Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1876-03-24
"A sOCEssFUL mRRCuANT.

| sef1ese
4 .N -------
"A ScCESsFUL mERCHANF.
/ Fifty years or more ago, saws the
New York San, lad named Auous-
I tus Hemenway was employed as a
shop boy in a dry goods store in
Charlestown, Mass. His extraord.
| mary aptitude for business attracted
the attention of Boston merchant,
who was heavily engaged in the
South American srade.. Hetook him
| to his counting room on Central
| Wharf, Boston, and when the latter
| grew up to manhood, sent him to
! Valparaiso to look after his large in
terests in that city. In a short time
the young man left his employer
and struck out for himself. This
South American trade was a compre-
hensiEel one. 1t embraced the buy
| ing of all kinds of South Amer
icaB products, hides, wool, copper,
4 &c. sending them to the United
States, and bringing back an assort-
ment of American manufactures
The business established by Hemen-
way advanced with rapid strides.
The wealthy English houses estab-
hshed at Valparaiso, having conf
denee in the remarkable ability of
the young American, lent him their
credit. A singular feature in this
mans career was, that he never
gave note. His busines had be-
come so great in a few years that he
found it necessary to return to Bos-
ton and establish house in that
city. He sent his brother, Charles
P. Hemenway, to South America to
manage the house there, and, re-
naming himself In Boston, enlarg-
ing his operations until the magni-
tude of them demanded every mo
ment of his time. He even built
his own ships, and made additional
profits by carrying his own goods.
He owned sugar plantation IN.
Cuba, copper mines in South Amer
lea, and had business relations with
the Barings of such magnitude as to
astonish even that colossal house,
and the whole of his immense busi-
ness he managed himself. eisc
Now comes a strange change In
his career. About fifteen years ago.
one morning he walked into the
China Insurance Company's Office,
and exnressed some anxiety about a
payment which he was obliged to
make of a comparatively trifing
amount, saying that he was afraid
he should not be able to meet it.
Mr.. Bacon, the President of the
company, was astonished, and after
some talk with Mr.. Hemenway, was
convinced that the latter was lit
tie out of his mind. Mr.. Hemen-
way himself came to tSe same con-
clusion. He sent for his lawyer,
and ordered him to- draw up 3 power
of attorney eoRfdiRg the manage
ment of his business to his brother
Francis and Mr. 5Tileston, his broth
er-in-law, Of the firm of Spoford &
Tileston. Associated with them
was his chief clerk, q Mr.. Brown,
also a man of great business sagsci-
ty. Having done this, he quietly re-
tired to Litchfeld, Conn, and put
himself in charge of an eminent
medical man who resides there. In
this house he remained thirteen
years, watching and nursing his
brain. He had satisfied himself that
without perfect rest and quiet the
machine SO terribly tried would
have gone out, and the result would
be softening of the brain. He passed
his time in quiet amusements, glanc-
ed at the papers, but would never
let the word business be uttered in
his presence. During the period of
his seclusion the great civil war
broke out and was extinguished,
specie disappeared, a new currency
was created, new channels of trade
were opened, and new methods of
business were evolved. The great
.iwhirlwind passed by him unnoticed.
To his friends Hemenway appeared
to be hopelessIy insane. Il s-...,
About eighteen months ago, like
a clap of thunder from a clear sky,
telegram came to Charles Hemen-
way, Worded thus: 'Bring on your
trial balance-Augustus Hemen-
way" The brother telegraphed to
the physician. The answer came:
''Patient perfectly recovered" /" Mr..
Hemenway received his brother and
trial balance and looked over it. A
few days afterward he walked into
his counting room on Lewis's wharf,
hung up his hat on the accustomed
peg and sat down to business quiet
ly. In few days more he looked
over the entire transactions of the
house for the past thirteen years, and
generally approved of what had
been done. Mr.. Hemenway resum-
ed the charge of his business. It
had been enormously enlarged by
his brother and Mr.. Brown. To
them he released the entire profits
of the thirteen years. Now this ex-
traordinary man has resumed his
sometime suspended business.
He is now engaged in some huge
operation, which viii, no doubt,
prove very successful, as it il assert.
ed that during his long career he
never made q business mistake. Mr..
Hemenwsy is now probably the
wealthiest man in Ameries. He
owns 3 great deal of property in
New York city. Seeing that the
dry goods trade was drifting over
to Church street, he bought some
old tenement houses at a compara-
lively low figure and pulling them
down, erected very fine stores.
| He received as much for one
years rent as the ground and old
buildings cost. During the whole
long self-imprisonment of this
man, his wife was an angel of mer-
cy to the poor, going about and Wis
ting them, and spending money to
the extent of princes revenue.
God'sFIrs Temples. r
Bsyard Taylor, In his interesting
work entitled "Home and Abroad, :
Il =