Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1888-08-15
OUR NEW YORK LETTER.
Some Interesting Points About the
Rich LorIIIards.

An old New Yorke--a great grand
mother in Israel, whose memory goes
back TO the time when dugouts were
used as ferry boats on our rivers, Cana
street was covered by bridge and the
boys bobbed for eels along its mudd,
banks, when on the site of the Fiftf
Avenue hotel stood a country roaG
house, and Central park was a long
drive beyond the city limIts-Said to
me the other day while passing one ol
the immense establishments of the L,or.
lizards: "Who would have thought
that snuff bought It?''
"1 - she continued, "a little more
than century ago the first Lorill ards
came to New York. poor, uneducated
and unknown. The head of the family
kept little shop in the neighborhood
OF Peck slip and Water street, and
there the first American snuff was
made in a Dutch coffee mill, held on
the lap by one hand while a female
OF the household turned the crank with
the other. This was the germ of the
vast enterprises that have succeeded.
and, III the same manner that the
brand or a favorite cigarette is now
adays the passport to its popularity,
'LOrillard's snuff became famou.
nasal bliss depended upon its seductive
Utilization. The family made a prime
article. undersold the Importers, whose
goods were subject to heavy duties,
and soon reaped a rich harvest. Close
attention to the shop, a frugal manner
OF living, scon for superhuous apart.
ments and careful outstanding of the.
small coin, soon enabled the old people
TO enlarge their quarters, purchas,
some real estate and send the children
to school. John Jacob Astor was plod-
ding along in similar field, not far
from the same neighborhOod."
"Old Peter' Lorillard, as he was
called to designate him from his son
and namesake. although penurlous,
was IN hIs day considered unerring au-
thority on the subject of investments.
- oung Peter" however, WAS not SO
parsimOniOus, but even when advanced
IN years, perhaps as a matter of habit
as well as in Difference to the teachings
or his father, lived plainly and iudulged
in but few luxuries.
1t was intended that the grandsOa
should bear the family name, but the
world by this time had grown too IT.
lined tor society" 10 tolerate the hon
est old sound of Peter" and so they
it into French. and the boy
was dubbed Pierre" But with it
came another change. In Pierre all
trace of penuriousness disappeared
from the Lorillard family. He level
like prince. Money to him WAS some
lining TO spend, not TO hoard. He kept
fast horses, helped the poor, hated
cheats and cheating. was generous to
the extent of prodigaliUy; would leave
50 IN barber shop where TWENTY-FIVE
cents would have sufficed. and in nu-
merous ways illustrated the fact that !
he carried big heart on the night side
Of his shirt buttons. And everybody
liked him.
1t is estimated that the family es-
ate IS now worth upwards of one hun
ired millions of dollars; the iuc In,-
rom the tobacco business alone
to several millions OF dollars
Turning from the palatial
'esidenCe of the family today to the |
humble little shop, mea geriy furnished T.
md swarming with children, all embryo !
nllllonaires, what a contrastl Then, ]
While
'thers talked OF their Kaphae!s, Corrog os aud
stun
'eter SHIFTED his trumpet and only took snun.
Now, 1t is only necessary for one of
'eter's descendants to take snuff anJ /
he rest OF the beau monde sneeZe.