Bradford opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1874-1881, 1877-02-03
OUR NEW YORK LETTER.

OUR NEW YORK LETTER.
A Broadway Farm-.aherl6' OMlcsrs..
Grassy Patent Medicine Men.P0ltttcsl
-Ths SUFFERING Poor-Gold Hunting-
Businsss-vs ndsrbtlt-snow.
A BROADWAY FARM.
Stewart, Aston aud Vanderbilt
are gone, and now the richest rep
resentative Of the old families ID
Peter Goelet, an eccentric old bach
elor who lives on the corner o.
Broadway and Nineteenth Street
in the most expensive section Of thu
street. Goelet's wealth is estimat
cd at from twenty to thirty millions
the most of it having been made by
his great.grandfather and GRANDPA
ther in the hardware trade. 1t il
the old story. A French emigran
commenced the hardware trade bt
fore the revolution, and by hare
work made money. Every dollar
made was invested in farming lands
q mile or more from the store down
town, and for three generations this
has been the rule. What were
farming lands then is covered with
six story buildings now, and What
the first Goelet bought for twenty
dollars an acre is worth to-day hun
dreds of thousands. There are two
left of them, Peter, the bachelor
being the best known. He occupies
several lots on tho corner of Nine
teenth Street and Broadway for q
residence; the property being worth
probably, two hundred thousand
dollars, and he keeps it that he may
have room for COW, a dozen gum
ca hens, a stOrk or two, and a fine
lot of chickens. "Uncle Peter" as
he is called, has a passion for this
kind of farming, and he keeps this
splendid property idle that he may
indulge his whim. He doesn't put
a dollar into pictures or books; he
hasn't a single piece of sculpture
he never travels or sees anything
never takes part in any public en-
terprise; but the money that other
men put into such things he squan'
ders on his COW and chickens.
Counting interest, it costs him TWEEN
ty thousand dollars per year to keep
that COW, which makes the milk
come, should suppose, at about a
dollar a drop. 1t is queer sight
a COW feeding quietly in the busiest
part of New York. But this is
Goelet's within, and perhaps it is as
sensible as many other mems whims.
He is over seventy, and has not a
child to leave his vast estate to. His
nephews and nieces are all very rich,
but as they have not "Uncle Peters,
quiet tastes, they will not object to
adding his millions to their own.
HOW THE CITY GOVERNMENT IS ADMIN.
IsTERED.
The actual depravity of the New
York official, under what is left OF
Tweedism, has never been sounded.
Let me tell you a true story. A
store on Broadway, hardly stones
throw from the Post Office, was en-
livened yesterday by the visit of a
deputy.sheriff, with an execution
for debts of the firm whose business
the present owners bought, and he
proposed to levy on the Office fur
niture for a debt of the old firm !;
and the fact that it belonged to the
new head of the house, personally,
and that the new firm was not hold.
en- for the old in any way, did not
alter the pertinacity of the deputy.
Even when these facts were made
known, he insisted he should levy. .
"My dear sir" said the sheriff,
will tell you how this
can be settled very easily. If you
will just pay me my fees, 1 will
make return no effects found, and
It will be all right"
"But l won't do any such thing"
'etorted the indignant merchant.
'Messrs. Blank & Blank don't own
my furniture here, and I've no
more business to pay you than the
nan across the street."
"You had better pay the money,
md get rid of the trouble" persua.
'ively said the deputy. "All l want
s my fees, and if you can make
hem secure -"
"Get out of here, and go to Hal
fax" roared the merchant; "and if
you don't leave in a minute, I'll
send for policeman, and have him
)ut you out"
"My dear sir" said the deputy,
,ooly, show are you going to help
7ourself9 What is to hinder me
rom levying on any of this furni-
;ure I choose to take Z"
"Do So" was the answer; 'and
['ll send after you, and have it re.
)levined in five minutes"
"Ah but before you could get