The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1896-10-15
Edgar Saltus in New York Journal.

On September IS, 1896, the New
York DaiJ Aa0erHser annou ncec
that at No. 283 Broadway Alexa nde
I. Stewart would offer for sale gen
eral assortment Of fresh and seasona
BILE dry goods.
On April II, 1876, the New York
Herald announced that for the sum o
$1,000, 900 and divers other good con
slderations the widow of Alexander +
Stewart had made over to Henry Hill.
ton all interest ir her husbands af.
fairs.
On August Fl, 1896, the New York
Journal announces that the firm o
Hilton, Hughes & Co., had, the day
before, gone down in ruin.
There are three facts. In anG
around and about them is story.
Here it is:
THE PEOPLE IN 1T.
JUDGE HILTON, ARCH MAN
A. I. STEWART, A DEAD MERCHANT
MRS. STEWART, A MEMORY
CHAPTER /.
ACCUMULATION.
Once upon time a young mar
landed at the Battery. He brough,
with him good reputation, number
of letters, little money, a sound edu-
cation and a Dublin brogue. He wa:
keen-eyed, open-armed and close
fisted. He was not tourist nor an
immigrant. He was conquerer. At
home he had mastered Greek. Before
he had been here very long he began
to master coin. 1t WAS in February
1923, that he landed. 1t was in Apri
1876 that he died. During the inter
mediate period he amassed s5o,ooo,.
900. You may read history, you may
read fiction, you may thumb the
"Arabian Nights" or better still, &c
over the files of our local papers, and
barring that which follows here, you
will find precious little as amazing.
In the year 1928 Roosevelt street
was centre Of fashion. A pedagogue
named Bragg kept a school there
which was attended by rich mems
sons. Stewart had letter for him
In his face was another, in his attain
ments third. Bragg, in need Of an
assistant asked his aid. For d yea'
and day Stewart gave it. At the
expiration of that period ne inherited
from his grandfather the sum of $40,
900.
| The elder Irishman had made none,
in linens and laces, and his descendan
saw no reason why he should not Iuak'
money in them too. He went aite
the inheritance, brought back DIR.
goods with it, and then it was that the
announcement in the Daily AdUertise
appeared.
A little later there was another an
nouncement. Stewart had taken Il
himself a wite-Cornelia Clinch,
girl with chapped Tipped and a lool
of bewilderment which she never lost
Her station was not exalted. Wisdom
she lacked, beauty too, but her way
were ways of pleasantness and he
lpaths were paths of peace. From tha
moment success set IN.
1t was over the shop on Broadwa
| that they resided Mrs. Stewart dl'
the cooking. Mr.. Stewart sold tn
lace. He sold it SO we'll that in a few
| years his customers were too many TO
that shop. He moved to larger one
That did not suffice, and he moved t
larger one still. That, too, becam
insufficient, and, as there was nothIn!
larger to be had, he built one, of mar
BILE at that, white as his linens, rlgh
on the corner of Ciianlb bers street an
Broadway.
| Meanwhile he mad ceased selling
He bought and for cash, iii every mar
ket in Europe, the entire variety c
silks and s,uffs 1t was his clerks VIII
sold, and who through the wares whc
be bought and they displayed, got fo
him the title Of Merchant Prince.
was King he became-one beneath
whose sceptral yard-s!ick thousand
sank.
1t took a dozen years for that sho
to go the way Of the others, and whe
at last it did another was built, sho
that occupied a square block, one iha
ran from Ninth street to Tenth, an
from Fourth Avenue to Broadway.
had eight floors, two thousand eu
. ployes, a running expense Of 4 million
a year, a net profit of four.
Throughout New England mil
were turning out goods for him. Ihes
mills, originally the property OF othe'
were his, absorbed by him in the co
lection of debts-by right of couque:
and due process of law. He ha
agencies everywhere, in Mancheste
for instance, in Glasgow, Belfas
Paris, Lyons and Berlin. He had
house in Hong Kong, and l hav
seen it stated that he had another
Thibet. He circled the world, p
ships in every port, OWED more re
: estate in New York than any one sa
Astor, acquired the title deeds
hotels, churches, theatres, purchased
9 stretch on Long Island aud erected
), city on it, ousted the Leiands fro
i Saratoga, built one for himself, lunch'
y on an apple and determined to becon
5 a public man.
e Before he succeeded death look hi
$ His life of dollars and cents was dor
)1 CHAPTER IL.
\