The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1921-10-15

" 1847-5O; went to San Francisco looo'
worked in meat market 1861; started on ms
own account 1851; with Charles Lux, starleu
In cattle business 1857. They acquired ooo-
600 acres in California, besides other lands IN
Oregon and Nevada and at one time had SO,-
COO cattle and 100000 sheep. Mr.. Lux dled
IN 1887 and the business Incorporated.
Mr. Miller retaining large interests Home
21O1 Laguna st. Office, 1914 Merchants EA-
change building. San Francisco.
This is the Miller and this was his empire II
rose because, Miller had genius-the genius OF
taking pains-and an aim that refused to De Oh
verified 1t fell because Miller died October "a.
1915, and it is against public policy that the vast
estate should be allowed to remain intact II Is
therefore being broken up and sold piecemeal to
the highest bidders.
The foregoing biography-or autobiography,
rather-is said to have been written by Henry
Miller himself 1t may be the truth and nothing
but the truth, but it is far from being the whole
truth Anyway. 1t is a bit skinny as the lie
story OF penniless German boy immigrant who
acnuired a million acres Of land and accumulated
a fortune Of $40OOOO00. 1t can hardly be said
to give much Of an idea OF the processes by which
a butcher boy could leave behind him the largest
area OF land ever assembled under one ownership
In this country. And 1t is eloquently silent OF
the methods by which he survived and prospered
while other orange Barons" and Seattle Kings"
topnled from their thrones with the coming OF
the homesteader and the farmer. In short, there
Il considerable to be read between the lines OF
Henry Miller's laconic autobiography.
Well, to begin with the beginning, Henry Miller
was christened Heinrich Mueller. He was the
son OF a cattle dealer and got seven years OF
schooline At fourteen he went to work for his
father He rot ten thalers for his first years
work. ThereupOn he left home. He went TO
Holland. then to England and. arrived IN New
York at twenty He had saved enough as
butcher to be able to buy passage to San fran-
cisco wen the gold stampede set in. He reached
there with So and went to work at his trade He
never wasted q minute in looking for gold. He
saw there was more money In feeding those VINO
found gold
Cattle were plentiful in California; under the
Mexicans the export Of hides and talow had been
the chief business Of the region. Land was plen-
tiful. too. Under the land laws It could pc mao
for song, II one went at It In the right way.
so Miller took to himself q partner, Karl Luchs,
another young German Immigrant and started out
70 acquire cattle and land. Charles Lux figures
only Incidentally In the story; Henry Miller was
the empire builder. Miller got his cattle BY buy
inc them and raising them.
Miller also bought much land as the years went
81. But old-time Californians say that In his
eeray wears Bailler got land In various ways be-
sides direct purchase Cowboys filed homestead
claims to sell out 70 him. One story 10 that he
mounted boat on wagon and drove over thou
aands az acres In the San Joaquin valley, iatez
acquiring much submerged land" over which he
erode a boat"
Msl,er. a. course. did not overlook the impor
rance of water, though irrigation In those dap
y had not been dreamed Of By Californiana az
acouired riparian rights along the San Joaquin
yaver wlse4oxer he could By demonstrating and b
r rnrchase. He also secured water rights IN othel
avr one a these was the patsnting Of min
lneheG~ for mining purpeses: The process serve(
asRA 90ntfDf