Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1866-11-24
MISCELLANEOUS.
New Work NAisers.

1t is not generally known that New York
at the present. time contains large number
of misers as inveterate and degraded US any
on record and if we had space we could
give series of portraits which would make
the reader shudder. Many of these misers
are old business men who have withdrawn
from life and still keep up the faded signs,
and beneath the garb of trade ply their
money-saving habits. These men will he
found sitting solitary in dingy offices, filed
with cohwebs and thick with dust of years.
Money borrowers know where to go, and
here these pale and threadbarc fossils receive
their best securities for their daily loans
Some of these half starved wretches, whose
trembling hands can hardly sign check,
can draw for sums that would shake bank
One of the richest men Of the city is now to
be found in just such dngy hole as we
have described, where he loans enormous
sums daily. He was merchant once, and
his old sign is still up and inside all things
remain as they were half century ago. He
suffers daily for the comforts of life but al
this is compensated for by the pleasure of
| accumulation. They come to me to beg"
said the old man to an acquaintance, "and
there's not beggar in New York that
doesn't live as well as | don-a statement
which was quite true.
A specimen of the better class of this
genus was given in the late Exchange Place
robbery, where Rufus Lord, "A man upward of
four score, was the solitary occupant of an
Office which contained between 81 900, 900
and S2,OO0000 in stocks and securities-al
| his own. Here this old man sat, to get rich.
Such hoard was worth tapping, and the
job was one of the most successful ever
done in New York.
The late Stephen Whitney was striking
instance of the commercial miser When
we knew him he had made about $10,00O,-
600, and at the age of seventy five was try
ing hard to get rich. The person and cOun-
tenancc OF this wretched man were study.
The tremulous form, The sharpened feature
and the so.icitOus eye told of the one idea
which mastered the soul. Mr. Whitney was
in his day 20 be seen habitually in Wall
street, picking his way along among the
brokers and sharpers, and buying notes, of
which he was good judge. He bought
none but the best, and seldom made bad
purchase. His son-inlaw was in a heavy
business, but his paper was not considered
tirstrate the only chance of his success be-
ing that the old man would keep him up,
| This chance we used to hear often discussed,
and on its probabilities his paper found a
market. But the old man did not keep him
up, and he showed himself too sharp to be
| gulled by so near o relative. Mr.. Whitney
was something of a politician, and on one
occasion the leaders of his party came with
an application for electioneering purposes.
"Gentlemen," was the reply, II am with
you heart and body, As for money, have
none; but to help you along, will come
and sit up all night and fold ballots"
Some of these New York misers are utter
ly recluse, while Others are social, and often
meet to discuss methods of money making.
The group occasionally seen in certain old
rookery, where few millions are represent
ed in hungry forms and seedy raiment,
would be study for an artist. The great
complaint with this class is that "interest is
down, money is cheap, and the country is
going to ruin. Only five per cent. on good
paper and six on bond and mortgage and
as for seven-thirties, they pay well enough,
but one may get his throat cut taking care
of them. The worlds made up of thieves
aud beggars. aud there's no use of trying tc
get along"