The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1876-04-20
THE LATE A. T. STEWART.
His characteristics, Personal Habits and
Remarkable Business Success.
from the New York World


Mr. Stewart was seventy-t two and a
county, Ireland, few miles from Bel
fast, of a Scotch Protestant family of
good name and somewhat large posses
sions of land. The stories told of his
poverty In early life are groundless. He
never was otherwise than comfortably
we'll off. Of his father he had no recol-
lection, his mother having been widowed
three days after his birth, and he came
under the care of his grandfather, man
of much shrewdness and sagacity. The
boy was apt at study and of quiet and
careful ways, and his grandfather pro-
posed to make a scholar of him. He
sent Alexander first TO an academy at
Belfast, and, thence to Trinity college,
Dublin, where it was intended, and with
his acquiescence, that he should fit him.
self for holy orders In the Established
Church. But In his second term at col
lege these plans were disarranged by the
unexpected death of his grandfather.
This made him, when not yet twenty
years old, the head of his family, and, if
it be certain that his mother was already
dead, the only survivor in the direct
family line. He had an income large
enough to comfortably support him, but
was unsuited to an inactive life, and after
few months passed at the homestead In
looking over the field, determined to
come to America. He had no definite
aim, it is said. He was fond of travel
and sightseeing, and had no need to
plunge at once into hard work. He
came out in 1928, bringing letters
of introduction through friends of
his father to good families in
New York, and thus secured at once
creditable position. At this time he
was more student than anything else,
fond of the text books which he had been
compelled to desert SO abruptly, and
lived here for some months quiet and
rather scholastic life. It was during
this time that he had his brief experience
In school-teaching, to which alusion is
so frequently made. One of the teach
ers in sMr. Bragg's school" In Cedar
street-this was fifty-three years ago
with whom young Stewart had made
an intimacy, fell sick, and Stewart vol
unteered to take his place, without pay.
The teacher died and Stewart kept the
school until vacation, some months In
all, hut refusing to be paid. He taught
merely writing and arithmetic, and there
are ladies living In the city to-day who
we're his pupils in these elementary
studies. When he had attained his ma
iority lie began to speak among his ac-
quaintances of going home to get his in
heritance- about $4,000. There is a
story that the Mr.. Chambers from whose
family Chambers street got its name, dis
suaded him from what had been his In
tent, to reinvest the money and live at
home on the income, and urged him to
go into trade. Young Stewart dissented;
he knew nothing, he said, of trade, and
had to take friends advice on the hats
and gloves bought for his personal use.
Mr.. Chambers treated this objection
with much Impotence. "Put all your
money in insertion and scallop trimmings
in Belfast" said he, "and bring them
out here. Ny word for it, you'll double
your money"
IF / double my money in any such
way" responded the sceptical young
book-scholar, Ell give you my
profits"
He sailed for Ireland-it was forty
DAYS passage that trip-and nearly
starved going over, he and the only other
cabin passenger, the supply OF every
thing but dry biscuit most lamentably
giving out. Being in Belfast few days
after his arrival he passed shop in
whose windows were displayed laces and
something he inferred to be scalloped
trimmings, mainly because he knew q
scallop" when he saw it. With
Mr.. Chambers urgency fresh in his
mind, he stopped at the shop and decid-
ed at least to find out what insertion and
ecalloped trimmings In fact were. /" You
keep insertion9" he asked of the shop
woman. She pointed out specimens,
and he bought quarter of yard and
paid three pence therefor, making SIM
liar bargain Immediately thereafter for a
quarter of yard of the other unknown
thing. Then he began to apply the the
ory of wholesale and retail, and found it
true that if he wanted q good many yards
of these commodities he could get them
much cheaper. !" / want FL 900 worth, !"
said he, and the shopwoman sent him
with surprise and sudden esteem to the
manufacturer, Workman. The purchase
was made, though it took almost the
whole of Stewards fortune, which had
someway diminished to little more than
half his expectations. He brought his
goods over here, and, true to his prom
ise, proposed to give Chambers all the
profits. Chambers wouldn't hear of it,
and so they two proposed joint enter
prise. This was the beginning of Stew
arts life as merchant. The found a
store to let at No. 283 Broadway, and af
ter celebrating over its high rental
1876 year-opened it with the future
millionaire as proprietor and salesman,
and Chambers as his buyer and adviser.
The store was single room. twelve feet
front and thirty feet deep, and Stewart
at first did all the work therein. Here
he began his remarkable acquaintance
with the details of the business, and ac-
AI,o4 c1,,1ror,oo iT1doranT,A of goods