Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1876-05-03

Personal RecoIlectiOns of A. r. Stewart
. by Confidential Clerk.
From the Boston CommercialBulletin.

!. by Confidential Clerk.
From the Boston Commercial Bulletin
The daily papers all through the week
have given more or less space to the
leading known events in the late Mr..
Stewards life, covering that ground
very fully; but as one of the Bulletins
present editorial force was for nearly
three years in A. L. Stewart & Co.'S
counting-room, and during that time
had daily specific duties which necessi-
tated personal interviews with Mr.
Stewart, his recollections may add
something fresh.
In all that has been written of this
gentleman IN times past, the closest
interest has been taken. His great
wealth, its steady accumulation from
an original investment of $4,000, his
sole capital, and the example he has
afforded of Americas opportunity for
the industrious and prudent, gave al
most tinge of romance to his person,
and induced a searching curiosity il
regard to the methods of his success.
Mr.. Stewart was about five feet six
inches in height, weighing probably
about 40 pounds. He was of light
complexion, wearing a full beard, al
ways clipped close, the upper lip
shaven. His hair was always kept
rather short, and ran a little thin par
ticularly back from the forehead. His
hair and beard had sandy tinge. His
eyes were grayish blue. Anger was
only visible in them, seldom, if ever,
In bis manner. When provoked, his
eyes, which were medium sized and
with large pupils, would snap TO a pur-
pie tinge, a most peculiar color, and
In coming back to their original shade
would for at least three minutes be a
deep, clear blue.
lie was very methodical man. His
hours for certain duties were very req
ular until the active duties on his
Hampstead Plains ILL. town and rail
way, and other innumerable attending
projects, began to. demand greater
watchfulness, and then those having the
care of the details of these matters
were obliged to snatch moment which
might be termed leisure, any time be-
tween 8 A. M. and 81 NJ. It was Mr..
Stewards custom 70 be at the retail de-
Tenth street and Broadway,
every morning at 10. Here he would
meet his partner, Mr.. William Libbey,
who probably had by that time been
through that vast establishment, and.
after a brief discussion on matters of
special moment likely to be under a
roof with $500 employees and three or
five millions of property, Mr.. Libbev
would take the stage for the wholesale
store, two miles further down Broad
way. Then Mr.. Stewart would go over
the store, and, where the sales of a
one day had been light, he
would have thrown upon the counter
the whole stock, ascertain its cost, re-
duce its selling price if found too high,
and then if the sales were below their
proper or usual average he would make
speedy and strict inquiry into the cause.
If poor statesmen were the fault. off
went their heads; if bad selections from
the wholesale stock, then woe to the
heads of those retail and those whole
sale departm ents, if his own or his part
ners attention had not previously been
called to the unmarketable character
Of the goods.
Mr.. Stewart usually spent two hours
at the retail department, coming down
IN his carriage to the wholesale depart
ment between II and /. Upon his en-
tering the store he nearly always went
to the head book-keeper, looked over
his balances and gathered results of the |
previous days work. Thence he went
to Mr.. Libbey, and after half an hours |
discussion over the striking items in the
mail, the price and prospect |
of gold and exchange, markets abroad |
and buyers reports, retired upstairs to |
his private office. Here he began to
plan and push his many outside enter
prises, mingling with this work some of
the more regular affairs of the firm in
decisions upon styles of goods to be
made, of special purchases to be con-
frmed, etc.
Only two men ever presumed to enter
Mr.. Stewards inner Office unannounced. |
They were Judge Hilton, his warm per-
sonal friend and legal adviser, and Mr..
Libbey, his partner. Men for whose
the house paid $4,000 a year,
men high in mercantile, social and po-
litical circles, messengers dispatched
and returned with important and much
needed facts, all awaited Mr.. Stewards
nOu OF TeCOgnlClOu InIOuSn the. glass
door or the approach of the lad in at
tendance bearing Mr.. Stewards welcome.
Politeness was d marked feature of
his manner. He had a pleasant thank
YOU for the poorest porter who did his
service, always civil speech, even I'M
der the most exasperating circum-
stances. His expression of disapproba-
ton was " tut tut" and in response to
any story or report he did not credit, he
quietly remarked "stuff." Profanity
and drunkenness were his abomination
He was an Episcopalian in his re-
ligious tendencies, and although not
vigorous church member, had great
respect for the opinion of others. The
purpose of his partner to educate two
Of his sons for the ministry was a
matter Of no little pride with Mr..
Stewart, and after they returned from
their studies in Germany and were
settled in Princeton College, he was
always pleased to hear of their pro-
fciency and progress.
He was stickler for correct Eng
ish. Himself a college graduate, and