF beer
and found that a large portion of its con-
tents was missing. He did not wait to 60
through the formality of court-martial,
but Immediately ordered Jeffery to be
fogged. Jeffery took the logging but
threatened to report the matter to the
naval authorities-as was his legal right
Captain Lakes anger having cooled he
perceived he had got himself into
scrape. II Jerery reported the matter the
captain was in for a court-martial. He
foolishly determined to make bad mat
ter worse by getting rid Of JeffeTy. The
ship was then cruising in the West In
dies. As soon as she was ordered home
the captain sailed to the uninhabited ISL
and OF sombrerQ one of the small outlying
islands OF the Lesser Antilles, and there
marooned' the thirsty sailor. After I'M
dergoing fearful privations on Sombrero
Jeffrey was rescued by an American trad
taken to the United States. From New
YorkNle worked his way back to England
and laid his case before the naval author
tiles His cause was taken up by Sir
Francis Burdett, fatherJof Baroness Bur
dett-Coutts. Captain Lake was made to
pay to Jeffrey 5000 damages and was
moreover, tried by court-martial am dis
missed from the service The s.. 900 was a
small fortune to the sailorman Jeffery
but It is not recorded that it grew to any
such giant proportions as the compensa-
lions of Magee and O'Brien-
In 1865 William Henry Barber, a Lon
don lawyer, was convicted of forgery and
sentenced to a long term in one OF the
British penal settlements. While under
some trifiing infraction of discipline He |
never held up his head again. and though |
after four years his innocence of the |
crime for which he had been Transported |
was established, it was but the wreck of |
man who returned to England to re- |
Ceive the congratulations of his friends |
1t was the iogging that had broken his |
heart. Parliament, as a slight compensa-
ton for the chastisement, voted him So |
900.
Within a few months after the Barber
case had been made public another inno-
cent convict was found working in the
chaingang on Norfolk Island. He was a
former shopkeeper named Dunno. He was
at once pardoned, but that did not sat
isfy him, for, like Barber, he had been
logged. As "A salve for his sore back
the Australian colonists raised $4,000 by
subscription and presented 1t to him
Dunno said that he never again wanted
to see England, and so ne settled down
as a sheep farmer in Australia. He In
vested his Sl0,00 well that when he
died, twenty years ago, he was possessed
of n large fortune all of which ne left to
charity
There is no weather. family in Russia
than the Lapukins of Estillich. mine
owners and bankers. A tioGging with the
knout bestowed upon the beautiful and
accomplished actress, Nine LaPukin. the
aucestress Of the family. laid ths fOunda-
tion for the immense fortune of her de-
scendants. The New York Press.
A Remarkable Family.