St. Mary's beacon., 1858-08-12

Girard aasia cOsnsnenced the New Orleans and / /,
Saint Domingo trade. In two years he had !
Progressed - Gar iEs % Be- able % pusci ase al
ten years, lease, viii, renewal, sc . range Of !
brick and frame stores 0s1e ii which be Occu-
pled HIMSELF Tie rents were low as the time,
aud the purchase very advantageous perhaps |
the turning point in bis ksrtunes
In seventeen hundred and eighty his wife, !
Mary Girarl, ffum whom hs hal been siisor-
ced, wus admitted ah insane patient int, the
PennsylvAni&n Hospital. Here she Trfnain- =
e shut up twenty-five years aud one napnth.
nsliie hAE husband waa hsssilx ". 70 lr lis /,
0Fl UbSeek VII flge Would IL last size died, in khc
yesr ei Thteen hundred aud fifteen. On being
tl,ld Of her death, Stephen Girard selected her
burial-place, and requested Oh at he should be
called as soon aS all the arrangements for her
fisnesal were c,lnpleted. She was buried in
the manner Of the Friends. Her husband was
there, glaring with his one fearless eye, and
unmoved. After taking one short look ct the
remains, he departed, saying, "Ah Is well"
lie returned home, and began to give largely
- the lUCal eharitiss aud hospitals from this
day. Z J
A Circumstance occurred at this period which
materially aided Stephen Girard in his cher
iShed determination. He was engaged IN the
West India trade-paTticularly in the island Of
Sablt DOmingO-and at the moment Of the !
weli-knUwn outbreak of the slaves he had two
vessels lying of the port. The affrighted
planters rushed to the docks, and deposited
their most valuable treasures in those ships fnr |
safety, returning to secure more. They were
nearly all with their families, maSsacrei. Ste
pheu Girard advertised hberally for the owners |
To the property, but very few claimants ever
appeared, aud it was transported to Philadel |
pkia, to swell the store and Increase the pow
or Of the one eyed capitalist, who commenced
the building ut thUsc large ships engaged in
the trade with China and Calcutta, which
were, at that time, the pride Of America.
la seventeen hundred and ninety-thTee a
fearful pestience bruke ont in the city Of Phil
adelphia. The yellow fever left whole streets
| tenantless; the hearse vas the vehicle most
! frequently seen in the streets; thuse who wore
the badge Of morning on their arms were
avoided even by their fricnds;.and the fumes
Of tu6accO and camphOr filed every house in
the city. While the pestilence was at is
height q square, TcpulSive man boldly entered
| one of the most crowded hospitals, and bOre
tuut in his arms victim in the last, Saffrun-
lealvred stage Of the disease For days and
kwesks this man continncd to perfnrm the same
Terrible Office Of attending upon the sick and
|. SinsA xsischarSing the must painful aud dam
r.Nas Aglties of the lowest servant i'm the
! sac Yhis fepufkive-l0king Samaritan was
energy his stout heart 6s and bis one isl eye. hAb
hard gripping trader was not so selfish, after all.
When oil the paid attendants, all the visitors of
the pWT, wess either dead, dying or had feel;
when no offer Of money would purchase that
labor wEich was required fpr the reor saniza-
ton Of the pesI-hO,lse hospital at Bush Hill,
two men nObly volunteered for the foFlUrn task
stephen Girard and Peter Helm. On the af-
ternOon Of the some day ON which he offered
his services, Stephen Girard, a nlenchant of
growing wealth and influence foreigner
~ith nu ties Of country between him and the
afflicted city--entcred upon his dangerous task
with all the perseverance and decision of his
character. lie sOon established order and
cleanliness; provided accommodations and pro-
cured supplies; and for sixty days contiraei
to discharge his duties at the hospital
In eighteen hundred and twa'.e, Stephen
Girard the nne-eyed cabin-k>y "f Bordeaux,
purchased the banking premises at the old
Bank Of the United states twhosc charter was
not renewcd.l AZ! started the GiFarl Bank-a
large private establishment, which not only
cnnferre5 advantages upon the community
gre~-er than the State institution upon which
Il was founded, but while the public credit
was shaken, and the Government Finances
were exhausted by war, the Girard Bank could
Command large subscriptions of loans, and nut
itself in the position of the principal creditor
OF the country. In eighteen hundred and
fourteen Girard subscribed the whole of large
Government loan frOm patriutic motives; and
III eighteen hundred aud seventeen he con-
tributed, by his unshaken credit and undimin-
Ishei funds, to bring about the resumption of
specie payments. In eighteen huudred and
thirty-one his operations were so extensive,
that when the country was placed in extreme
embarrassment fr''m the scarcity of mJney, by
reason OF the balance Uf trade being against IL.
he was enabled, by single transaction with
az eminent English firm, tO turn the exchan-
ges, and cause specie to fOw into the United
States.
Shephen Girard began his remarkable trad |
ms career with one object, which he steadily |
Kept IN view all his long life-the making Of !
money for the power j: Conferred. He was |
content, at starting, with the small pruS6ts Of
shs retail trader, willing b labor in any capa-
city 70 make thuse pTufits secure. He practic- |
ed the mist rigid personal ecun.any; hc resisted |
all the alluEements Of pleasure; he exacted the |
last farthing that was due 10 him; and be paid !
the last farthing that he owed. He took every
advantage which the law allowed him in re- !
sSting . claim; he used men Just sn saF a. they
would accomplish his purpose; he paid his
servants no more than the market price; when |
faithful cashier died he exhibited the utmost 7
indifference, making no provision for his fami-
ly. and uttering no sentiment Of regret for his
loss. he would higgle for . penny with a
huckster in the streets; he would deny the
watchman &C his bank the customary Christmas
preseDtof . great coat. To add TO hissingular and
deficient character he was deaf in one ear, could
only speak bruaken English, never cOuveTsed
upUu any thing bat business, and woEe the
same old coat cut in the French style. far eve
years tngether. An old. Sickcty chair, remar-
kablc frr It's age, and marked with the initials
''S. g, drawn by . faded horse. was used
whom he rude about the city. he had no sense
of hospitality, mo friend 90 share his hsnss Or
hiA tallse. He was deierential, in appearance,
% sank and family Vinlsns and paSi'nate
@=UnlE tgunslmnns IN - an faishfhl elesk
ENNAS9 BsAesguA His sAecangics1 epinisnst
49, .. : f+s.'
gsr.s