St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1888-05-19
TRUST COMBINATIONS.
One That Existed in New York More
Than d Century Ago.


A document has just come to light
which shows that business combine
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. 80 Maiden lane, one day
recently discovered a musty, yellow
leaf had been torn from some minut
book. 1t was among lot of papers
that were considered of no account
except as antique relics. and had prob
ably never been read since the day old
Samuel CAM ball, the bookseller, put
il 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,
1870. and read as follows:
1--WE. the subscribers (being i'll pos.
session of Bohea tea), do hereby most
solemnly engage to each other that we
will not from this moment sell, or en-
ploy any person to sell it for us. either
directly or Indirectly, by tho cask or
larger quantity, for less price than
five shillings and sixpence currency
per pound. clear of commission or
other charges. 10 any factor we may
employ"
The names of the merchants were
Greg. Cunningham & Co., Jacobus
Van Zandt, Rad & Yates. Gheophilus
Bache, Perry Hayes & Sherbrooke,
Christopher Smith. Thomas Randall
Uriah Hendricks and Jacobus Lefferts.
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, 1 can't say said MI. Camp
ball yesterday, who is a well-preserved
old gentleman. But / think it is
genuine. 1t certainly wasn't made
since his death in 1886 He came TO
New York between 1880 and 1890
from Edinburgh and opened book
store ON Hanover square. which he
kept until 1928 when he sold out at
auction. / never heard of another trust
that reached as far back as that"
Mr.. John McKesson, who is related
to the Lefferts mentioned in the docu-
ment, has many historical relics of he
colonial period. He is rv,r eighty.
and remembers many things that oc-
CURED in the early part Of this cent
ury.
II 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. / 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 os much But
tea was n luxury. and we didn' drink
it every day, and when we did, on
festive occasions it was in very small
thimble-like cups. The sugar with
which we sweetencd the tea was a
luxury, too. for the refined sugar all
had to he imported. Ny conscience!
Sugar was so scarce that there was
only small lun p i'll each family.
This was tied TO string and suspend
ell from the ceiling over the center of
the table. The string was revoIvcd
about the table, and each one took n
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 Course
brown sugar was commonly used for
other purposes, but oftaner molasses.
They used to fry pork in molasses. y
NJ Y Sun.