Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1876-04-20
Our New York Letter.
Alexander Il. Stewart - Fhree
American Fortunes The
Great French-Ameri-
can Success - A.
NEw YoRK. April IA. 1875

NEW YORK, Aprli IA. 1910.
TO the Editor of the Observer /:
OF course the greatest interest
and curiosity centre upon the fu-
ture disposition OF the vast inter
ests which the estate includes,
especially as the dead man leaves
no blood relations behind !; but
for satisfaction on these points
the public must await the read
ling Of the will, which will proba-
bly, be not long delayed. It is
generally understood, however,
that his almost life long friend and
confidential legal adviser, Judge
Henry Hilton, will tor the most
part stand in Mr.. Stewards place
in carrying to completion the va
rious schemes which he had eth
er planned or begun. The dry
goods business, which was the
nucleus IF this vast wealth, and
was as the apple of bis eye to its
founder during his forty years and
more of commercial life, and
which now occupies not only the
two great white trade palaces
here, but half dozen branch es
Establishments in foreign parts, will
be continued under the old style
and the management of MIR.
Stewards sole surviving partner,
Wm. Libbey, who thus finds de.
volving upon him the cares and
responsibilities of one of the lar.
'gest private concerns on earth, the
yearly volume of whose trade
ranges from thirty to fifty mill
ions of dollars. The loss caused
by the simple closing of the doors
of the two New York stores from
Mr.. Stewards death till after his
burial amounts TO small fortune.
The number of articles and O.
pinions upon the dead merchant
and his wonderful career which
have filed our papers, and the
conversation of their readers du
ring the week, is legion. Every
shade of judgment upon his char
acter and work has been freely
pronounced. Presented in a few
words, however, the moral of his
life seems to be that straightfor.
wardness and answering truth
are the strongest foundations up
on which to build a great business,
or more briefly yet, that Honesty
is the best policy"
The amusement interest is now
about the only thing which
defes the prevailing depression. =
Every theatre in town is doing
big business, and the whole bill
OF fare is a very attractive one
High tragedy, low comedy, bur
lesque, and minstrelsy are well
represented, and every taste can be
suited with something good of
its kind. But of all the score or
two of theatrical representations
now going on in New York, there
is nothing that surpasses in brill.
fancy the performance of Victori
en- Sardou's late drama, "Ferreol,"
at the Unicn Square, in the prep
aration and mounting of which
that most courteous and indicate
gable of managers, Mr.. A. M.
Palmer, has fairly outdone him.
self. The scene is laid in AK, in
France, and the different interi,
ors in the noble chateau in which
the acts transpire, have the fullest
justice done them by the scene
painter. The appointments, fur
nlture, etc., are 40 gorgeous and
harmonious as the most fastidi
Gus could require, while the cast
embraces nearly all the strength
of one Of the finest companies on
the English stage. The imperso
nations of Miss Kate Claxton,
Miss Vernon, and Mrs. Wilkins,
with those of Messrs. Thorne,
Parselle, Stoddart, and Robson,
are, of course, the most striking,
but every part down to the hum
tlest, is we'll filled, and thus the
development of the intensely dra
matte plot is marred by no mark
ed inequalities. The story is ad,
mirably worked out, its real
strength being only developed in
the last act, where the interest is
brought up TO a height which is
almost painful. During the quick
succession of eliminating events
the noble selfaccusation of berre-
OF, the unconscious self conviction
of the real criminal, and the re.
newed complication caused by the
thoughtless exclamation of the
heroine - the house is fairly
breathless in it's suspense and at
the happy denouement the pent
up feeling of the packed house
nightly bursts into a roar of ap-
plause. The play will remain on
the board we'll into the Centennial
Tina "a nina nnnnrLun.A., 10 tha