Omaha daily bee., 1903-03-22
PAST MASTER OF CON GAMES
Sketch Of the Career of Whitaker Wright,
British Promoter.
SoPtO IN THE ARlsTocRATlc PUSH
The Peer of Modern Promoters, what
He Did and How He Lived
Millions Made and
Loat.

The arrest Of whitaker Wright In New
York last week gives a nearby view Of one
OF the greatest confidence men the young
century, or the old one, for that matter.
has produced. He is a British product.
with some American polish acquired dur
Ing a residence OF six years under the
shadows OF the Philadelphia Stock exchange.
Wright out-Hooleyed Hooley in boosting a
skin game with aristocratic backing. The
late Barney Barnato was not in his class.
Compared with him the American get-rich-
Quicker-diamond %tontine, turf investment,
home co-operatives, numerical bond, Iron
Hall and other defunct schemes-are as
three small pieces of silver to a double
eagle. The nearest approach to Wright in
magnitude were the operations OF Jabez
B~alfour, a countryman, who is serving a life
sentence in a British prison.
An account of the life Of the wrong Mr..
Wright In the New York Herald says he has
made and lost millions, and is accused OF
having been the cause OF the loss of $780,
ooo,0Oo through the organization and failure
Of the Globe group Of companies. He lived
In Philadelphia for six years, from 1885 to
1891, occupying an Office in a building where
the Stock exchange now stands, and en-
gasing in business as a broker in cotton,
grain and petroleum. His wife is a native
Of Philadelphia and her father was killed
during the civil war while serving under
General Grant.
His successes did not begin until after
he left this country. In West Australia
he Is said to have made SIS, 600, 900 in min
ing speculations, and to have made several
times that amount In London in the OPERA
tion of companies he organized to float his
properties. He induced several members
OF the nobility to serve on his boards OF
directors, among them the late Lord Duff
FERN, at one time governor general Of Can
ada, who was financially ruined BY the fall
ure OF the concern.
In appearance he is not especially strlk-
Ing, but his personality is magnetic, and It
has been said that II he could get q man to
listen to him for fifteen minutes he could
in most instances obtain from him almost
anything he desired. Weighing about 25O
pounds and five feet ten inches tall, Mr..
Wright's expression, except when he Ia
greatly interested in the matter under dis
cussion, is colorless and heavy. His small
eyes, set well back in his head, his thick
neck, retreating forehead and rounded chin
fail entirely to convey any impression Of
the great intellectual power he is admitted
to possess by all who have known him we'll.
but when he devotes his attention to the
furtherance OF his plans or wishes to con-
vince anyone his whole bearing changes.
- u POA NhS pGI " IO
whom he is talking, seem to grow larger
as he warns to his subject, and 1t is i'm
possible not to feel the effect of his mag
netic personality.
His High-BOrn
Until a short time before the crash came
end the whole financial world was shocked
by the enormity Of the failure-he had been
for several years one Of the most prominent
figures In business circles in London. Him
self comparatively unknown when he began
his operations. he induced Lord Duferin,
Lord Loeb and others with great names to
allow him to use their names as members
OF his boards Of directors, and by this
means Inspired SO much confidence in his
undertakings that money flowed in pro-
tusely from all quarters, and in several In
stances subscriptions TO stock offered for
sale were far in excess of the capitalization
OF the companies he was floating.
Although never admitted to a social equal
ity with the members Of the nobility. he
was on intimate terms with many men
whose names appear In Burke's Peerage
He claims even King Edward as his per-
sonRl friend and is we'll known to such
American inanciers as Charles 7. Yerkes
and Charles M. Schwab, the latter Of whom
he says he met a short time ago in PariI
and found him looking In the best o.
health.
In his expenditures he has been as lavish
as he has been bold in his financial ven.
lures. His country house, in Surrey, is one
of the wonders of that part Of the country
with its underground ball room and elab
orately fashioned apartments. He also hal
q London house. which is one OF the mos
magnificent in the city. His yachts hav,
been among the best in British waters anC
his dinners were magnificent in the ex
IRENE.
81 great, in fact, was his fame at tina
time that q successful novel was writer
by the late Harold Frederic. called 9Th,
Market Place." which was understood 4
veil under a thin guise of fiction the mail
events in the career Of the promoter AM
his connection with Lord DuneriH.
Drawn from Life.
The former is called in the novel stor
mout Thorpe. He had started in early If
as Joel S. Thorpe, but had dropped the Joe
and spelled out the middle name In full