The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1888-05-17
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l. I E. .
0no 1has Dsasted n NsW Ysek 1ese1
Than Cohtuty ASo.
A document has just come 70 light
which shows that business combinaf
tions 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 4 Thaysr dealers in
linseed oil 80 Maiden lane. one day
recently discovered . musty, yellow
leaf had been torn from some minute
book II was among lot Of papers
that were considered Of no account
except a. antique relics. and had prob
ably never been read since the day old
Samuel Campbell the bookseller. put
1t away. It was all in one handwrit.
ing. including the signatures Of the
nine merchants names that were sub.
scribed, showing that It was copy.
It was dated New York. August 20,
Ito. and read % follows:
I'VE. the subscribers (being In 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 uA either
directly or indirectly. BY the cask or
larger quantity. for q less price than
Eve shillings and sixpenoe currency
per pound. clear Of commission or
other charges to any factor we may
employ"
The names Of the merchants were
Greg. Cunningham 3 Co, tacobus
Van Zandt Road q Yates. rheophilus
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 I can't say" said Mr. Camp
bell yesterday. who is we'll preserved
old gentleman. But I think It IL
genuine. It certainly wasn't made
since his death In 1886. He came to
New York between 1880 and 1890
from Edinburgh and opened q book.
store on Hanover square. which he
kept until 1928. when he sold out at
auction. I 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 The
colonial period He Is over 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 l know that tes
was scarce. and they kept the price
up somehow pretty high. Bohea tes
was black tea I haven't seen It 70,
years It was the cheapest grade and
the kind most in use. Green tea cosl
from two to three times ss much. But
tea was luxury, and we didn't drink
It every day. and when we did. on
festive occasions, 1t was in very small
thimble-like cupA The sugar with
which We sweetened the tea was q
luxury, too. for the refined sugar all
had to he imported Ny conscience
Sugar was 80 scarce that there wa.
only small lump in each family;
This was tied to q string and suspend.
cd from tha ceiling over the center o.
the table. The string was revolved
about the table, and each one took {
suck at tho lump. thus sweetening hil
palate rather than his tea No; eacl
one didn't bite of piece; there WASH
enough in the family for that. Coars,
brown sugar. was commonly used To-
other purposes. but oftener molasses
They used to fry pork in molassea"-
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