The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1881-02-01
OF A BoorBLAcK.
Real Estate Owner. and now q
Knight Of the Brush.
San Francisco Chronicle

San Francisco Chronicle.
Every body in san Fran mas
n history. but among the the OF
the peculiar life stories IS! aid
be told there are few mor .ge
than that of an old man =. a
bootblack stand in Yer Mel "a
small street leading Of kea He
is man of education and c. able
experience. speaks English. rencb,
German, and Spanish, and has trav-
eled IN many countries. He was born
shortly before the battle OF Water.
iu a small village on the hanks of the
Moselle, in a district which Is now the
Duchy of Luxembourg, but which at
that time was French territory His
father served as a colonel of airy
under the great Napoleon, was
present at many of the impor at
ties which were fought in pc
during the career Of the exi IA
~ man. After Napoleon Wa q
Elbe the soldier returned to ID. a'
and settled down upon his p. apss.y.
The French government issued Do
cree forbidding the payment Of .Hs
war pension to those entitled unless
they resided upon French soil, ana IL
order to obtain his allowance he NOV
ed across the frontier, the distance
being only a little greater than a
stones throw. He let his farm to
good tenants, and. owing to the
proximity of his dwelling, be was en-
abled to collect his rents and look at
Ter his property with care. He gave
his son, he subject Of this
sketch, a good education, and in 1890
sent him to Paris to enter the employ
of mercantile house largely interest
ed in the Spanish trade. The duty
of the youth was to copy all the SPAN
ish letters, so in that way he became
familiar with the language. He con
tinued at Paris until 1884, when he
was ordered by his employers to go to
Mexico to take charge of their inter
ests in that country. After a fifty
day VOYAGE in a sailing ship be arrived
in the City of Mexico, where he re-
NAMED engaged in the commission
business and as a merchant until 1876
In that year the Paris firm became
bankrupt, and he was ihus thrown
out of employment. Fnr the three
years following he supported himself
az teacher of the French language,
and managed to save little money.
When in 1S49 the news OF the gold
discovery in this country reached Mex
ico, he resolved to come and try bis
luck. He landed in this city on
8, 1S49. with twenty-five
Mexican dollars in his pocket.
Among the passengers was German
and an American, with whom he
went up to the diggings. There he
worked with them, at Placervii!e and
other districts, until 1868. when they
parted company. He came back to
San Francisco and arranged with a
man to buy some land near the corner
of Stockton and Jackson streets. His
savings amounted to s25 900. and az
ter paving for the land he still had
some $4,000.
In February, 1864, he married, but
this was the greatest misfortune Of
his life. His wife was very e'fara-
CANT, and her expenditure six
dresses and champagne mad J-ile
grow rapidly less. He ; ;ea
his property to build upon I'D,
but found that when the me
to pay up the loan he W. of
coin. He lost his houses nd.
and then his wife ran aws III a
miner to the American Rive. 6iggings,
leaving him with only Sic in the
world. Looking around for employ
ment he bought basket and began
to peddle fruit. and for five years
to gain living for himself
and son. In 1870, with his savings
Of 5000, he bought the little house |
where he nov lives, on Eighth street. |
He still continued in the fruit bust
ness, and went into partnership with a
man from New York. They did very
we'll for a time, and in 1876 his part |
ner went to Mexico and Central Amer
lea to buy oranges and other fruit, |
taking with him $4,000 in hand, but
from that day to this the deluded vic |
tin has seen neither partner Or cash. |
The store had to be shut up, and he
was again poor. He made up his
mind never to 60 into any mercantile
business again, and SO became boot
black, following which occupation he
manages to gain livelihood. His son
s in one of the city departments, and
he renders some assistance. The old
nan has been a citizen of the United
States since 1858, and never voted ex- |
,ept at the last election. His stand |
lss its regular customers, and many |
clerks from the large dry good stores
n that vicinity patronize him; and
hough he is getting old now he
links he will have enough to last
i'll he dies. He saws he only wishes
,e had been a bootblack in the begin
ling. and then ne would not have
,een married. His recreant wife died
t San Francisco Sky ears ago. and now
lis only tie on earth is his son.