The Durham daily globe. (Durham, N.C.) 1889-1894, 1893-01-23
STORYOFAPLAINMA
HISTORY OF ONE BUSINESS ENTER
PRISE IN NEW YORK.

Re a Very Successful Merchant-His
wife's Share in His Great Success.
= A good example Of how fortunes are
made in New-York city is afforded by
the life and business operations of Mil
lard Fillmore Tompkins, who died atthe
age of thirty-nine years. Mr.. Tompkins
was almost penniless when, a mere boy,
he first came to this city. He understood
his business, however, and he had the
courage to strike out into a new path.
The result was that building his bust
ness up little by little he died worth
5000, 900. To his wife, fully as much as
to himself, this success is due, and Mr..
TOmpkins was always the first to ac-
knowledge this.
When Mr.. TOmpkins was fourteen
years old he ran away from the home
where he was born, at Newport, R. L.,
and came to this city, with the usual
resolve Of making a fortune for him
self. He had ten dollars in his pocket
when he started. This, with what
knowledge Of groceries he had picked
M at the markets near his home, cOnsti-
tuted his stock in trade. Naturally on
reaching the city he drifted to the gro
Gerry districts, and got work as clerk in
a grocery store On Catharine street.
The proprietor Of the store at first paid
the lad barely enough to keep him alive,
but realizing that young Tompkins was
getting SO thorough a knowledge of the
trade as to make him valuable he raised
his wages very soon.
Instead Of living in accordance with
his increased means, Tompkins contin-
ued to live in the same as be-
fore, putting aside all his surplus money
for the purpose Of buying q horse and
truck. A picture of him aken shortly
after his fifteenth birthday looks more
like that of a man Of tw~enty-eight than
a young boy. He was then tall and well
developed, with a good sized mustache
and "sideburns." 1t was more than two
years before the young clerk had saved
enough to buy such a horse and truck
as he wanted. When at length he went
into the truck business he made money
S % rapidly that at the end of two years
he was enabled to sell out and establish
a retail grocery store in Spring street,
near Clinton market.
1t had been his idea since his arrival
in New York to own a grocery store.
There were at that time no cheap cash
down groceries in the city. Tompkins
made up his mind that there was money
to be made in a purely cash business,
with a cheap scale of prices for trade
among the poorer people. Following
out this idea he increased his business to
such an extent that he soon moved to a
larger store, and then to Il still larger
one. Within two years after the pur-
chase of his first store Mr.. Tompkins,
now twenty-One years old, bought out
the large grocery at Spring and Sullivan
streets, and hired another building for a
storehouse near by. 1t was about this
time that he met Nina Josephine Coop
er, of 81 Charlton street. He fell in love
with her, and after q short courtship,
Notwithstanding that Miss Cooper was
only sixteen years old, they were mar
ried. From that time on Mr.. TOmpkins
had a partner in his business as well as
i'll his life.
You go on and extend the business
said young Mrs. Tompkins to her hus-
band. Il a manage the Spring street
store while you look after the general
matters" And she did. With a school
knowledge of figures and bookkeeping
she went into the Spring street store,
mastered the business III every detail,
and alone and unaided has conducted it
upto the present time in such a manner
as to make it the most successful estab-
lishment owned by Mr.. Tompkins. The
business spread steadily, new stores be-
ing established in Blocker street, Ninth
and Sixth avenues, and in other places
i'll this city and Jersey City, until at the
time of his death Mr.. Tompkins owned
eleven retail stores, besides the two
wholesale establishments at 1851 Ganse-
WORT street.
From the first Mr.. Tompkins stuck by
his principles of cash payments. He
discounted all his bills, and thus was
able to buy where others could not,
dealers who We're in need of ready
money often coming to him in prefer
ence to others, as they knew that they
could get cash for their goods. 1t was
his idea to drop gradually his retail
trade and go into the wholesale bust
ness entirely. The care of so manye s-
adjustments was wearing on him, but
he absolutely refused to let any one else
take part in the management.
Il have built up the business and !
will run it." he said. Il want no part
ners or managers to tell me what to do.
When l want advice l can go to my
wife. l would rather have her judg-
ment on matters connected with the
grocery business than that of any man
in New York. have been guided al
ways by her advice, and to her fully as
much, if not more than to myself, the
success of our business is due."-New
York Sun.
How Sullivan COmposes Music.