Baton-Rouge gazette. [volume] (Baton-Rouge, La.) 1819-1856, 1850-11-23
Prem Hpnt's MeSyhd,tS 1tasa zine.
The ConsideratG Merchant,

There IL Il moral in The following t1led
dota, which we consider too instructive Il
be loat to tile featlers Of the Msfehanfs
Masasine, It was originally published
we believe, IN The Boston 7'yapsrrtpt
We give 1t t,s wa fnd ii In the Han,
Jpuraai, Of N. r. Willis and and Gen
George 7, Morris. We have reason Il
believe that the story may be tahen by OIL
renders a. substantially true
A merchant, very extensively ehgaHed
in commerce, aud located upon the Loua
Wharf, died February ~, 1906, at The taat
Of seteuty.dve, intes, ,ate. Ills eldest sol
administered Upon tie estate. This old
gentleman t,sed PLEASANTLY 10 shy that ioi
many years. lie had fed u very lnrge nun.
Der pt the Catholics OH the shores Of the
| Mediterranean during 1pnt. referring to
| his very extensive cunnexion with the
| fishing business In his day lie was eers
| tainly well known and, 10 the present
time is we'll remembered by some of the
| 'ofa DRes doitH dieHg MeYe," from the
Gurnct's Nose to Race Font, Among
| his papers, II package Of very considerable
| size was iounl after bis DEATH carefully
| tied ul, and iubeled as follows "Nulpz.
due-biIls, aud accounts. against sun1ry per-
sous down along sI,oSe. Some Of these
n,hy he got by snit or severe dunuint.
Hut the people are poor. most Of them
have had iisliermau's Iuet NV children
will do as they thluk bist, Perhaps they
will think with me. that 1t is best to burr,
this package entire
"About II month"; said my informant.
"after otr fnther died, The SONS met TO-.
gether. aud after some general remarks,
our elder BROTHER the administrator pro-
dueea this package, OF whose existence
we were already apprlsrd reaj the super
aeriplon. and asked what course should
be taken ia regard it, Another brother
Il lew years younger than the eldest. Il
nlan OF strong impulsiye temperament I'M
able ut the innment TO express his fSpg
Ivy words, while lie brushed the tcafGrom
hia eyes with one hah1. by Epasnlodc
Jerk Of the other toward the fire. place. in.
dlrated his wish to have the package put
into the flames. It was suggested by
another Of our number. that 1t lhl2ht he
We'll, first. to make list Of tho dcblor'a
nninas, aud Of the lntes, aud amounts. that
we might he enabled. us the intended dis.
charge was Tor all, to inform such as might
offer payment. that tl'eir debts were for
given On the following day. we n9iln
nsaetnhed=-the liat had been prephred-
aud all the notes, due bills. aud accounts.
whose amount. including lntefest. amount
ed to thirty i've thousand dollars, were
committed to tls flames
ut was about four months after ottr,
fathers death. continued nay informant
III the mouth Of June. that, lis ! was sit.
ting ia my eldest brothers coniltug.fontng
waiting for an opportunity To speak with
him, there came III Ii harl-iayotei little old
man. who looked as If time AMI rougll
weather had been To wlndw1fl Of him for
seventy years. lle asked If my brother
was not the executor. lie replied that he
was administrator. aa our father died i'll.
tc=tate. Well said the stranger, I've
come up from the Cape to pay debt
owed the Sa gentleman My; brother.
continued my informant, requested him to
take scat, being at the moment engaged
with other persons ut the desk.
"tfhe old tnan aat down. aud putting on
his elnsaea, drew out very ancient leather
pocket book, aud began to count over bis
money When he had doue---and there
was quite parcel OF banls noes--ias he
sat, waiting his turn. slowly twisting his
thumbs with his old gray medIative eyes
Upon The floor, he sighed md knew the
money, as the phrase runs, came ha,a. and
secretly wished the old nnu s nnlne might
bc found upon tho forgiven list. My
brother was soon at leisure, aud asked him
the common quealions->his nahle etc
The original debt was four Kindred und
forty doars--it had stood long time,
aud with the interest, amounted to II sum
between seven and eight hundred dollars.
My brother went to his desk, and, after en-
amiuing the forgiven list attentiveIy,
sud leu smile lighted up his couutenance,
aud told me the truth at eIance--the old
mans name was there My brother
quietly took n chair by his side. aud cou-
versafion ensued between them, which |
never shall FORGET. Your noteis outlaw
ed said my brother, it was dated twelve
years ago, payable IN two years; there il
no witness, aud no interest has ever been
paid you are not bound 10 pay this note !;
we cannot recover the amount Sir, sai
the old mansI wish to pay it. II is the
only heavy debt have in the world /,
may be out 'awed here, but hupe no child
and my cd wonlun and ] hope we have
made our peace with God, and wish to do
50 with man. | should like to pay it, and
he laid his bapl notes before my brother,
requesting hun to count them over. j
cannot take this money! said my brother
The old man became alarmed. i have
cast simple interest for twelve years and
little over, said the old man. 4 will pay
you compound interest, il yon say so. The
debt ought to hive been paid long ago, but
your father, sir, was very indulgenta--he
knew I'd beenunlueky, and told me not to
worry about it.
Z My brother then set the whole matter
plainly before him, and, taking the bank
biils. returned them TO the old mans peck
ct hook, telling him that, although our
father left no formal will, he had recon-
mended 10 his children TO destroy certain
notes, due-bils, aud other evidences of
debt, and release those who might be le-
galiy bound to paytliem. Eot moment
the worthy old man appeared to be stupi-
fed, After he had collected himself, and
wiped a few tears from his eyes. he stated !
that. from the time he had heard OF our
fathers death, he had raked and scraped, |
aud punched and spared, to get the money |