Birmingham age-herald., 1894-07-26
IA WEALTHY SINNER.
HOW A NEW YORK BOOTBLAcK HAS
 MADE HIMSELF RICH.

HIS Name a secret.
 You don't know Tony2 No New Yorker who has business down town makes such a confession. Tony is the proprietor of the bootblacking stands that are found in the down town exchanges and in parts of the city up town as well. But to every one except his own people he is simply Tony. His full name no ono knows, and he hum self won't reveal 1t.
 Mot that am msashamcd of the busl- 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 theatcr or any other place and have people point at me and say in her hearing That is the man who runs the bootblack stand My next door ncighbor docs not know my business and to the people l hayc to meet in it Tony is as good us any other name.
 Tony's various stands about tho city represent an investment of about S5, 900. He employs 35 men, and it is generally supposed that tho profits are large:
 Tho story of his career has the ring of fiction, but the truthfulness of. it is vouched 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 28 years of age, is married and has two chil- dren. He lives up town in his own house and has place in the country ncar Staln- ford, Conn.
 TIo nf1yx n11lxr opc 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 fla ther's brushes and box of blackings He ran away from home and soon found him self in front of Trinity church. He shined shoes there that day and made 50 cents. One of his customers was 0 director of the Maritime Exchange. He became interested in Tony and told him that if ho would come to the exchange he would get him plenty of work to do.
 At that time the Maritime Exchange was at 66 Beaver street When night came, Tony did not daro to go home, but slept in a doorway with some boys whose ac- quaintance he had made during the day. His career from this point is best told in his own words:
 ''The next morning I went to the Mari time Exchange, and therc got lots to do. made $1. 50 that day. That night l went home. My father gave mo whipping, and 80 did mother, and then she cried. My father took my box away, but the next day found it whero he hid it 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 noiso that tho superintendent of the exchange wanted to get rid of them.
 ''So he told mo he would give mo chair outside the door, and all the mem- bers would get mo to black their boots. Of course that was good thing for me. 1 1tas glad of the chance to stop going fround tho streets with my box over my houlders and to have regular place, thich seemed to be more like business. With my chair made much more money than when carrying box, and when the Maritime Exchange moved to Beaver and Whitehall streets I went also, and at the new place business was so good that set up two chairs.
 1T didn't have to pay any rent until the Produce Exchange people moved in, and then had to sign contract to paya rent of $660 a year. The Produce Exchange brought move business, and 1 put in six chairs. I hired bootblucis enough to tend the chairs and kept working myself. 1 paid my assistants S5 and S6 q 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 I had great deal of trouble with my peopD because they wanted me to give up the bootblacking business and go into a commercial house md learn that business, but told them that was making moro money blacking boots than would in any store, so kept an at my work.
 Business increased at tho Produce Elk ,hango until had 1 chairs going. Then 1 opened branch under the Madison squaro bank at Twenty fifth street and Broadway and put in sovcn chairs there. had to tako seven years lease of tho place in order to get it. 1 found couldn't thine shoes myself and look after both places, so put man in each place to net IS superintendent and paid him $l0 a week. I started another stand at Forty Iecond street. and Sixth avenue, where I nave fve chairs going. It keeps me pretty busy looking after these three stands, and work harder keeping things going and Ieeing 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 whoso boots was backing tho very first day went to work, and have used it ever since. My wifo never know what my business was until just before we were going to bo mar ried, and then told her. Sho didn't carc though, as much as my father and mother did.
 t'Well, got married, and with the money that had saved up backing shoes I bought good house up town. The pco- 1