Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1894-08-07
A WEALTHY SINNER.
HOW A NEW YORK BooTBLAcK HAS
MADE HIMSELF RICH.

burmounting Early OuhoACAoo- AeepunS
His Name q Secret.
You don't know TonyH No New Yorker
who has business down town makes such a
confession Tony Is the proprietor Of the
bootblaoking stands that are found in the
down town exchanges and in parts of the
city up town as we'll. But to every one
except his own people he is simply Tony.
His full name no one knows, and he him
self won't reveal it.
'Not that 1 am ashamed Of the bust
ness, " he said. II feel that deserve credit
for the success that have made of it.
But don't want to go with my wife to
the theater or any other place and have
people point at me and say in her hearing,
THAT is the man who runs the bootblack
stand Ny next door neighbor does not
know my business, and to the people 1
have to meet in it Tony is as good as any
other name"
Tony's various stands about the city
represent an Investment of about $4,000.
He employs 50 men, and it is generally
supposed that the profits are large.
The story of his career has the ring Of
fiction, but the truthfulness Of it is
youohed for by some of the officers of the
Maritime Exchange and the Equitable
Life Assurance company, who have known
him from boyhood. His parents, who are
American born Italians, are living in this
city, have an income from property invest
ments sufficient to enable them to live in
good style, and they are strongly opposed
to their sons business. Tony, who is 30
years of age, is married and has two chill
10 II, biq hon
and has place in the country near SIAM
ford, Conn.
He was bootblaclz when only years
old. At that time his father lost great
deal of money, and Tony had to go to
work. With the aid of another boy he
made backing box and then stole his ia
theirs brushes and box of backing. He
ran away from home and soon found him
self in front of Trinity church. He shined
shoes there that day and made 30 cents.
One of his customers was director of the
Maritime Exchange. He became interested
in Tony and told him that If he would
come to the exchange he would get him
plenty of work to do.
At that time the Maritime Exchange was
at &C Beaver street. When night came,
Tony did not dare to go home, but slept
In o doorway with some boys whose &C
quaintnnce he had made during the day.
His career from this point is best told in
his own words:
1.-The next morning went to the Mari
time Exchange, and there got lots to do.
made 81. 80 that day. That night went
home My father gave me whipping,
and so did mother, and then she cried. My
father took my box away, but the next
day found it where he hid 1t and went
back to the Maritime Exchange. There
were lot Of bootblacks hanging about the
Maritime Exchange doors, and they were
SO much bother and made SO much noise
that the superintendent of the exchange
wanted to get rid Of them.
$50 he told me he would give me q
chair outside the door, and all the men,
bers would get me to black their boots.
OF course that was good thing for me.
was glad of the chance to stop going
around the streets with my box over my
shoulders and to have q regular place,
which seemed to be more like business.
With my chair made much more money
than when carrying q box, and when the
Maritime Exchange moved to Beaver and
Whitehall streets 1 went also, and at the
new place business was SO good that set
up two chairs.
II didn't have to pay any rent until the
Produce Exchange people moved in, and
then had to sign a contract to pay rent
of $500 q year The Produce Exchange
brought more business, and put in six
chairs. I hired bootblacks enough to tend
the chairs and kept working myself.
paid my assistants SIS and So week, but
It was hard work to get them at that price.
They all wanted to work for themselves.
They thought that they could make more
money outside.
"At that time 1 had a great deal of
trouble with my people because they
wanted me to give up the bootblacking
business and go into a commercial house
and learn that business, but l told them
that was making more money backing
boots than would in any store, so kept
CT at my work.
business increased at the Produce Elk
change until 1 had II chairs going. Then
1 opened branch under the Madison
Square bank at Twenty-ffth street and
Broadway and put in seven chairs there
l had to take q seven years lease of the
place in order to get 1t. found couldn' {
shine shoes myself and look after both
places, SO put man in each place to act
as superintendent and paid him $40 a
week. l started another stand at Forty
second street and Sixth avenue, where 1
have five chairs going. 1t keeps me pretty
busy looking after these three stands, and
work harder keeping things going and
seeing that the men do not slight their
work than when was backing boots my
self
"All this time have been known by
the name of Tony. That isn't my name.
was called that by man whose boots l
was backing the very first day went to
work, and have used 1t ever since. My
wife never knew what my business was
until just before we were going to be mar
ried, and then told her. She didn't care,
though, as much as my father and mother
did.
"Well, I got married, and with the
money that had saved up backing shoes
bought good house up town. The peo-
pie who live about me think am fruit
importer. About two months ago some of
the officials of the Equitable Life society
wanted me to take the bootblack stands in
the corridors Of the Equitable building.
The parties then running the business
there had lease until the LIST Of May,
but got them to give 1t up two weeks
before their lease expired by paying them
bonus.
LAS fast as got my money put it in
H.