Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1893-10-18

able that in the biographical sketches of IA
nous architects we see in the daily papers
now and then, all of them who in any way
were connected with this building, compos-
ed of iron and brick, are proud enough OF
the fact TO have it mentioned in cold type
Il is twelve stories high, to which he is about
to add two more, all of them, from basement
to attic, covered with goods which are ship
ped to all parts of the United States and
Canada, as well as the republics of North,
South and Central America A young man
calculates that were those stories hattened
out they would cover an area of five square
acres. That is surely mammoth store, and
yet it is too small for the business of Charles
Broadway Rouss. He will soon have to en-
large The man is literally devourer Of
work. He labors sixteen hours day on an
average. He looks after his own correspond
ence, which is immense. In other great
houses with no pretension to equality with
his the correspondence is divided into
branches with a man in charge of each, but
Mr. Rouss SCOTS at such an idea Another
task he ha, undertaken is the editing of bis
Monthly AUCTION Trade Journal Though
this is meant chiefly as an advertising me-
dium aud has a circulation of 100000, it
contains a good deal Of sound sense. Mr..
Rouss writes phonetically. He does not
believe in unnecessary letters. One of the
banks he makes deposit IN is the Ninth Ma
tioual, in which his cash account is said to
be The heaviest in the dry goods district
This is saying good deal. In commencing
this sketch it was not intended to speak so
much of the business of Mr.. Rouss as about
his personality, but both are so connected
that it j. hard to disassociate them In APP
pearauce he is q man that would not strike
the superficial observer, but to the physiog-
nomist he is study, and his strong, well cut
features reflect the indomitable spirit with
in He is of medium height, of middle age,
has grey hair and moustache, and carries
himself with quiet dignity. Nevertheless,
though so long in business and though al
most a new generation has sprung up since
he laid down his musket, something of the
air miitaire is bound to stick to him to the
eud. In fact, you strike one of the tender
est chords in his nature when you mention
anything about the war When his brilliant
son, that he loved more than business and
fortune-better than he loved life itself
was torn from his grasp by the hand of
death, the New York millionaire, though
PROSTATE with grief, did not forget his brave
comrades in arms, and it is on record that
after returning from his sons funeral, he
sat down and wrote a check for 81 500, which
he sent to Winchester Ito build an iron
fence about my neighbours graves" as he
put it in his own quiet way. Indeed he is
a man of strong domestic affections. He
has never forgotten Winchester, which may
be almost considered his native town. He
supports its Institutions from here in New
York just a, literally Is if he still lived
there He sub-cribes to its fire department,
lis agricultural fairs, its institutions; he
keeps its newspapers religiousy on file and
reads them from column to column; in fine,
his spirit moves upon Winchester and its
quiet domesticity when released from the
turmoil and hustle of the American metrop-
oils The picture be takes most pride in
has been painted by a Winchester artist
Mr.. Bruce and the subject is a portrait of
his old and we'll beloved commander.in-
chief, Robert L. Lee, whom he considers the
greatest military genius this country has
produced After his son, the person who
holds the deepest affections of this singular
man is ex-Governor +. w. NJ. Holiday, his
closest friend and warmest admirer. The
One-armed exChief Magistrate of Virginia
aud the metropolitan merchant prince oil
lustrate two vastly variant types of charac-
ter, says the New York correspondent of
the Spirit # Jefferson, paper published in
Charles Town. w. Va, shut both are essen
italy Southern There is something of tie
same splendid seli-reliauee and magnificent
nerve about them both, and these. after all,
are the true genius OF success" After what
has been written concerning the domestic
disposition Of Mr. Rouss We can easily i'm.
agine the weight Of the blow that struck
him when, on April 10, 1891 his well below
ed son ID in the fall tide of his young
and -iful manhood
l. he great calamity of his life, and