The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1880-01-18

New Orleans City Council anu lta PRESIDENT
and Ii he had listened tn his friends would
have been sent to the United state Senate
from Louisiana; but he Withdrew In favor OF
Judah 7. Benjamin, for whom he had q warm
personal regard. and who, attprward, became
Secretary OF State for the Southern Confera-
cy aud is at present one 1T most prominent
lawyers In England, where he went at the
close Of the rebellion
When the panic IF 1857 came tt caught
three OF the firms to which MIR. Rrhb be-
lonpad aud on the first Of January 1853 their
unliqudated liabilities. amounting Ii s2ss3.-
h25 were assumed by him. and tha final nsy-
nent of princpai and interest nlade tn 1866.
In 1859 MIR Robh came North. taking up his
residence In Chicago, when ha was made re-
rever Of the st Lunis. Alton and Chicago
Railroad and In 1861 when the company was
reorganfzed he was made presdent, which
position he held until 1864 when he went to
New York. In this year Mr.. " tbh waa made
president Ut the Atlantic and Great Western
Il tilway at salary ri 5000 per year, but
"a ve II NJ nj the end 81 Three months, owing
10 the discovery Of the Fraudulent purposes Of
lts projectors In 1865 the Dubuque and
Sioux City Railroad Company made him it's
president but he retired the following year,
and went again tn New Orleans where ha
established In 1866 the Louisiana National
Bank, with n paid W capital " St 600 300.
and was made It's first president, which oiiica
was resigned In 1869
In 1871 Mr.. Rohh retired from business with
q dinliuished fortune, bnt Try no means poor,
and In 1873 came to Cincinnati and settled at
Hampden Place, his present residence, end
which he purchased aud gave ~ his mother
thirty II years ago. Mr.. Hobh's Losses
since ls47 aggregate 81 900 600, but to-day his
signature is not outstanding FOR a single
penny. and he has money plenty to meet his
every want Concerning the adnrnmeuts OF
bis home too IA ueh cannot be said. The fur
niture IL rich the carpets soft TO the tread.
and on every side pictures aud vases and
Ohlnas and books please the eye, and appeal
to the aesthetic In the visitor. Some OF
I t,.1xtI
the public portion NJ his pictures aud
pottery having been on exhibition at the
last Exposition, and at the Loan Exposition,
| this year. There Is not room IN the house
which does not contain some work of value.
| In one room We found q magnificent water
! color copy Of CorfeegiO's famous painting,
| Venus. Mercury and Cupid" a mountain
scene 10y tho elder VernAt, Daniel Defending
| Susanuah Before the Elders" by LIE Brun.
aud purchased In 1876 at the saa ri the Bona
| parte pictures, a pair Of the most beautiful
| blue sevres vases, valued at $1,000; very
| handsome large Berlin vase, pair Of exquls-
| itely carved ivory cups, and a Munich vase:
In another o patr 81 old Dresden vases,
worth $1,000. tine Flemish Tower
piece on copper, large fruit picture In
| oil Iife-ke portrait supposed to be q
! Vandvke, In another room, o lHrg9 paint
| ing nv Ituheus and Snyder. formerly the
prnpprfy of Charles Of England, sold by act
of Parliament and bought by Mr. Hobb at the
sale Of the Bouapar'e pictures AT Borden
Il
not less than $1,000. In the same room is a
picture of Vandycke's wife and II portrait Of
| MaGready, the actor. In the next room Is a
portrait IF Gnn. Scott, one of Gen. Taylor and
| one nf MT Roth. In his thttfe'h year There
il also spirited picture, "A Four In Hand"
by Carl Nerntt. In this room Is number OF
Spvree, Dresden aud Munich vases, q pair OF
large Japanese vases, the first ever brought
overland to New York, aud on table in one
corner the pedestal onig OF n magnificent
vase given to Mr. Ruhh by certain English
bondhoIdets Of the Chicago aud Alton Rail-
road. The vase complete cost $1,000, but MIR.
/ Robh considered 1t too valuable To keep in his
house so he gnvs the urn to his son In New
York and retains only the pedestal. which he
has very artistiealiy ornameDted by u
black and gold Sevree. The pedestal
Is work Of Att in Itself aud has thts luscrip-
ton, "Prrsented toJas Rpbb, ESQ, President
of the Chicago AMI Alton Railroad, by the
following English boudholdets rs q mark OF
their appreciation OF bis unttrtng efforts and
success in resusetating the said road, and for
his integrity therein. by Abraham Dairy
, Foster y Braithwaite II. w. Fernie, Thoss
Robinson, Jas. Robinson WIN. Iathell, and
many others represented by the above. june
t963" In the rooms on the second floor other
pictures Of the valuable collections find
. places. In one room Is u picture by Leutza,
called the Spanish Lady This picture is
n portrait Of n beautiful Baltimore wonans
who was to pay the artist $1,000 for his work,
| but some disagreement arising she refused to
take the picture and threw II ON the artists
hands He was at loss how to reimburse
himself for his tine and labor until be- threw
adelicateIy beautiful black veil over the head
: aud shoulders Of the Baltimoreau, and made
! her the Spanish Lady and sold her for O
, good round sum.
In Mr.. Robb's own room will be found sew
7 eral old and valuable engravinRs; one head
j 1T SPARTAN philosopher Is especially notice.
able for It's iinely wrought lines and life-lke
distinCtness. Here also Mr., RObb shows q
vase he purchased In London thirty-five
a 1nd fes
mate IN some way was lost or destroyed. ME-
Kobb bought his first pictures also about the
same time.
| In addition to all these Mr. Robb has a
library OF 1000 volumes among them books
! over three hundred years old, but rs Mr.. Robb
says his library Is more for uss than show,
I and he has bought books more for what he
| could learn out Of them than for age or rari-
4 ty. In personal appearances Mr. Robb In O
noticeable man. Hs Is six feet TALL Will
weigh 300 pounds. has gray hair, 81 smooth
!. face. blue eyes. n mouth indicating great de-
, termipatloD,a pleasant smile that wins all who
come within it's influence, quiet, gentlemanIy
: bearing gracefully diguiied, and a presence
which imprcsees the visitor Mt once that ha
Is no ordinary man. The grounds about the
, house comprise ono hundred acres, and the
slperntfndence OF their cultivation La Mr.
$ Kobb's employment when away from his
/ books. His wife IL no longer living, and his
: son resides In the East, so that, In his own
/ words, his "comphnioHs are hundreds OF
q authors, who instruct him In WISDOM ana iIf1-
8 part consolation more precious than riehess
: neither needed or coveted" His life has been
remarkable on,' and his success from 80
: small d beginning shows that indomitabla
n pluck and an uutiring spirit, coupled with q
: sound physical constitution and good judg~
: rnent. are not controlled by circumstances,
: but make and control circumstances, and the
Z young man just beginning his business career
/ could select no better example than the life
: and abors OF James Rpbb.
k - -
Heather For tItudD.
n -, :, 90,