Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-04-02
PETER STAUB.
An Instance OF Pluck and Energy I'm a
Citizen Of Knoxville.


The grandess struggle Of life is deter
mined viii to overcome poverty. The con-
test is always unequal, for poverty is always
thrice armed. The poor have no power to
rally formidable friends to their support.
Their pathway is a solitary one, and they
tread it alone. But few feel or take any
interest in them; and when, perchance,
the wheel of fortune turns in their favor,
there is always heartless pack who would
strike them down. Thus unaided and I'M
befriended, they are forced to work their
way up by dint Of hard work and ineessant
toll, and by sacrifices which none but the
poor know how to appreciate. Neverthe-
less their triumphs are often marked and
signal. Such is the case of the gentleman
whose name stands at the head of this arti-
Gle, and whose success in life l now pro-
pose to unfold
Peter Staub is a Swiss by birth and by
education. But little is known of bis early
struggles in his native land, except that he
was born of honorable psrentage and that
no stain rested upon his youthful reputa-
ton. Poor be was, but that was no dis
honor. SO long as he kept his garments I'M
sullied.
He landed in America about twenty-five
years ago, ignorant Of our language, of our
government, of our social economy, and
without a dollar in his pocket. After re-
peated attempts in an Eastern State and
elsewhere TO make Roadway in his business
without success, he determined to wend his
way to Tennessee. Eighteen wears ago he
reached the city Of Knoxville penniless. On
a certain day he might have been seen
entering the town with small budget
of seedy clothes, with his well-worn scissors
and few needles-fOr be It known he was
a tailor by trade. he was unheralded. Had
he been rich, with thousands at his COM
mand, be would have been toasted and ca
ressed. He would have figured in gorgeous
" furnished parlors and reVeled in the lux
uries of social gatherings. But he 'cGS
Door That told the tale; and the insig-
niticant Peter Staub was left alone to work
out his destiny.
But did he falter? Let us see. Reader,
follow us closely and you will witness
sublime triumph over pinehing penury.
Imagine man fresh from a foreign cOun-
try, unused to our ways and to our Ian
guage, without a solitary friend to turn to,
suddenly dropping into community, and
expecting to cut his way through the terri
bic objects which beset him at every step
What an ordeal 1t was enough to crush
the hopes and aspirations of the most ar
dent. But his powerful determination was
equal to the task ahead Of him.
He rented an humble dwelling in an OBJ
scure part of the city, suitable for his family,
and, also, for his 'shOpn as a tailor. Here
he chung out his shingle@ and mOdestly ask
ed portion of the patronage Of the citizens.
That patronage he did not obtain at once,
and but for few of his countrymen who
were around him, his chances for success
would have been exceedingly unpromising.
They gave him his start, and held him up
until the community became convinced Of
his qualifications aud of his integrity. Then
he began to advance, and his prospects TO
brighten. His energies were Quickened
and his resolves strengthened.
From this on, Peter Staub dated a new
era in his history. He was no longer the
poor weather-beaten, poverty stricken and
cast off man he was when first he cast his
lot in Knoxville. Those who had held him
at arms length and treated him badly, now
began to pay their respect TO him, so true is
the maxim that wealth begets friends. His
business grew and expanded, and soon he
had several thousand dollars invested not
only in the prosecution of his trade, but in
real estate. He became merchant tailor
and the owner of fine house and lot. He
was now fairly on bis legs, with smooth
road before him. Money rushed into his
Golfers. Directly the war broke out, he was
eInart enough to convert his Confederate
scrip into more houses and lots, and when
greeubacks came along he did the same
thing with them, so that when the war
ended he was in possession Of some of the
most valuable property in the city. Peter
Staub was now rich! His triumph was
complete To-day be is worth two hun
dred thousand dollars, with reputation
unsoiled, and with a business reputation
equal TO that of his contemporaries.
The cap-stone of bis powerful and ener-
getic life is now being laid, that of erecting
one of the most costly and stately blocks OF
buildings in the city, and of furnishing an
opera house that would do credit to any
city Of similar pretensions. That is Peter
Staub's monument
Meantime, by his devotion to his coun-
trymen, who have sought homes in the
bosom of Tennessee, he has commended
himself to the favorable consideration of his
former government. He carries commits
sion from the authorities Of Switzerland as
Consul, and all his official acts, thus far
have met with the cordial approval Of that
government. T.