The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-01-30
STORIES OF STEWART.
Some Newly Told Peculiarities OF the
Man Whose Bones We're Stolen.


Man Whose Bones We're Stolen.
From the Neio York Graphic
While the calling, the other day, of the
Stewart will matter was being awaited in
court number of new and old stories con
corning the dead millionaire dry goods man
were related.
"a t. Stewart was fonder of buying up
mills than anything else" said gentleman
who used to be in his employ not long ago.
He would make advances to struggling
mills and it would not be long before their
whole product was in his hands He must
have controlled a dozen of them when he
died, and Judge Hilton very largely made
it possible by his sagacious counsel But
there was no money in them or in his
real estate speculation. He lost money
steadily in the latter Years of his life, and
even his retail store was not paying at the
time of his death. But he was a marvellous
business man.
"Stewart's knowledge of the details of the
great shop" said this gentleman, twas per-
feet. He was always prowling around the
departments at odd hours, and nothing
stores was severe, and very largely due to
his own watchfulness. The clerks trembled
under his keen blue eyes, particularly when
they wanted to conceal some trifle or mis-
take. The heads of departments would
often buy unstable goods, and finding their
blunder, as they did not sell. would put
them back into the cases. But Stewart
seemed TO keep track of every piece, and
would call for their production when he
suspected they had been hidden. He knew
even when clerks were late, and when they
were not up to their work even better than
their chiefs did
'One Of his characteristics as merchant
was his keen hatred of the firm of H. B.
Clafiin & Co They were his only real
rivals and no money was spared to beat
them at every point. But the balance of
advantage was by no means on Stewards
side For while Clafiiu handled the product
of many mills that Stewart could not touch
and made hits on job lots as well to his own
as the buyers profits, Stewards 'slaughters'
always cost him money He was almost
childish is his dislike of Clafiin, and once.
when a confidential clerk brought him the
earliest news of a new stroke of Clahin's en-
terpriSe, Stewart would not notice the clerk
for a month.
Stewart never recovered from the morti-
fication his ineligibility to accept Grants
appointment to the Treasury portfolio cost
him. He was socially very ambitious, and
in this place expected to command a social
position he could never achieve here. His
marble palace was fondly undertaken as a
sort of battering ram against the aristo-
cratic prejudices which, shattered as they
WERE he could never surmount Like most
men who can't get them Stewart placed a
preposterous fictitious value on social dis
tinCtlons.
"He took his revenge sometimes in a
queer way. Rich men frequently asked
him to give berths in his stores to their
sons. He always complied and put them
at such disagreeable tasks that they usually
left in disgust. One young fellow, how
ever, of the right sort, who was put in the
cellar, unpacking woolenS. did the work
without a murmur, and became mighty
popular with his comrades. Stewart heard
of his pluck and one day in the cellar he
asked for him. A pair of legs sticking out
of packing case showed where the young
man was diving after piece Of goods at
the bottom.
"'Hellor said Stewart, sarcastically, in
bis thin, rasping voice; and what are We
dom thereP
BLANK your blanked blank shouted the
young man, angrily, fully recognizing his
tormentor. Don't you see I'm getting up a
piece of goods! That's what I'm here for,
amt itN
"SteYart rewarded his energy by pro-
noting him the next week"