, 1876-05-13
a HARD ROAD TO WEALTH.


:: Adhu dUAD 1V WEALTH..
> How Cincinnati German Saved $40 0oo
Il C1acfnnati Commerciak
!, IWenty~nvc years ago 4 poor German emi-
S grant named August salpius came over the sea
: to seek better fortune in the Western States ot
y America. lie was then IS years Of age, untuar-
rled and ignorant OF any language except that
: oi his mother-country. By chance rather than
, preference he made Columbus his home, easily
, finding employment in drugstore, as he was
soon found to be d tirst-class apothecary. lie
vas a dry, odd, and uncompanionablc kind Of
. man, but .'ou tho respect Of his employers by
, his sobriety and attention TO business. After
having clerkcd two years at Columbus he seems
to have found himself sufficiently wealthy to re-
sign his situation and conc to Cincinnati for
The purpose OF establishing drugstore Of his
OWL. With his hard sayiny5-thc result Of as
eetically risid economy-he succeeded in open
street. - ---~ -'~
He rented the first floor of the building, which
comprised two Tooms-the store, only 15x15
feet, and q small back room, Lsx1o feet. He
converted the back room into sleeping apart
ment, barred up the windows and the back door,
and rendered the little chamber as gloomy and
darksomc as possible. Here he slept and ate,
year after year. without light comfort, or ven.
tilation, His breakfast and supper consisted Of
weak coffee, heated on one Of those little her
maphrodite stoves which poor family may use
dinner, in the years before the War, be went to
Gentsct's er-saloon, on Vine street, near
| Twelfth, where he could get "a bcefsteak for 10
cents and glass OF beer for 3 cents. This was
was never known to purchase two glasses of beer
I at mcai-time, to disbursc more than 13 cents
for dinner before the War: In latter years be |
! changed bis dininS~piace to German boarding
a meal for 25 cents. But lie evidently consiI- !
| cred this too much money to spend at one time /
in tie satisfaction Of hunger, Us he continually |
grnmb1ed at thu cost Of his food. For twenty
1Sy-nf4 +4.+e nfry IL
same small, nolsome room, eating the same
coarse food, aud maintaining the same strict
rules With regard to business hours. The store
vas always opened early in the morning, and
years the Old Kaan had no companions, no
friends, no coufdants. Occasionally, when bust
ness was brisk, or when he felt seriously i'll, Or
when it was necessary to leave his haunt in Or
der to replenish his stock, he would employ
boy about IL or II years old to attend to the
store for nominal salary. But he would never
l Keep boys for any length of time, djscharging
p!y to save the expense Of their pitiful salaries
lie would never trust customers, never lend
money, and never spend = cent for his own |
pleasure or for that Of others. Neither was he
grer known to put money out at interest.
Folks always thought him too cautious to keep
any large quantity Of money about his prc,1i-
ises, and the old man was perfectly we'll aware
that ttey thought So So he piled up his money
broken mcdicine-bottlcs, feeling assured that
no human being knew anything about it: eating
stale bread aud weak coffee, discllarging his u1i-
fortunate 6oyS and e gradually growing gray
the feet OF gloon-loying insects left elin-shapcl
tracks. |
But last summer the old man began for the
little about his own affairs. he told people that
be would sell out his business and visit the old
country. He had also become weak and broken
down IN health; his lower limbs had become like
~ f1ff fha pSn
With ulcers, by reason of his inactivity and
1rctched living; and lie evidently felt that to
continue much longer in his business would
hasten death rapidly. Nevertheless he fingered
'li u the old drugstore Tor months, until It be-
;anle difficult for him to move his bandaged LEGS
a purchaser was found for the store at s., 200,
lnd L August salpius was satisfied with the bar +
,ard to the transfer had been made, he then re-
lucstcl druggist friend to find out for him /
nat silyer coin was worth. It was then worth !
% and u.s. On being asked how much silver I
DIN be had, the old man said lie did not really [
= nov n@ himself, but he supposed be had between
j, 600 and $1,000, mostly in 5o-cent pieces. He
'as asked to go home and count them, and he
as as, occupied gu IN counting fog more than two
aat ne hated to part SO soon with his money.
ut that the Office safe was not big enough fn
olu IT oil. The silver had been ying Idle in
.uh Is bedroom since 1s59: he had not time, he -
vcrred, to lose in putting it out at interest
Us friend succeeded in selling the coin for him
1o8, and as it weighed nearly four hundred ~
ouhds, q wagon had to be procured in order to
Itch it to Third street bank -
Havlng obtained check for tho silver sold. | fnf i
nue. walking up the street with his friend the Lu
Il man ASKED Tor advice as to how he could ont
'st invest the balance of his money. He WIS
ea advised to buy Government bonds especial II
rs ne pnrposed leaving the country. To this
1epneo that nc had considerable money ia ] No
nds, aud was willing to invest part OF bis ready iii
oney in the same, but that lie wished to divide Ae1
inoucy. lie did not want to put all of his
:attn on board one vessel, as there were such | u
lngs as sh1pwrceks and dynamite fiepds. III n
en- stated, to the astonshment Of his hearers
n ne had Sl5, GOO more in bonds about SIS
) N N currency, and between S14,OOO and
o,U9 IN gold coin. In fine, it turned ont
~ dur1nsg the twenty-three years Of his 10t
seIablc existence in Cincinnati August Sal tt
= ! ono m1a hoarued mp property worth nearly
: 5'4oV' most OF Which, in coin and currency.
~ oeen af II lly'ns idle In dark and filthy back
I'm OF tue store He could not 81 be bothered
9nt investing it," he exclaimed, in renlV
the surprise expressed by friends upoo learn
n these M things. Even the bonds, a5nountin-
$l5,ooO, belonged to an old dcuoninat;on 4
= had been called in in 1S7no, and had ceased Ag'
bear interest since that year.
iaip'os hnatiy determined to buy gold drafts III
european bankers, and prepare to leave The ps1;t PAT;
my. Qn the day before yesterday he left anr II
y York for Bremen. A~1' mini
wenty-fye years of loneliness and tef-abne- Sa!n @
ae1t, Of squalid wretcbcdness IN ths ,n;1a. Rfn
wealth, OF heart -auawing anxfctv for tho prev
.ty Of that wealth. of sa1f ;oa;at u ~. tne bette
colo ana sickness, Of days never briehteHcd
ne gnost OF sensual enjoyment, of even
aeVef charmed By the presence ar 1-o,.n.