The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1877-02-22
good temper at once, and thus com

good temper at once, aiiu 1iuo ooin
menced:
ooh. about John Jacob Astor i
know you have heard me tell the story
| before. All be was merchant III
every sense of the word. A falrer OF
squarer man you never came across
| trife hot and peppery at times. Dut
when you knew him, and he DeHeVeo
| in you, he was the best and most no
eral man to deal with I ever met With
1t is not true that he was grasplllg'
and tried TO crush other people. II Is
certain that he had that emma Iur
trade all TO himself, but once or twice
| cut into him in small way, OF
| course. and he didn't mind it at all
! Once [ made venture OF some 30, ooO
| worth OF furs from this side to China,
and brought home teas, and made just
eight for one on the business-that
was a whacking profit. You see, III
1923, some of my Canada friends were
part owners IN the good ship
but. grandfather, stick TO the John
Jacob Aston story, please.
1T was in 1922, then, that | recelv-
| ed from England the information that
all the kinds of stock were likely TO
he rare in Europe. I had the adylces
early from some friends in Lelpslc. |
didn't want much to go IN, though |
studied the market well on both sides,
and found that the supply would be
short. Strange to say, for five years
/ before there had been no money made
| in furs, and big stock had accumulat-
| ed in New York. | was heSlJatlng
what to do, when an order came from
a strong house il London for big line
/ of furs and among the furs some o,bOU
! land offers. Now, offers were dull.
/ IF had, however, gone around ana
I bought them up in small lots III Phll-
adelphia or Boston, | should have
raised the price IN an instant. Talk
about your telegraph-staff FIFTY
wears ago, a man never bought any
j thing in large way that all the people
! didn't speculate whom he bought the
goods for, or where they We're going to.
People were sharp. | should like to
have seen any of your new.fashioned
brokers doing my business for me
Now. I knew that Aston Lad a big LOT
of these very otter How did | know
that Why I had ticketed off every
skin the old man had bought for the
last three years IN New York. | hao
found that out without your telegraph
It was on one Autumn day when Wenl
into Vesey street TO see Mr.. Aston.
did not know him save by sight. Fol
a young man was quite bold, because
had the privilege to draw on tht
Rothsehilds for the amount Of my
purchase, and R0thschilds bills were
scarce and much in demand IN those
DAYS. It would never have done fol
me to let the old man or anybody else
know that was buying for the Con
tinent. I had just been paid, too
quite unexpectedly, a round sum o
money, which I had made up my mln6
now would put into furs. The Asto
store, in Vesey street, wasn't hal
as fine place as would be occupied
to-day by any one OF your twopenn,
brokers' Aston was there, busy ex
aiming bale of beavers. A porte
was asserting them. and the Old MAI
would every now and then stoop ant
pick up u particularly fine skin an'
smooth 1t over with his hand. 1t wa
early in the morning-not much NOR
than 8 clock. Heads Of houses don
,, do that kind of thing nowadays, butn
cid times the principals used to eX
: anime goods for themselves. | mus
have stood between the Light and Mr.
, Astor, for he turned on me, saying
We'll. nv Young man, what is ii | ca
, do for your He had very Sigh
: German accent, and ne would occa:
ionaily mix o's and p's and DIS.
1T is only few beavers | want, Nj
Aston, ! said.
only beavers you want, and pra
who are you! he asked.
I told him the name OF my house. /
my surprise Mr.. Astor said: '0h,
: know you; thought you would com
> round TO trade sometimes. You are
= beginner. [ knew your fadder-ho1
: est man. You larnt your business |
) London with -, a good house, an
mostly turned out smart young mer
/. Well, my boy, here is beavers. Max
. your choice. How many do you want
. Price, SIS 4 pound and not cent les
i This pack runs even right through.
: made a selection Of beaver petit
though | did not really want then
Aston helped me to examine the Skin
and I bought ut about the market rat
some 800 pounds.
r THAT is all you want-nothing els
q Mr.. Aston asked.
n Nothing else, said in an indiffe
:, emit way, but, added i might tai
q lust few offers if | could buy the
u right. | knew Aston was Loaded wit
e them.
l. On, otterss Well. has lot, 8 b
it lot, but amt willing to divide Their
1t There may be as many as 1000. T
:. big for You to handle, my boy.
t. .They are very dull Of sale, and
t. would be most afraid to take anythil
IL like such big lot, You wouldn't {
II vide the lot into two, would you, N
~ Astorf
ot In two. what. halye them! That
5 fair lot anyhow
r Yes. it is big lot, seeing how sic
d. they are of sale.
t. Slow Suppose if they were slo
Id and You didn't know what to do wi
;. them, would you bly, thelnG See he
nj if Won want half the lot You will ha