The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-05-23

TuE UIDOU .tLTIio,hE NOT PROFISS-
ING TO HitE BEfN mas BIIE.
The Son WHOM she swnre tpon john Avery
n"~ set up ~ the sou of the Hit,iinrnirc
st"r, ~ the Getting Of VI crriGt's Wealth.


st"r, ~ the Getting or Mcriiu's Wealth.
John \. Merritt, one of the wcalihicst and
most widely known OF the drovcrs and cattle
dealer, of this siatc died in his furm house
near Port Chester village. on the 2stl VI April.
1876. His wealth ani his many ecccntricitics
had long matte him "a iuNra.d man. and when it
became known that he lad made no will and
had no near relatives. there was considerable
excitement. not only in the village. hut in other
parts OF Wcstohes, r county.
John A. Merritt was tho son OF Ju;hnm Nor
rift. a well-to-dn farmer who died in 1912. lcav-
ing to his son his farm on Hog Pen Ridge in
Rye. about two miles from the village Of Port
Chester then called Satpits.l john. who was
born In lNu5 inherited from his father not only
this property. which WIS worth 100000. hat "a
wiry constitution. great love Of work. much
sArcw1ncss and q turn for economy. that led
the uncharitahl" OF tho noighhors To- cnll him "a
miser. From his youth ny he abhorrrd what
We cnll the petty vices not. apparently. because
they were vices, hut because they cost money
He was never happy unless ut work ana the
harder the work the better he liked 1t. He
never paid to have anything don" that he could
do himself Ills llf-t business venture tpy uud
the pat"rnal farm which he titled and pinughed
year ait year until long after he had reached
At that tmn siy ia 1890. wost.heeier and
intnam counties supplied considerably beoi to
fNyw ivrn' , fn. ,',tr " "m 40 ,i w., wv"
III W,,ii's It.nl i,b,,, Lr,f Nv T'ln III H. H..
tors brother Henry ON commission. In thus
s',,r Milo IT, l,,t .,I .,li N, h.. ,.v,, ,',,
one II the druveiS with whom he Wis intimate.
| si,,,,- f, ,.r.'., ai,,,Vr,,P,n ,"r th.t ,i
| man judgment although b" WIS chary Of cN-
pressing any opinion as to his honesty. lncie
pay unless he hal IT, I''' WV
before he. had been long in hpsinoss as a
n,t"nvr nr, nvrrlu gum, W. , on 10
/" onars~ his "pern,ions var hy y"nr. HIT ns
ti. ,v'',7th H., i,.J HI. Al ~ ~ ., - ,' ,
h.,n,''e r,or'. mi NOR. nY"d n,d i,,tt,,I o. ~
reinNing in MS constant ton he sr,,,nei tn tokn
atcumulatrd more than "A million dollars he
worked On Ills arm Ikea common lnb"r"r. o.
n H..NH ni' I"s' oi nA"n To- u," ,'ll.'Se W,in
AMI nny,.r missed attan,i,,n. on IA sui INV ~
the cattle narket Win II wa. r"ininr =" tb"t
~, Mi \ VIZ, We, ~ ~ , i, ~" ts
+, Nm Ynrt ATnnm.h he iiv. I'VE ,nils ',ii
q ne VILLAGE he rarely rode from the depot 10
ms nome not .N'n after ne ma pass az, sew
been to violate AL the sacred traditions u his
il', ana 10 nave ms own hlrrd man drive down
! l. E't MN would nave been io deprive the farm
Of n- labor for an hour or more
Mr.. Merritt had an old top buggy In which lac
made ms collecting tours through the county.
which was marvel oil shahhuos- Every YES
tigc of leather IN It's top disappeared years ago.
the cushions, Of It's seats We're worn to rugs
ani nj long before MIR. Merritt died the DASH
ard fol- II. But seated Ia this skeleton veh lclr
Jogging along -obery behind heavy bodied
ci-tun~I the millionaire drovrr made his way
With entire onrhaian,s. inwmt only ON rlakiuS
ena ,k,ep.nS money lie rather hSSd t. be re-
driven his oxen 10 the villag" In front ~ q load
90 hay, on rainy. disagre' able day in autumn.
ll' went into his courln, Office 10 warm his
hands. m sorry YOU can't afford to Hire a
man 90 do this sort Of work. his cous In SAID /;
"lut tneu. W. an know how poor you arn"
= n 10
iully ior a quarter otan hour. and w"nt o'it H.
unload has hay. Economy which ruled his iifs
brought about his death. IL insisted upun
sowing oats on" day, AMI g0i his icetW.t The
next day hc went Tap Now FORK. uud.-ci through
r. s.gsll ana mud OF ~ eAtiI" tyn-. AMI re-
turned hom" with pneumonia. ci which lie
d w sri. ., VIZ frl,, h,, IN tscs when tho
roads were blocked with snow. and mo- trains
were running on the railroad fora day 81 two.
g. gn '" ar =" IN the initdl" II the night sad
,,srSsc4, Ms way through to the cattle market II
w, W.. c,Nr-' %, ,. , I'D" -uliy on oN'ir IN
.I -, n" IT,, ''l'. ,, , A.
M.rr,,t ,,. !, ...i,,l i., ,-',t %. Ni.
| AMI -'l..it. fi,eu, In IN , rl'irE a. ,,'f
l,.N,'ii.,,t lii,iI. tt..nl af1 .,i, ME
| l. tin,,.. ,i..rn .ranIr ti, ,.,. ,..
/ f,-t IL. N4 n,'i. mon, Mr. N'rrft ii't..-t,l n
! ...n.rnlfv in .u., "a r,v th,t IL vi.i.d ,r,nt .
! ah.r returns. lie did hit take h. real '-tn'..
| having "A dr,aI Of taNtuyins. BarE sf.k-
| &, y,r1,n'.nt nnl ..''i 'r,tii1I'ad iNds nHi
| lnn.s ma rlorf,,,'l-..- ,r r., b. . f,,rf,..
| found "a trunk frll II sll..f ea'tritis- 49, ~.
| HirIn, National Bank of ihi- citv Th.y mr..
! worth flIlv 81 d0uUuI tI-- .l,Iy ~. ra N r,..f
r-'it. h.. H,yrei only H.. farm. "A tlto ~ I',,i ~
Mumuroneek ant n house in Inon street
on. n The or.aMir. WtI' 'Jrt,r ~, Te'ss
| Tlrif. Nlt.out7 Bunk. a ,llr,to ~ fI., pn.,d.
ln4inmn"' Company q ne Mt National Btuk
SIT ii.,n am, vi ono. or more, Iis,.r. iil.i s.