The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-03-01
FORTUNES FROM WHIPPING.
Sixty $4,000 Lashes Started One Man
to Great Wealth.
CNeW York Press. }
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(New York rPress)
There died recently in San Francisco
John Magee, one of the wealthiest resi-
dents of that city of millionaires John
Magee's immense fortune came originally
as a result Of a logging 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
the protection of the British flag, and
ordered him to be fiogged for his contu-
macy he got sixty iasheS on his bare
back and then was thrown into prison.
"A BrltlSh man OF war came Steaming
into the hsrbor 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 skyshigI Magee was eyiver
up, but that did not close the incident.
Unless an apology for the insult to the
British flag was made Immediately by the
luted and an indemnity paid to Magee,
the British government threatened direful
Things. Guatemala appealed to the United
StateS. put TINS country replied that The
Monroe doctrine did not protect little Cen
tral American republics in committing
Such outrageS as that perpefrated by Col
onel Gonzales, and Guatemala was advis-
ed to comply with the just British de-
mands. Thereupon the government of
Guatemala offered to pay Mageei $500, 0O0
5000 for every lash he had received. The
apology and the salute of the British flag
We're also forthcoming.
Now, this amount cannot be found every
say IL the treasury OF q Central American
republic, and while the government OF
Guatemala might agree to pay the sum-
the collecting of it would probably be de-
d, layed and attended with trouble and COM
plications SO Magee said to the Guate-
malan government that he really could
not distress II financially by accepting
such d large amount OF money, but would
/ be content TO call it square for certain
concessions which would cost it nothing.
( Magee got the concessions at once, and
they included the right to establish a
bank in San Jose and the building of
wharves in that port. The government
was so grateful to him because he had
not insisted on cash that he was protected
in his monopoly every way, and thus he
laid the foundation of his enormous for
tune.
Another California family now possess
/ ed OF great wealth can trace the begin
ming of its fortune to an almost similar
! occurrence. In the time of the Tai Ping
/ rebellion Patrick O'Brien was a mission
/ airy in China: He was arrested by the
| governor of Yeh on trumped-up charge
/ OF corresponding with the rebels and pub
/ licly flogged with bamboo rods. Then he
was put In a cage and exposed 70 the
Jeers and insults of the populace. Finally
he was allowed to escape to the coast.
He thereupon came to this country and
/ laid his case before the authorities in
Washington This government demanded
/ from China that TO the reverend gentle
] ter considerable delay and much hagglng
1 the Chinese government paid the amount,
I ana mus dIOIn6T fortune was started
Early in the nineteenth century Robert
Jeffrey was Il sailor on board "A British
man of war. Now Robert was a thirsty
! soul and had a weakness for beer. Cap
] tain w. Lake, the commander of the man
OF war, had a barrel Of beer on board,
| which he had resigned to drink himself
| but Robert Siyly tapped the barrel and
had 'stiH 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 barre
! o. beer and found that "A large portion OF
-t-4r DIR r.aa
wait to go through the tOrmallty OF
court-martial, but Immediately ordered
Jeffrey TO be flogged. Jeffrey took the
| flogging, but threatened to report The
| matter TO the naval authoritieS-as wa:
his legal right.
| perceived that he had gotten himself int
a scrape. If Jeffrey reported the matter
J the captain was in for cOurt-martiai
He foOlishly determined 10 make bat
matter worse by getting rid of Jeffrey
The ship was then cruising in the Yves
the captain sailed to the uninhabited isl
and Of Sombrero. one of the small outly
ing islands of the Lesser Antilles, ant
there .-marOoned'' the thirsty sailor Ate
undergoing fearful privations on Som
brero, Jeffrey was rescued by an Amer
nails and was taken to New York. From
New York he worked his way back t
England and laid his case before the ma
val authorities. His cause was taken III
| by Sir Francis Burdett, father of Earo
| ness Burdett-COuttS. Captain Lake wa
was, moreover, tried by court martial ant
| dismissed from the service. The 5000 wa
| a email fortune TO the sailor man Jaffery
but it is not recorded that it grew to an,