AN UNHAPPY MILLIONAIRE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 10037, 25 January 1896, Page 2 (Supplement)

AN UNHAPPY MILLIONAIRE.

Listen to tho story of tho troubles of a multi-millionaire. His namo is John W. Mackay. Ho has commonly been thought of as a man whoso life has been a phenomenal success, because ho made a great fortune suddenly in early life, but the truth is that his life, since he became wealthy, has been one long series of troubles, Tho greatest) of them, no doubt, was tho recent death of his eldest and favourite son, whom lie was raising to succced him in tho management of his vast fortune. The nowspapers had hardly ceased to discuss this, however, when it was announced that he had lost his suit of £100,000 against Edward S. Stokes. These two events illustrate tho variety and frequency of the troubles which are always raining down on this unfortunate millionaire. They range from the most serious to the most ridiculous. He gets shot by a crank, and has a rough-and-tumble fight with a social rival. He loses a son and loses a lawsuit. His great fortune has enabled his wife to make a brilliant social reputation in Europe. She has magnificent houses in London and Paris, and entertains the Prince of Wales and the most fashionable French society, Mr. Mackay, by tho mere fact of his fortune, i* kept away from her. He works In San Francisco, and she entertains in London. Thus wealth has broken up his household. His daughter's marriage with an Italian prinoe, once talked of as a brilliant event, lias turned out a miserable failure. He has been engaged in a long and ridiculous squabble concerning t he social origin of his own and another Californian's family. He gets little or nothing by the way of personal comfort, from his millions. His digestion and his tastes cause him to live simply and even coarsely. Fine wines and delicately-cooked foods are not for him. Ho has to live on a rigid diet. A regular course of muscular exerolse has also beon prescribed for him by his doctors. The doctors have had plenty to do for Mr. Mackay. His digestion requires constant attention. Then ho was shot, and immediately after he recovered he underwent an operation for appendicitis. He refused to pay a bill of £'2500 for the doctors who attended him when he was shot. He does not belong to clubs or go to theatres. Ho has no serious interest in life except to make money, of which ho has already about fifty times as much as he can spend. He is and has long been engagod in innumerable lawsuits. He has quarrelled with all or nearly all of tho partners of his early life. Pointing to tho entrance of one mine Mackay is reported to have said, " Out of that hole 1 took £30,000,000." Mr. Mackay married his wife in 18157. She was the widow of a California!) doctor. She had social ambitions, which determined to gratify when her husband made his fortune. The fashionable society of San Francisco snubbed the minor's wife, and Mrs. Mackay wisely went to Europe. Her career there has been a brilliant success. Mr. Mackay first bought her a housoiu tho Rue do Tilsit, in Paris, and gave her £2,000,000 in Uovornmont bonds to keep things going. Later she bought a magnificent house at 6, Carlton House Terrace, in London, In IBS 3 Miss Julia Bryant Mackay, thoir adopted daughter, married Princo Colonna di Galatro. Ibis marriage turned out very unhappily, and the Princess recently obtained a divorce. Charges of cruelty and generally disreputable conduct were made against the Princo.