Plymouth advertiser. [volume] (Plymouth, Ohio) 1853-1988, 1854-12-15
Horace Greely's First Day in New
York.


The following interesting sketch is from /
the forthcoming life Of HORACE GREELEY.
"At sunrise on Friday, the eighteenth
of August 1881, Horace Greeley landed
at White Hall, close to the Battery, int
City of New York.
New York was, and is a city Of adven
turers. Few of our eminent citizens were
born here. 1t is a common boast among
New Yo kers that this great merchant and
that q ca: millionaire came to the city a
ragged boy, with only three and sixpence
in his pocket-and nor look at him In
list Of one hundred men who are esteem
ed the most successful" among the citi-
zens of New York, it is probable that sew
enty-hve of the names would be those Of
men who began their career here in circum-
stances that gave no promise oil future en-
inence. But among them all, it is ques-
ton whether there was one who on his ar
rival had SO little to help, so much to him
der him, as Horace Greeley.
Of solid cash his stock was ten dollars.
His other property consisted of the clothes
he wore, the clothes he carried in his bun
die, and the stick with which he carried
it. The clothes he wore were need not be
described they were those which had al
ready astonished the people of Erie. The
clothes he carried were very few, and pre-
cisely similar in cut and quality to the gar
ments which he exhibited to the public
On the violent supposition that his ward
robe could in any case have become sale
able commodity, we may compute that he
f was worth, on this Friday morning at
sunrise, ten dollars and sevcnty-five cents
He had no friend, no acquaintance here
. There was not human being upon whom
= he had any claim for hell and advice. Hi
: appearance was altogether against him.
: He looked in his round jacket like an over
r grown boy. No one was likely to observe
). the engaging beauty Of his face, OF the no
: Bile round of his brow, under that over
e hanging hat, over that long and stoopins
/ body. He was somewhat timorous in hi
intercourse with strangers. He would no
intrude upon their attention; he had not tn
faculty Of pushing his way, and proclaim
V ing his merits and desires. To the arts b,
is which men are conciliatcd--by which I'm
V willing men are forced to attend to an un
q welcome tale, he was utterly stranger
= Moreover, he had neglected to bring witt
J. him any letters Of recommendation Or Ger
" tiicatc of his skill as a printer. 1t ha
= not occurred to him that anything of tn
l., tod
If he with the life Of cities.
n His first employment was to find board
A. ing house where he could live a long tim
ze on small sum. Leaving the green bat
A tery on his left hand, he strolled off int
er Broad street, and at the corner Of that stree
I'd and Wall street, he discovered Il house tn,
Sc in his eyes had the aspect of cheap ia,
T. en. He entered the bar-room and asko
IL the price Of board.
rk i guess we're too high for you,' sal
v, he bar-kceper, after bestowing a glanc
II, upon the inquirer.
a. sWell, how much week do yt
sh charge?'
en- Six dollars
it Yes, that more than I can afford, sa
Horace, with laugh at the enormous mi
90 take he had made in inquiling alta house
Id such pretension.
he He turned up Wall street, and saunte
lie. cd into Broadway. Seeing no house ofe
nv tcrtainmcnt that seemed at all suited to h
ce, circumstances, he sought the water on
at more, and wandered along the North Ri
NJ er, as far as Washington market. Boar
,is ing houses of the cheapest kind, al
mt drinking uses Of the lowest grade, t
it former frequented chiefly by emigrant
II the latter by sailors, were numerous enous
art in that neighborhood. A house, viii
er, combined the low groggery and the che
ch boarding house in one small establishmel
DIS. kept by an Irishman named M'Gorlic
to CHANGED to be one that first attracted
her rover's attention. Itlooked so mean a
cir soualid, that he was tempted to enter, a
eir again inquire for what sum man col
ing buy weeks shelter and sustenance.
is 'Twenty-shillings,' was the LANDLORD
in Iep'y.,
'ol, like it.
, / He engaged to board with M'Garlit
on the instant, and proceeded soon to t
ing the qualify of his fare by taking breakf
in the bosom Of his family. The chet
do ness of the entertainment was its best
aid commeudation. .........
After breakfast Horace performed
uld act which | believe he had never sponta
BOD ously performed before. He bought so
it clothes with view to render himself m
hat presentable. They were of the commt
,e | est kind, and the garments were few,
the purchase absorbed nearly half his c
of ital. Satisfied with his appearance,
ned now began the round of his printing offic
the going into all he could find, and ask
les? for employment-merely asking and
tier ing away without word, as soon as
ade was refused. In the course of the mo
Lrds ing he found himself in the office Of
ov- journal of Commerce, and he chanced
you direct his inquiry, if they wanted ha
not to the late David Hale, one of the prop
loso etors of that paper. Mr.. Hale took
was survey of whom had presumed to addl
If a him, and replied in substance as follow
Tho MY opinion is young man, that 70,
tits, a runaway apprentice, and you'd better
Who home to your master y
you Horace endeayored to explain his p'
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