The Farmington times and herald. (Farmington, St. Francois Co., Mo.) 1902-1905, 1904-06-17
LEVI I. Letter
HAS PASSED away
The End Came Suddenly at the Van
derbilt Cottage in Bar
Harbor, Maine.
HE HAD BEEN IN POOR HEALTH
FOR THE PAST SEVERAL MONTHS.
MIR. Letter Hogan His Dusiness Life
rs n clerk ON Three Dollars
Week aud Left an Estate Estimnt-
ed ut Nearly Thirty Millions OF Do,-
lars

Bar lIarbor. Ne. Juno 1O.-.Lcvi z
Letter. OF Chicago, died suddenly here
| at ~ Thursday morning,
II WAS thought death was due to a
wcaku"sa OF the heart Mr. Letter had
not been In the best Of health for a
long time He was, however, rs well as
usual. Wednesday, and went Tor car
riagr drive during tho day lie was oc-
'upying Lhc Vanderbilt cottage, having
come Ia Bar llarhur n week ago
Mrs Letter and her two unmarried
daughters were ut the bedside
Fun"rni at Washington.
1t has been decided that the funeral
will be n Washington, hut the arrival
If Joseph Letter Is awaited before the
tim" was fixed
The tory Of the rise of Letter Is the
story pl the victory Of brains and
pluck over poverty and other obsta
les
L,y. l. Letter left an estate cstimlt-
ed ut nearly 100000. 900 His widow is
one OF the social queens n Washing
ton one Of his daughters is Lady Cur
lon, first lgdy in lndin. a land Of 400.
'Opnun souls There she Is viccrcne.
p"ddl"r Forty l-Hrs Ago.
Forty years ago Letter senior was a
urddIor. and his wife country school
teacher
once they were content with a house
pl TWO rooms AZ hts death he leaves
a mansion in Chicago. another $1,000,
o0o home in London and a palace In
Washington with ballroom who G
decorations cost 100000 He was 50
rich that when young joe Letter, the
hclr-apparcnl. lost $S,OO0.oo In tryinG
TO corner wheat his father settled the
loss without whmper, and didn't
seem bit poorer
Low Z Letter was of sturdy Old
Dutch stock He was born N Letters
burg, Me. whore one of his bro hers
still liyrs on the family homestead
There in the country store. the future
dry good prince began llfr "a u 81
clerk This didn't suit him aud he
went to Springfield O., as a urddlcr
In 1856 he landed in Chicago He bo-
came a clerk In the store Of Cooley,
Wadsworth 4 Co Six years later the
Grm was Farwcll, Field n Co The
young clcr< was the Company.
Prosperity F"n"w"d Him.
The new firm prospcrci amazingly.
and. IN 1865, Letter, Marshall Filed and
Potter Palmer established another firm.
and conducted 1t Jointly til 1881, when
Field Ini Letter quarrclcd Palmer had
nlrrndy Withdrawn Letter took 49,
HooJr0o for his interest and Marshall
Field went It alone
I|ur Letter didn't stop making money
Chicac1 was In It's midst Cf It's boom
lie lnCin buying real estate. His ia
to"ti" purchases were business corners
rhr.c be turned over for snug profits
Soon he became known as the heaviest
rrrl estate operator In Chicago. His
holdings were estimated at 100000 600
sOmo mnrtgagcd for moderate amounts
lie Had II Good Wife.
Itarlv in hfc Letter had married Miss
Mary bennington, school teacher. She
was beautiful young girl who came
to him without a cent Her beauty
still remains. Age can not wither 1t
Mrs Letter ia known as tie handsom-
rst woman in Washington society. and
'hc k:ndCst. hearted.