Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-03-01
FEARS FOR HIS NINE
LEIGH HUNT ASKS GOVERNMENT
TO PROTECT coREAN IN.
TEREsTs.
FORMER IOWA TEACHER
Multi-MiIIionaire Mine Owner and Pro.
moter, Who is Now in Egypt, May Go
to War Zone to Look After His
| Mines - His Latest Scheme.

Mines - His Latest Scheme.
(BY H. J. MAHIN.)
washington Bureau of the Courier.
Washington, D. c. Feb. 81
Leigh Hunt, the famous Iowan, once
I. school teacher then president, of the
agricultural college, several times a
millionaire, and possessed of a most
romantic career generally, has applied
10 the United States government to
protect his interests in gold mines in
Corea during the Russo-Japanese war.
MI. Hunt, who discovered gold quartz
IN Corea several years ago and OBJ
tanned valuable. mining concession
from the king Of Corea, is operating
several large gold mines in the Yalu
valley and has in his employ number
or Americans. Director of the Mint
Roberts of Des Moines cabled the
white house the other day with H. G.
Perkins OF this city, a member of the
company, and asked that the United
States take steps to secure the safety
OF these people. The President imme-
dlately gave orders that it should be
done. After learning of the situation
the state cabled the American minister
at Seoul, instructing him to take such
steps as were necessary to guard
Americans and their property interests
In the region in question. According
to the dispatches the Cossacks have
already advanced with their. scouts to
ANU and must be near the district in
which the Americans are.
Mr.. Hunt himself is now in Cairo.
Egypt, but it is very likely that he will
go to Corea and remain on the ground
while the danger lasts. It would be
right in line with his usual energetic
and fearless way of handling his inter-
ests.
Mr.. Hunt first went to Corea in an
attempt to retrieve his fortunes which
had given under in the panic of 1898.
He located gold bearing quartz in large
quantities in the mountains of Corea,
and set about turning his information
to advantage. He finally obtained a
concession from the king of Corea, by
which he and those associated with
him were to operate the mines which
1t was proposed to establish and the
king was to receive rs per cent of the
net receipts.
Money was needed to develop the
project. While crossing the Pacific Mr..
Hunt by chance met and became &C
quainted with State Senator j. Sloat
Fassell, of Elmira, N. Y. To him he ,un-
folded the scheme. Mr.. Hunt frankly
said he had not the money with which
to develop the project. Mr.. Fassett
was an attentive listener. Mr.. Hunt
needed the money. It was within the
power Of Mr.. Fassett to supply it. To-
gether they went to Corea, and in
year small ten stamp mill had been
conveyed up the mountain and put
into operation.
y The quartz was prolific in gold. The
output of the mill showed that there
was golden opportunity. The result
of this was that a company was or
ganized, with many millions of CAPT
tai, and Mr.. Fassett found himself
much weather. than he was before,
and Mr.. Hunt was once more several
times a millionaire.
Romantic as has been the story of
the successes and failures of Leigh
Hunt, friends who believe In him pre-
dict that more romantic successes
are in store for him in the future. His
latest project is the development of
great agricultural empire in the valley
of the upper Nile for the raising of
Egyptian cotton.
With the government of Egypt and
the English influence at his back, he
has his plan we'll started, and. the
cotton growers of the United States
have in him most formidable rival.
He intends to take to the Soudan a
large number Of negro farmers from
the United States, and in the course
of few years expects to have 2,000,-
900 acres under cultivation.
When he gets this, the largest plan
tation in the world, in operation he
expects to give death blow to cotton
corners and to supply the markets of
for which it now depends on the
United States.
Mr.. Hunt, when he finally made up
his mind to give up the school teach
ing business and leave Iowa decided
to go further west and seek his for
tune, and selected Seattle as the point
where he would make his first attempt.
He became a newspaper proprietor
there and specialized in real estate.
Those were the boom" days, and he
accumulated money and real estate
fast He was in a few years worth
several million dollars. The panic of
1893 ruined him and Mr.. Hunt awoke
one morning to find himself without a
dollar and owing million.
Instead of being crushed, adversely
only served to bring out the strong
points in the man. He turned his back
to the United States and went to the
orient. After wandering through
Japan and China. looking for an OPP
portunity to retrieve his fortunes he
went to Corea and there he found it.
This is the man who had twice won
success and once had lost it through a
panic and who went to Egypt and the
Soudan for his health, spending the
winters of 1902 and 1903 there. He be-
came interested in the great projects
of the British for the development of
the country. He studied the railroad
to the upper cataract and the great
dam at Assuan. But more than any