Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1903-03-28
MODERN MONTE CRIST0
IN CAREER OF wHrTAK-
ER WRIGHT, BRITISH PROMOTER.
Used the Mobility as His Tosls-Tftied
Men Aided Him in Exactins Millions
From the Credulous.

From the Credulous.
Whitaker Wright known In London
as "Monte-C risto~ and managing d.
rector Of the London and Globe FL
nance corporation, limited. who has just
been imprisoned In Brooklyn. has had a
career as a financial plunger and pro-
moter that covered three continents
d the New York American. His
name has been mentioned with that OF
Cecil Rhodes. he has associated with
the nobility, dined with royalty and
lived like n multimillionaire.
For several years he has been the
most prominent financial figure in Lon
don. lie organized a score of corpora
tons capitalized at Sill. 10000. boom
ed them until their shares avere away
above par and in many instances paid
huge dividends. All the concerns were
closely allied, and when the parent
concern failed the others tumpled too.
The loss to investors and stockhold-
ers amounted 10 more than 100000
600, though a few of those who went
in early and sold out before the final
smash made fortunes. The success of
III of the schemes depended on the
personality of Wright. He had n
ner SO impressive as to be hypnotic,
and on the witness stand a number of
titled Londoners testified that their
faith in his executive ability was such
That they never made the slightest in
Iuiry Into what he was doing.
Lord Dufferin. Lieutenant General
the Hon. Somerset j. Gough-Calthorpe,
Lord Pelham-C Clinton, groom In waiting
to the king, and q number of others
holding high social and official positions
aided Wright in organizing his syndi-
Gates and stock companies and made
large investments In them. Lord Duff
FERN, when the crash came, retired to
his country house and died of the dis
grace brought upon him. The others
have been generally execrated for their
blindness and willful negligence
through which thousands lost their in
vestments. and the general crash fol-
lowing the fall of the London Globe
Finance corporation dragged down a
score of other firms and companies.
Intimately associated in his schemes
with Wright was the Countess of War
wick. Under Wrights advice she In
vested heavily in the shares of the
Lakeview company and Australian
Mining company. The shares, under
the skillful manipulation of Wright,
rose to an unprecedented value. and at
the proper time the Countess of War
wick was advised TO sell u her hold
ings. She netted Il profit of 100000
on the venture. Immediately following
her sale of stock the hares began to
tumble and fell until they reached the
bottom. From that time she constant
ly aided Wright. and 1t is said that 1t
was she who induced Lord Dufferin to
invest in the Globe Finance corpora
ton. At the receptions held at her
home she introduced the promoter to
the many members of the nobility who
became investors and directors in his
many companies.
Even the London Stock Exchange
wits had a fling at the promoter. "When
was Whitaker Wright?" they asked, to
which the proper answer was, when
he took a Duffer-in."
The story Is also told of his prospect
ing days in America as illustrative OF
dangers he had escaped. Of how an In
dian squaw once saved his life after he
laA -lrn- har n frsrriaI yNraaont Hn
was out prospecting one day and looked
into her tent. She Immediately told
him the braves of her tribe were after
his scalp and hid him beneath some
skins. Presently up came the redskins
and asked If she had seen him. She
stood at the door of her tent and said
he had passed in a certain direction.
Every other white man in the neigh
borhood was murdered.
At Lea Park, Wright had one of the
handsomest estates in England. Six
years ago he began work upon it and
estimated that the labor of transform
ing the park into the paradise he de-
sired to create would take at least
twelve years. AT times as many as
500 workmen have been engaged upon
the work. cutting down hills and re-
building them elsewhere, destroying
groves in sections where they We're not
desired and setting out others in diff
ferent locations, a lake that had been
ON the estate for centuries did not
please Wright, and he filed it In, exca-
waiting another and larger lake nearer
the house and surrounding it with a
Ngrove of handsome trees which We're
brought from another section of the
place.
Under the lake he constructed a glass
house which could be entered from the
building. and here In summer in a room
magnifcently furnished. many feet un.
der water and with thousands os
strange fish poking their noses inquisi-
lively against the glass sides Of the
structure. be spent many hours. Old
fountains and statues from Italy were
carried to Lea park. and the work Of
building il into n fairy Dalace and gar.