The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-01-20
MILLIONAIRE sPENDTHRIFT.
Spent Ten Thousand Dollars a
Month in a Texas Town.
CINCINNATI EnouirerD

| John Tediman, who spent several mill
( lions of dollars III western Texas, was
/ the strangest character that ever turned
/ up in the land of waits and strays Texas
| had an English lord who presented the
| town of Big Springs with market house
and a church, and about the same time
a French count erected q Dalatial man
sion in the San Saba mountains. after
1 ward importing an opera company and a
harem from Paris. II has not been long
since the people of Corpus Christi were
interested in the capers of a Mexican
| cattle and mustang king, who bathed IN
and lit his cigarettes with SO bills often
emphasizing his most extravagant pranks
with the remark that he would Just like
TO know how poor man felt"
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1t remained for Tediman. the Swede OF
] Russian. TO locate in Llano and show
the people of western Texas that il is no
! easy matter to get rid of an income Of
$1,000 or $1,000 per month. This strange
character made his first appearanca IN
the little village he was destined to en-
/ iiven in company with the German con-
sui. II was said that he was under the
guardianship Of that official. though il
was evident that the man was either a
I SWede or 4 Russian.
1t did not take the newcomer long to
get acquainted with the citizens of Llano
! and when the cowboys found that he was
troubled with bewildering desire to
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( a pistol, he soon became one of them Aft
er looking around fer few DAYS. Mr..
Iedlmdn bought a fine ranch and began
10 make preparations TO erect one of the
most magnificent palaces ever designed
/ by an architect west Of the Mississippi
river He lived to complete perhaus one
fifth Of the colossal structure that no
mad planned. As it stands it is well cal
culated 10 excite the wonder and admira-
ton of all tourists. He soon made prOs-
porous times by engaging all the teams
n the country and giving employment to
an army of men.
The banks were afraid of him. but when
II was found that his drafts Tor Startling
sums of gold were honored by Roths-
chlldS IN Paris, capitalists were eager 10
make him client. He was "A man of mol
ished ADDRESS. possessing cOlloquial pow
erS OF the highest order. and he couId
speak almost every European langUape
with as much ease as his native tongue
II seemed as if he We're as familiar with
tne scenery OF every land as he was with
the habits and arts of all nations M
man could be more interesting in relat
ing travels and adventures than This
same Tediman. All of this was of no
value to him, for he cared for but one
Ihing on earth, and that was-beer.
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During the first year of his career ne
spent $1,000 a MONTH besides more than
S590U0 that he invested in lands. buiId-
lngs and cattle. He ordered beer bv the
IN ice wagons especially constructed for
the purpose. a faithful servant followed
MIN from place to place never offerinc
the siightest protest against his most ex-
traVagant capers. When in town he
changed his clothing three or four times
day, and he would often go in The
same barber shop four or five time i'm
succession in the course of a few hours
and take bath and a shave. never fail
ing 10 leave a handful of silver or a gold
piece with the tOnSOrial artist Trrao,fe-,t
" ne would arouse a barber at rniirieht
Tor the purpose of taking a bath and per-
maps nocturnal shave. He had a hor-
ror OF small coins. and when he threw
down piece of money or a bill he mean
for that to pay for whatever he had MIR
CHASED, ana under no circumstances
would he take change
IhOugh making no pretensiOns TO en-
pioyment Of any kind he was always in
a hurry, and never without a cigarette
between ms teeth. Owing to "A singular
hdOlt ne mad of never smoking bur one
cigarette from the same box. a crowd
OF little boys followed him from place to
place TO gather the fragrant little pac;,
ages that ne strewed upon the floor and
the pavement about his feet When he
wanted 10 smoke he would hand a silver
dollar TO the first little boy whose face
pleased his fancy and send him after q
box OF cigarettes The fortunate vol1th
always got s. cents for his trouble.
pom one occasion. while at Austin. he
eaDled TO some member Of his family in
Europe for zone or two dogs" Soon
dfterWard he was notified that seventy
IlVe dogs had been shipped to him and
that the remainder would be forwarded
as soon as they could be COLLECTED
Through some error of his own OF tb-
cable operator the message had real
Europe.
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