The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1911-05-28
MExICO'S SILVER KING HAS SOLD
THE PALMILLO, THE RICHEST
SILVER MINE.
RICHEST MAN IN THE WORLD
Pedro Alvarado Still Lives in the
Palace With Thousand Pianos and
Birds, and Eats on the oilcIoth Gov
cred Table When the End Came.

Pedro Alvarado, the Mexican Croe
sus, the man who few years ago
wanted to pay Off his country's ma
tional debt, is no longer a silver king
and strangers reign in his stead. To
those who knew the stories of Alvara
dc's fabulous wealth and amazing do
ings this means the end of a fairy
tale.
THE richest man in the world,
they called Pedro Alyarado in Parral
Mexico, where forty-Seyen years agC
he was born, the poorest of the poor
The most lavish man in the world he
might well be called, too, for he flung
away an income that has been esti
mated at more than > million dollars
year, and that was certainly, speak
ing conservatively, one of the largest
in the world. Alyarado said he had
made a vow to the Virgin not to die
rich, and the vow will be kept though
rerhaps not altogether because of Pc.
dro's careful planning to tnat end.
Fortunately-fo Alvarado is a like
able person-he is not so poor that he
cannot have reasonable luxury, and
his two sons. who are being educated
in France, have been provided for In
fact, the fairy tale may be said to have
had a happy ending.
1t has been found that Alvarado's
wife, who was of a thrifty turn of
mind, saved him a tidy sum during
her lifetime and even as a strange
but true tale relates, after her death.
$1,000 Looked Big to Her.
A thousand dollar bill, which had
seemed like the wealth of the world
to her in her girlhood, still remained
very large, even when they came in
a, the rate of thirty day. She had
a bed quilt that suggested to her the
possibility of making a secret bank
account. Every once in a while she
would rip the quilt and stuff a few
thousand dollar bills into it, then sew
it up again quickly before anyone
could suspect what she was doing. She
always chose thousand dollars bills
apparently, and indeed it was a nice,
tidy round sum to choose for purposes
OF saving
In course of time she died. \ maid
who had attended her was the only
person in the world who suspected her
mistress's idiosyncrasy. 1t was sug-
gested that she might like some son
venir of her long service, and she re-
flied deprecatingly that she asked
nothing but the bed quilt.
"But that is nothing" Avarado. the
generous, said. Take whatever you
like. Am not rich?"
The servant protested, however. that
the bedQuilt was all she desired. and
she insisted so strenuously on her
singular choice, the quilt being some.
what the worse for year. that even
simple Alyarado suspected something
lay back of her curious desire.
1t occurred to him to open the bed
quilt. He did and took out no less
than eight hundred bills of $1,000.
The Richest Silver Mine.
All Of sudden one day a vein was
struck on the little farm that showed
Pedro, the poverty-stricken peon, to
be the owner of the richest silver mine
that had ever been seen.
In just one thing he showed shrewd-
ness; he would not sell any part of his
property. In everything else he was
an easy victim. Perhaps. though, he
was not always a victim. properly
speaking for he had a big heart.
Pedro had no education. But there
were some things that he liked very
much. He loved music and he adored
birds He had, too. the general desire
OF his race for beauty, mixed with the
uneducated mans tendency to mistake
what is and what is not art.
First of all he built himself a won
derful palace. Right into Parral he
went and down in the middle of the
poorest quarter he set his house.
They are my people Alvarado
said. and why should | leave them
because I am rich?"
The house was masnificent The
front door had a splendid iron grill
brought from Paris. Pedro never had
the front door opened. Its magnif.
cence was TOO much for him. and he
and his family and his guests always
went in 10y a kind of servants en-
trance.
Tpcidn n -norio1c dro Uin cr room "a in