The Grenada gazette. (Grenada, Miss.) 1885-18??, 1888-05-26
TRUST COMBINATIONS.
One That Existed in New York More
Than a Century Ago.

Than a Century Ago.
A document has just come to light
which shows that business combina-
tons resembling trusts are no new
thing, but were formed by merchants
in this city before the Declaration of
Independence was signed. In looking
over the records and papers left by
his father, who died in 1886. Mr.. Geo.
W. Campbell, senior member of the
firm of Campbell & Thayer, dealers in
linseed oil. SO Maiden lane. ono day
recently discovered a musty, yellow
leaf had been torn from some minute
book. 1t was among q lot Of papers
| that were considered of no recount
except rs antique relics, and had prob
| ably never been read sisce the day old
Samuel Campo II. the bookseller. put
it away. 1t was all in one handwrit.
ing, including the signatures of the
nine merchants names that were sub
scribed. showing that it was a copy.
1t was dated New York. August 20,
NV, ana ftal Us lOilO"s'
I'VE. the subscribers (being in pos.
session of Bohea tca). do hereby most
solemnly engage to each ether that we
will not from this moment sell, or en-
ploy any person to sell it for us, either
directly or indirectly, by the cask or
larger quantity, for u less price than
five shillings and sixpence currency
per pound. clear of commission or
other charges to any factor we may
employ
The names of the merchants were
| Greg. Cunningham & Co.. Jacobus
Van Zanit, Rad g. Yates, rheophilus
Baehe. Perry Hayes Il S%herbrooke,
Christopher Smith. Thomas Randall.
Uriah Hendricks and JacobHs Letterts,
four of which appear in the first
directory of this city, which was pub
lished sixteen years later.
How my father came by the docu-
ment, l can't say said Nj: Camp
bell yesterday, who is a well preserved
old gentleman. But l think it is
genuine. 1t certainly wasn't made
since his death in 1886. He came to
New York between 1880 and 1870
from Edinburgh and opened Il book
store on Hanover square. which he
kept until 1928, when he sold out at
auction. never heard of another trust
that reached rs far Back as that
Mr.. John McKesson. who is related
TO the Letferts mentioned in the docu-
ment, has many historical relics Of he
colonial period He is ever eighty.
and remembers many things that oc-
Cured in the early part Of this cent.
ury.
IL don't remember about any
trusts" he said, .but | know that tea
was scarce. and they kept the price
up somehow pretty high. Bohea tea
was black tea. l haven't seen it for
years. 1t was the cheapest grade and
the kind most in use. Green tea cost
from two to three times as much. But
tea was luxury. and we didn't drink
it every day, and when we did, on
festive occasions. it was in very small
thimble-likc cups. The sugar with
which VIC sweetencd the tea was n
luxury, too, for the refined sugar all
had 10 no imported. My conscience!
Sugar was so carce that there was
only a small lun p in each family.
This was tied to a string and suspend
ed from the. ceiling over the center of
tho table. The string was ~revolvod
about the table. and each II took a
suck at the lump. thus sweetening his
palate rather than his tea No; each
one didn't bite off a piece; there wasn't
enough in the family for that. Coarse
brown sugar was commonly used for
other purposes, but oftener molasses,
They used to fry pork in molasscS."-
NJ Y. Sun.