The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1876-04-21
OUR NEW YORK LETTER.
MOSTLY ABOUT PUNERALS-THE DEATH
OF STEWART-HIS FuNERAL--ANOTHER
FUNERAL-THE FASHIONS.
NEW YORK. April 10. 1876.

NEW 1Ohh. aprli ID, 1OIO.
THE DEATH OF A GREAT MERCHANT.
The death of A. T. Stewart, the worlds
greatest merchant, is the event of the
week and the one topic of conversation.
Almost fifty years ago young Scotch
Irishman came to New York to seek em-
ployment as teacher. Not succeeding,
he determined to give up the profession
for which he had been fitted and EN-
bark in trade. He had just about money
enough to fill basket, and for few
weeks he peddled his goods from door
to door. Then he opened little store
down town, and began a career which
is almost romantic. He had theory as
to how business should be done, and
from the very first he adhered to it
with fidelity that was wonderful He
bought always for cash, and he sold in
the same way. To everything he bought
he added proper per cent, and the
| goods were sold at that price, or they
lay on his counters for so many months,
after which time they were marked
down to point where they would sell.
There never was a particle of trickery
or fraud in his establishment. The goods
were carefully bought, and sold at
fair profit, and the most ignorant person
could buy to just as good advantage as
the most expert. If woman in the
country wanted a dress, all she had to
do was to write the color. material and
cost, and her husband could get it Just
as well as she. He was a mercantile
genius. If pattern of calico pleased
him, he bought, not only all that the
manufacturer had, but he bound him.
self to take all that could be made of it,
so that he alone had it. Possessed of
enormous capital, he could take advan-
tage of the markets, and, buying always
for cash, he could out buy all of his coin
petitors.
There is no other such establishment
as his in the world. His downtown
store is devoted entirely to wholesaling,
and his up town to retailing. In the
two he gave employment to over two
thousand people, and in addition he had
various factories, in which he employed
four thousand more. He dealt in every
thing-dry goods, carpets, fancy goods,
brushes, soaps, perfumery; all under
one roof, and this spring he intended to
o11 hna 70 c1. hot
full concern a lady could buy dress
ready-made. The alterations, if any
were needed, being made in the house
in few minutes, and, without going
out, she could buy her children's outfit,
or furnish her house throughout. And
everything in the concern went as
smoothly as clock work. The army of
clerks were at their posts precisely at
seven, and if one was late, he was
charged with the lost time. Each stood
at his own counter and sold only one
kind of goods. An army of boys carried
the purchases and the money TO a small
army of cashiers, who had the parcels
made and made the change, and then, if
desired, the goods were sent home. 1t
was not an uncommon thing for Stewart
to sell So, 600 of shilling calieos in a
single day, and his sales of gloves
mounted up into the millions.
But with all this it cannot be said that |
Stewart was either good or useful cit |
izen. He was cold and harsh to his en-
ployees, merciless to his debtors, aud as
grasping as a man could be. He lived |
by rule, and was as intiexible as a bar of |
iron. He never took circumstances into |
account, and made no allowances. 1t
was the dollar that he wanted, and the
dollar he would have, at no matter what
cost to others. Possessed of millions, he
has given bat little in charities, and has
in no way assisted in advancing the in
terests of his city or country. He built
two very fine buildings, but they were
needed in his business, or ne never
would have done it, Whether lie has
left anything to the public remains to
to be seen. His estate will foot up not
less than $40, eco. 600, of which Sc, ,000,-
600 is in real estate in this city.
His name had been so long word of
strength, and he had gone so proudly
through hundred convulsions of bust
ness, when men wn-n f.m'~r around
him, that il seemed az il ire was exempt
from the troubles of mortality, and that
the common lot OF ali could hardly be
his. 1t did not seem a. il he could die.
So carefully had his illness been kept
from the world by his trusted agents,
that the news of his death fell on the |
city with a dramatic suddenness. He
must be numbered as one OF the victims
of the sharp infiammatory attacks Pc
culiar to the season. His death was one
Of intense suffering from Inflammation
Of the bowels, 10 which he was subject,
put which in this ease was tic result of
/ severe cold. To day the pageant of
lis funeral has hardly passed as this is
written The streets along tile line of the
were crowded with the Ihrong
which the city gets up at tlie slightest {
notice. The old church of st. Marks,
n whose grassy churchyard lies the dust ,
If many Knickerbockers, Peter Stuy- ,
Tesant among them, was too small to
lold third of those who desired sight I
# the great millionaire's last obsequies, ,,
nd admission was given to the church,
S well as to the house, by card only, c
nd special police kept passage open t
7ith difficulty for the carriages, three
breast. Mackerelville came up to gaze 8
t the gilded coffin, and hearse; but '
aides in India shawls and creamy I
lumes, and well dressed men stood
mong the frowsy, unkempt crowd, and q
II gazed, chatted, and criticised, as if e
were parade they were out to see. r
he lower orders joked and laughed, e
lille their betters speculated about the !.
ill, and the gold plate on the coffin,
art of which was ascertained to be gold | Fl
lated on silver and part solid gold y
he hearse, newly gilt and polished, T
as festooned with heavy gold fringe, e
ut the coffin was without pail. E
With the rsual profusion of scentless u
a.,