Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1903-12-03
TROUBLES OF THE RICH.
Reign OF III Luck That Drives a Van
derbiIt to Europe.

george w. NdnueTDllL.
When peace reigns for Mr. Wander
bilt in New York trouble starts at
Biltmore He rushes to restore quiet
at BiltmOre, and the city officials con
denim his new porte cochere on Fifth
avenue or somebody tries to build an
eighteen-story hotel to oyershadow
his Fifty-frst street house, and he has
to buy the property to prevent the
carrying OUT of the plan.
When that is settled a foreman at
Biltmore starts embezzling, and il is
discovered that moonshine whiskey Is
being distilled on the estate About
this time the decorators working on
the Fifth avenue house go on a strike
and Mr.. Vanderbilt is called to the
city to straighten out the tangle
Word is next received that butler
or some other attache at Biltmore has
turned robber, and the owner rushes
bacl, TO North Carolina to prosecute
the culprit
IL as such misadventure as this
which caused Mr.. Vanderbilt the other
day to surrender at last In despair,
htoNhoi So pit al my VI tlDiOg ttb at
Biltmore. close the estate, and an
nounce that the would seek rest in
Europe for year.
The Biltmore estate, one of the
finest private estates in the world, has
been the seat of most of Mr. Wander
bits trouble.
Mr.. Vanderbilt first went to North
Carolina In the later eighties, and,
selecting section near Asheville for
country seat, began quietly to pur-
chase acres of the wild mountain
country All went smoothly until the
natives discovered the identity of the
purchaser, and then troubl BEGAN.
Joshua Moore. a negro who owned o
little nine acre wedge.shaped farm
within a mile of the palace site, re.
fused to sell at the prevailing price
and held out for more money. Mr..
Vanderbilt had to procure the ground
for II occupied a position almost In
the middle of his vast landed estate.
so after considerable trouble he sue.
ceeded in acquiring the little $50
wedge for the sum of 81 500.
The money had scarcely changed
hands when Charles Collins. another
negro native showed title TO ave acre
within half mile of the pro 9ea5
ace, and following the course ,a@Cl ~
Mr.. Moore, refused to sell He was
made generous offer but still held
on tc his little plot and was not per-
suaded from his position until the
multi-millionaire actually paid him
$1,000 an acre for the farm. and that
was after years of wrangling
Work on the Biltmore palace began
about 1889 and everything went along
smoothly for three years. when the
landlord discovered Irregularities in
his tile factory on the estate, which.
under investigation. disclosed an EN-
bezzlement of $4,000 by the superin-
tendent, He gave the matter his i'm
mediate attention and is said to have
recovered $4,000.
Quiet regned again for a few years
when suddenly the authorities discov-
cred mooushine still in full blast on
the Biltmore estate OF course Mr.
Vanderbilt was not in any way con
nected with the unlawful production of
whiskey. although the proprietor OF
the still, negro, when captured pro-
tested that lie was "Mista Vanderbilk's
private distillah' To attach any I'M
portance to this declaration is, of
course the extreme of absurdity, for
Mr.. Vanderbilt, as soon as he acquired
title to the mountainous district, put
forth every effort to stamp out the
Illicit liquor business.
One week after the discovery of
this small plant the revenue officers
came upon a big 60-gallon still near
the Vanderbilt hunting lodge and
arrested three moonshiners
II was about this time that Mr. Van
derbilt's trouble with the farmers
began Complaints were heard on all
sides that he was iniurinS their trade
in garden stuffs. milk and dairy pro-
ducts by entering the field as q com.
petitor, prejudice was exhibited
against the millionaire farmer and
the country juries began to see
through a magnifying glass the other
mans side of Vanderbilt case,
II was about this time two big dam.
age suits were on the docket
James j. Parkos, lahorer on the
estate. lost his arm In corn shredder
belonging To Mr. Vanderbilt, ana sued
the millionaire for $4,000 damages,
Judge Thomas Jones, singer In
Vanderbilt'S chapel, appeared as
plaintiff in another suit asking 100000
damages for injuries sustained in
being thrown to the ground while try.
ing TO enter carriage which Mr. Van
derbilt had sent TO carry him home
from church.
Whatever became Of the suits does
not appear in the news record. IL is
more than likely that they were set
tied out of court,
Shortly otter this the water.works
broke down and Biltmore went dry
So Mr.. Vanderbilt came to New York
for new machinery. He was just in
time 10 face strike among the decor
ators working on his Fifth avenue