posted 10-29-2008 02:44 PM            

The Results of Fast Living

From the Philadelphia Press:
August 13, 1858

An instance of day-dreaming -- termed from the persistent form the vagary has assumed, monomania -- has been chronicled in this city. A man, calling himself John J. Acton, and who claims to have recently returned from California, where he had accumulated vast wealth, has been elating our business men with promises of princely purchases, but only to depress them with a disclosure of his actual circumstances His story was that he had determined to settle down in Lancaster, in which city he had erected a princely mansion at a cost 0f $165,000, to furnish which he was desirous of making provision upon the same costly scale. The aid of several of our business men was enlisted for the outfit. Mr. Geo. H. Henkel, the well-known cabinet-maker, was called upon to supply the cabinet furniture, and Mr. Acton proceeded to select elegant articles of mahogany, walnut, rosewood and oak, to stock the mansion with the needful chairs, sofas, bedsteads, bureaus, etc. The bill run up at Mr. Henkel's store was $10,000. and as the terms were to be cash on the delivery of the goods. Mr. Henkel was made a happy man. Mr. W. H. Carryl's establishment was to supply the curtains, which were selected to the amount of $6,000, and Mr E. W. Carryl was honored with an order for the plate to the amount of $5,000. Carpets to the tune of $2,000, and paper-hangings to the sum of $1,500 were also selected. One thousand dollars worth of ale was also ordered, besides a large number of smaller purchaser which were to be sent to his palatial abode in Lancaster. Nor did he confine himself to these articles, but with the zest of a Wall-street broker, he was ready to dabble in all kinds of property and stocks. He was negotiating for the purchase of a Broad-street mansion for $43,000 ; he had purchased a property on Chestnut-street for $56,000, had bought out a large board-yard, and was to subscribe the sum of $500,000 towards the new hotel on Chestnut-street One peculiarity of those magnificent operations is, that he did not attempt to gain possession of any one article of his many purchases. When he awakes from his dream, or hallucination, he may be wiser; but we venture to say he was never happier than when reveling in his imaginary wealth.