The Washington herald., 1907-01-13
TRIBUTE TO HIS WIFE
Widener Spends 100000
in Her Memory.
MAGNATE IS SERIOUSLY Ill
Sole Ambition In Late Years Has
Been to Honor Name of Former
aIre shown in Another Light Than
as "a Money Getter-LOVer of Art.

/ Philadelphia, Jan. If-Only during the
last ten years has the romance CT Peter
A. 3. Wideuer, juggler Of street rail-
ways and lighting interests, who is seri-
ously i'll, become known to the public. II
was his love tor his wife that showed the
man in another light than the keen money
maker who worked his way from the job
Of a butcher boy % place in a triumvi-
rate OF fnanciers that gripped the trssc-
ton systems Of the greatest cities.
Since his wife's sudden death in 1Ss5
his great ambition has been 20 cOmmemO-
rate her name What his fortune is may
be a matter Of conjecture-some say it Is
$20,000Oo0 But already he has spent ST.
900 in memorials 70 his wife. And those
who know the man say that still fur
ther provisions for this purpose may be
found in his will
HonOrs His Wife's Name.
The wife was his constant companion
/ from the time Of their marriage, when
he was just enlarging his butcher bust
ness from retail 10 wholesale. Later,
when he began to pile up millions and
could afford a steam yacht, he named u
Josephine. after her. II was on the
Josephine that Mrs. Widener died in Bar
Harbor. When he sold the yacht 20 the
/ government to be rechristened the Vixen
in the Spanish-American war, he built
another. and this too, was the Josephine.
4 II was two years after her death that
! Mr.. Widener gave a banquet IN his mag
l-.rt esAra aezA
/ Girard avenue. Philadelphia. The most
illustrious men Of the Quaker City were
his guests, and they praised his wonder
] ful collection Of paintings and statuary
valued at 10000. Then as the surprise
OF the evening. he announced that every
/ thing-house and art wOTks-were TO be
presented by him 10 the city Of Philadel
phia as the Josephine Widener Memorial
Library. To this he added his collection
Of books-one Of the most valuable in
the country.
Home for CrippIes-
But ne did not stop there. twenty-five
years before. while he was still on the
lower rungs Of the ladder, his wife had
borne him a son, who died afte- few
months Of painful life. With this in
mind he founded a 100000 home for
crippled children, also a memorial. On
this he has since spent 100000 in dona-
tions.
Mr. Widener was born in Philadelphia
IN 1888. and after the usual common
school education he went TO work in a
mutton butchers shop in the old Spring
Garden Market He had no capital OF
his own. bat he saved. and with his first
Sl.o0o managed 10 60 into business for
himself With the nxity OF purpose that
was "a characteristic Of his after career.
he worked higher until he next figured
as a wholesaler on Girard avenue u was
there that he made something like Sl0l. no
that was the nestegg of mis- future mil
lions.
He was past forty when be- became as
) soci8ted with William L. Elkins. q trader
in OIL and Anthony y Brady al one
time a bartender in the old Delavan
House in Albany. All these men were
destined 10 make millions. There was d
? fourth who Joined with them, and ne was
. the only one who was born 10 wealth He
was William - Whitney. It was "a
period of reorganization. especially in
street railway traffic.
Combined Traction Interests.
, They got control of stock in the de-
: crepit Continental Street Passenger Rail
, way Company and others OF the same
sort. Then the Philadelphia Traction
! Company took over all these and con
trolied the traction of the city.
In the manipulation the four men had
become millionaires. This was the first
j of many similar deals The four held to-
gether for some time, going into The
= United Gas Improvement Company when
4; Thomas Dolan. Philadelphia's gas man,
was forming that corporation to lease the
; city-owned gas franchise.
3 After that Widener and his friends
D loomed large in finance. He was deep
in politics. and boss after boss was said
to be his servant From Philadelphia
: they branched out 20 Chicago-joining
1 with Charles T. Yerkes- Their next field
was New York and they became the
e rulers OF the Metropolitan Street Rail
, way Company. PittsbUTg Traction aISJ
P came under their sway. In time Brady.
, who is now in the 3. R. T., dTifted away
/ from them. and the coterie became known
throughout the financial world as the
whitney -Widener-E -Elkins syndicate. Death
D narrowed it first TO the Widener- -EIEirs
: syndicate and finally to Widener, who
y has been said 20 run a pawnsh0p n
]
ton systems.
+ 4 Lover OF Art.
Outside his money making and his home
y life. Mr. Wideaer's pleasure was art. Be
D sides the collection which he gave with
his town house to Philadelphia. he has
/ another that has grown to be amosI
: equally valuable It is in Ashbourae. his
!. beautiful mansion i'm Elkins Park, just
. outside Of Philadelphia. 1t is there that
he has lived of late years He has two
sons-George and Joseph T. OF the two.
prominent in society Mr.. and Mrs. Joseph
, E. Widener are noted in tine "horsey. set -
and exhibit each year at the horse show
in Madison Square Garden.
Many stories have been told of Mr..
Widener. and one made him specially an
CRY with a certain large Philadelphia
newspaper. A man who had become con
b verted to the Zionist faith of Elijah
p Dowie wished to live UP 90 the require
; ment Of the faith. which makes all nov
ices pay every debt. This aged novice re-
; membered that he had once cheated
Pete" Widener-then a mutton butcher
b out of S13 for chops many years before,
{; He went to Philadelphia and in the mar
kct section asked for Pete" Widener.
At first nobody associated this man with
the mighty p, a. B. Widener. Finally
they discovered the identity, and directed
the Dowieite to Mr.. Widener's Office.
b There the repentant sinner insisted on
/. paying the money, which Mr.. Widener
accepted.
Perhaps the biggest social event il
which Ar Widener ever figured was a
banquet which ne gave in February. 1900.