Sharp County record., 1878-12-05
A. I. STEWART,
Some Recollections of the Dead Merchant
Prince

Grlnce.
Correspondence Cincinnati Gazette.1
The marked feature in the Fifth Ave-
nue. has, for the last ten wears, been
Stewards palace, but since the outrage
holds special distinction only second
to st. Marks. To build such a palace
was Stewards lifelong ambition, but
ne was an old man before he entered it,
and after only three years he exchanged
1t Tor the narrow house appointed for
all living. At present it is occupied by
an afflicted widow, whose mind is shat
tered by age and disease, and upon
whom this blow has fallen with fearful
power. The spot has previously been
marked by misfortune. Townsend, the
sarsaparilla man, made great wealth,
and built the finest house in New York,
but he failed and died miserably. Stew
art then bought the property. and pull
ed down the splendid house in order to
make room for his palace. He was
forced to occupy it before it was finish
ed, by the fact that smallpox broke out
among his servants, and he was COM
PEELED to move for safety. Death soon
snatched him from his palace, and after
wards tbs widow got serious fall from
which she has never fully recovered.
The grand palace soon revealed grand
defects, one of which was that its lofty
stairs were too difficult of ascent for an
aged woman who is now imprisoned by
disease and sorrow in the second story.
tbs surprising to gaze on this grand
establishment which costa million, and
on which the taxes alone are $1,000, and
realize that it is devoted to this child
less old woman. The servants, who
number at least a dozen, occupy the
basement and attic, and are very for
tunate in having such an easy and lux
urious place. Mrs. Stewart now is IA
vored by the attention of her brother
Charles Clinch, to whom she gave an
adjacent house in order to have the fam
lily near her at this time of age and fee
bleness.
THE ESTATE.
Mrs. Stewart, on the death of her
husband, found herself incumbered with
a vast and unwieldy estate, which, in.
deed, could only prove crushing bur.
den. 1t included two grand warehouses
the Woman's Hotel, three churches, and
other property to the aggregate num-
Der of 1875 buildings. To this was tc
be added the hotel at Saratoga, and the
interest in the stock in trade, tie facto
ries, store in Boston and Philadelphia
bank stock, and the grand palace. As
Judge Hilton was by will entitled to
million in cash, the widow, by way Of
exchange, gave him ten times that val
ue in other property. The bequest wa:
the largest ever made on this continent
as an act of friendship, and by the ex
change above mentioned, Hilton be.
came one of the richest men in the city
Never has any man been so richly re
warded for coddling an old capitalist,
ANOTHER VIEW.
Taking another view of the case, i
may be said that Hilton is not so fortun
ate after all, since his wealth has i'm
posed upon him a prodigious burden
He was Immediately obliged to become
a slave to his new duties, and as part
ner in the firm the bondage has beer
oppressive. He has had no pleasure Of
real enjoyment since Stewards deatl
loaded MIN with wealth and care. A
the same time the estate has beer
depreciating at a rapid rate. ThC
Women's Hotel, now called the PARK
Hotel, has been constantly sinking
money, and can only be kept open at
loss Of $4,000 q year. Trade is also
drifting away, especially under the NAL
edictions of the Hebrews, and many diff
culties beset the firm. Mrs. Stewards
cares also fall to large degree on the
Judge, and her immense estate requires
incessant attention. 1t is now very
evident that she would have been in
much better condition had Stewart left
her what might be called comfort
able home and a snug income. Com.
modore Vanderbilt gave his widow
SSOO,OO0, whose interest is $1,000 6
week, and ne added a spacious, though
not fashionable house. This is hand
some outfit, and more would be bur.
den. Stewards greed for wealth was 8
vaulting ambition which overleapt it.
self. It has merely led to an immense
aggregate of domestic misfortune anc
prospective misery. One of Mrs. Stew
arts difficulties at present is how tc
make her will, and it is highly probable
that she will die intestate. In that case
the immense property would goby direct
succession to the Clinch family, who
are ready to absorb it. 1t is now sus.
pected that the latter are somewhat
Jealous of Judge Hilton's influence over
the old lady, and it is probable thai
there is Gas they say ''a wheel within
wheelr inside the grand palace.