Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-01-28
METEOR IN WEALTH AND LOVE,
Ono of the Days Best Cartoons.

uNIONTOWU, PA. January 26-Back
of the colossal bank failure which
has shaken entire counties to their
coalribbed foundations and which has
left crack from Uniontown to the
heart of Wall Street there is a colossal
personality.
That j. V Thompson. rated at $780,
100000. should see his honor roll"
bank full for mcasly $1,000. 900 Is not
more extraordinary than other phases
OF his dynamic career.
II is not more remarkable than that
he made his sloo.00,0O0 out of the air
by waving his magic wand II Is not
more remarkable than tho story OF this
collarless chin whiskcrcd. bucol!c
fnancicr converted into cosmopolite
by the influence OF Il woman. 1t is
not more remarkable than tho story
of how that woman came into his
l!fe in private car and how che
went out OF il with $1,000, 600 alimony.
And through all these vicissitudcs.
his ncighbors loved him; they pccred
close Into his domestic relations. they
followed his fortunes with admiration.
they responded TO his rise. they slo-
r!cd in his splendor. and now they re-
fuse 10 believe that ne Is done for.
Followers SIN Faithful.
Josiah Van Kirk Thompson Is the
financial godfather OF Fayette and
Greene counties. Every farmer along
march on Braddock's defeated army
famliarly calls him -. V" j. V. has
bought coal, J. V has let them IN on
his deals. in the aggregate so colossal
that ne has made himself the coal
baron OF the world. j. Y, while strid-
ing on the Millionaire mark. has taken
a lot OF little men with him. The 1T
Tie man furnished the capital some
times, but i. V. furnished the acument
all the time.
Now that the crash has come and the
doors have closed. and they are all
in the hole together. everybody Is look
ing TO }. V. TO pull them out.
They will tell you there is enough
coal land back OF their bank TO put
II on its feet. there is enough good
paper in the bank to pull IL out Of
danger They Will insist tho steel
Trust is sore at j. V. for "hogging"
the coal lands and refusing 10 sell:
they Will say anything but that j. v.
is crooked
The leading man in this strange
made in America" trade mark. He
was born out here in the mountains .
thrift and industry were his natural
heritage. Ills father, Jasper Markie
Thompson, was n farmer and n banker
Josiah Thompson was brought up on
a farm. lie went 20 a little red school
house and later. with his brother. on
tered Washington and Jefferson Col
lrge. During his vacations he would
plow forty acres of ground In his bare
feet.
In his varied career Zoe" Thompson
has had time for many other things
After the death OF his father he sue
ccedcd him as president OF the hank.
Finding himself possessed Of 100000
by his fathers viii. he turned this
sum over to his alma mater and be-
gan his own career almost empty
handed.
lie began buying coal lands or OPP
tons on coal lands, until he amassed
tho greatest holdings o. coal in tho
world
When young man he married
Mary Anderson. OF Fayette County
She came OF simple home loving
stock. and they lived unpretent!ously
IN a red brick house at the foot of the
hill
Two sons were born OF this union,
Andrew and John. Mrs Thompson
died in 1929.
Across the street from j. VS. un-
prctentious red brick house lived Ida
Nichols. j. VS. niece. who married
Lord Gerald Fitzgerald OF IRELAND,
from whom she has since been d.
vorced.
Some time after the divorce she mar
ried the FRINGE of Thurn and Taxis. a
nobieman high in the ranks OF the
Austrn- Hungarian aristocracy.
When the price OF coal lands adj
vanced many of the owners were eager
TO cell at 500 to $500 an acre, but
his price at that time was invariably
sl,100 IN acre.
StiIi Farm Roy.
All this time Josiah Thompson ad-
hered to his habits born of the farm.