Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1893-03-03
81 LOMBARD STREET.

most select OF our commercial mapnates
! dwelt-and our merchants were magnates
in those days-Louis Clapier could stand
on the hill at the foot of Lombard street
and see five of his own ships sailing stately
up the river. Every square rugged vesse,
was known to the city boys, and the news
that the Cordorct or Voltaire was coming
In brought them to the wharves. There
were no tugboats, and ships used to go past
the city under jib, main, topsails and
! spanker. 1t took rare ssamanship to do
this and the Delaware bay mariners re-
! garded themselves as first in the profession,
speaking scornfully of Yankees as spout
ers" and ''clam diggers."
AT this time we had a larger proportion
of foreign merchants than now. Both
French and Spanish dealers were enga, ed
in trade and much respected for their prob
ity and correct business habits. Among
them M. Auguste Perron was at one time
prominent. He had come here about 1900
and was refugee from st. Domingo, al
though a Frenchman by birth. Helived at
81 Lombard street, and his neighbors were
well to do people, mostly connected with
shipping.
NJ Perron was ostensibly West Indian
merchant and had undoubtedly i'm his lit
tie by 10 Office on South Water street
many samples of colonial produce, but as
he always filled any orders he might have
through other houses, his neighbors regard
ed his business in this line as neither ex-
tensive nor profitable He did receive CON
signments from the islands occasionally,
but no samples of these were ever offered in
open market, and as they were generally
brought ashore by dark visaged men with
rings in their ears, in small bundles, it is
F..., IL N1...A A
them through the custom house was omit
ted. NJ. Perron's credit had been badly
shaken in the commercial world by some
thing that had happened a year before. and
an account of this may throw some light
on the character of his business.
Mrs. Abner Gardner, wife of Captain
Gardner, of Salem, Mass, looking into the
window of Fletcher e. Gardner, 1870 Chest
nut street, then the leading jewelers. here,
was shocked to see therein displayed u
handsome sapphire ring which she had last
seen on the finger of her husband when he
sailed from this port in the bark Venice
nearly 10 months before for Pernambuco
No intelligence had since come to her as I 0
his fate, and she had given Linn up for lost
No wonder, then, that this ring was to the
poor woman message from the sea.
Messrs. Fletcher s. Gardner admitted 3;
once that it was one of numerous articles o.
jewels and plate that had been purchased
from NJ. Perron, CO Water street. Mrs
Gardner got the ring, and the matter was
hushed up, but the jewellers declined to do
business in future with NJ. Perron, and his
compatriots, such as Mr.. Louis Clapier,
passed him by with pointed absence of
recognition, and people did not hesitate to
say that he had been acting for years as
agent for the West India picaroons and dis
posing of their plumber. Then, as now,
justice was harsh and uncompromising to
small offenders. while big ones escaped
altogether.
At this time there were firms in Phila
delphia of unimpeachable credit and re
spectability that fitted out savers at IIa
vana and made much money out of this
terrible traffic Perron was perhaps "a
honest as Stephen Girard, who was once
warned that if lie continued to supply Co.
lumbar privateers commanded by such
rulfians as Harry McCabe, Abel Thomas
and Captain Breed with munitions of war,
the government would bring him to &C
count 1t is part of sea history that one
of his vessels engaged in this traffic. the
Osprey, was the brig on which the hapless
! Roger Tichborne left Chilli. She was never
heard of again.
! Perron found his business shrinking at a
rate that made bankruptcy in the near flu
| lure more than probable. lie was sitting
/ in his dingy Office one raw day in October,
/ 1929, very disconsolate, when the door
opened and in stepped tall gentleman
dressed in the fashion of the time-a dark
green coat with wide skirts and high roll
ing collar, embroidered vest with deep la
/ pels, tight fitting pantaloons and hussar
boots. With easy and rather contemptuous
assurance he addressed the Frenchman in
his own tongue:
My dear NJ. Perron, delighted to sec
you. | have the honor to bring you let
/ ter from a mutual friend which will ex-
plain my presence here. | will wait till
you have read it," Then the stranger
dropped into chair and looked about him
/ Perron was u sturdy built little fellow,
who looked as if born without nerves. but
his hand shook perceptibly as lie read the
letter, and his voice trembled as he spoke:
Captain Revel, am charmed to make
your acquaintance. Say how | can serve
you"
The visitor was not an ordinary looking
person. He was evidently powerful man,
despite his fashionable attire, but there
was something nautical in his looks; his
face had evidently been tanned by tropic
suns, and although the features were good
there was something repellent about his
gray green eyes. Cold as ice, when seen
through the half yelled lids, when suddenly
opened they gave you the startling impress
sion that you saw another man. The thin
lips smiled, but the evil eyes never. \
long, livid seam that ran from the check
bone into the hair was an intimation that
the captain had seen service in his time.
He regarded Perron with long stare and
said: My friend, you are of course aware
that our business south of the gulf has been
annihilated. There is no longer any profit
in it, so have quit the service for good.
! bring with me $4,000 and with this, a
strong arm and IA stout heart one should at
least make living ashore, Our friend as
sures ne that you are trustworthy. | will
make it your interest to serve me. Frankly,
that is the only basis of confidence accept.
| will see you here tomorrow and we will
confer together. o adieu for the present "
PeTron read and reread the letter, and
murmured to himself: Mon Deu, if he
lhould be recognized by some of the . smart
Yankee captains he is lost and my ruin
would follow wish the ruflian had never