Los Angeles herald., 1906-11-25
.Ey-CHEF, RICH, TO
BUILD BIG HOTEL
WILL ERECT COSTLY sTRUC-
TURE IN KANSAS CITY
Young Smith, Joint Heir to Fairs Vast
Estate, Once Cook In a Hash House
There, viii Return Rolling in
Wealth and "show EN-"
Special to The Herald.

Special to The Herald.
KANSAS CITY, Nov. PAP. smith
is going to build the finest hotel IN V,le
west right here I'm Kansas CITY alter ne
gets his S6,000,000 or so from tne y an
estate. He is going to New YORK III a
few days to collect the money. he may
wait until the tunnel, the bridge anu
the union station disputes are settled
before he builds his hotel SO that ne
may know where the heart OF the clty
is to be. But he Is going to bullu lt' lor
he says so.
Smith was for long time fry COOK al
the Orpheum restaurant III tnls city, pu.
ever his heirship of Mrs. Charles Fairs
millions he lust packed up and left. He
is NOW n wholesale and retail furniture
merchant In Topeka, where he has two
automobiles in crates waiting for the
good roads movement to strike that
town.
He Won't Compromise
He also has a due bill for $27, 900 from
the defunct Devlin bank. That was the
first money he got from the Fair estate
and he deposited 1t the day before the
bank failed He has got more since and
now he Is going to make final settle
ment, and 1t is not a compromise, either.
Smith is one of the heirs to the estate
which the Fairs left when they were
a tree in France several years ago.
Mrs. Fair, Smiths sister, left a mother
and two or three brothers. 1t was a
toss up whether Mr.. Fair or Mrs. Fair
died first, In any event both expired
within a few minutes.
The heirs of Mr. Fair tried to prove
that Mrs. Fair died first, so that they,
the Fair heirs, could get the estate.
The Smiths tried to prove that Fair
was killed instantaneously, in which
event Mrs. Fair would own the Fair
millions during the succeeding minute
or two that she lived, and they, the
Smiths, would come in for 1t. A turn
piloe keeper and his wife were found
who had run to the scene and who
swore they had seen Mrs. Fair move
hand and her lips after they had
reached her side.
Story Is Laughed At
On the strength of this evidence the
best legal talent New York could dig
up was interested in the case and the
Kansas City cook was hunted up. At
the time his good fortune was first an
nounced the story was passed over
lightly in some quarters, but Smith
turned up at the Devlin bank in To-
peka one day with $4,000, which he
deposited. The next day the bank went
to the wall. Smith had to borrow
money to get to New York to attend
meeting of the Fair-Smith heirs and
their lawyers.
The mother Smith and the other
Smiths, excepting the Frank p. Smith
of Kansas City, had compromised with
the Fair heirs, Mrs. Smith getting
5000. 900 for her claim. Scarcely had
Mrs. Smith got the money than she
died. The Kansas City Smith was thus
put, on Easy street at once.
The payment Smith got out of his
mothers windfall was the money which
he took to Topeka just in time to lose
it. However, it did not embarrass him
greatly, for there was more coming
just as easy and since these bright and
dark days there has been money SHOW
eled out to him from New York at
terrible rate. Now there is Smiths
own settlement coming on.
Still No Compromise
Refusing to compromise, the eX-chef
instructed his New York lawyers. or
his New York lawyers instructed him,
to fight the case to the end. Accord
ing to private advices, everything Is
over now, and there is $6,O00,000 or
whereabouts to be turned over. 1t is
as easy to laugh at this $4,000, 900 story
that the good natured and popular lit
tie man who fried eggs blind and stary--
ing and shipwrecked had got 81: 200 in
a lump sum and was going to buy an
autOnODlle.
Smith hated that derision in a way
that was natural, and he shook the
dust of Kansas City from his feet. He
went to Topeka, where his wife had
friends, and there he established him
self for the time being. He had one
automobile shipped to him from New
York, which he liked and used. He
then bought another, at cost of $1,000
and grew so enraged over the thor
oughly bad streets of Topeka that he
did not even take the machine out OF
it's crate. 1t is boxed up and stored
in Topeka to this day. Smith already
has his two automobiles, his wholesale
and retail furniture store, and his prt-
vate residence.
Kansas City is to profit by Smiths
good luck 1t is to have a fine hotel.
Being brought up in a kitchen, and
knowing the business of catering in
practical manner, having money to
burn and nothing to do but to enjoy
it, Mr.. Smith proposes to put up in
Kansas City a big hotel. His $1,OOOOOO
hotel will be on the style of the st.
Regis, that will be called the Smith
hotel as long as hotels are worth talk
ing about.