New-York tribune., 1896-08-27

floor above the store. Mrs Stewart looked after tbA
housekeeping while her husband attended 10 N.
wants OF customers. Mr.. Stewart had a small stock
OF goods TO begin with. and he worked eighteen
hours day. He was his own bookkeeper sales
man and porter. He attended auction sales ana
bought sample lots OF goods which he sold AZ bar.
gains He made small profits sometimes even SELL
ing cost In order to attract customers and "a,
rid OF his stock rapidly.
MR. STEWARDS BUSINESS METHODS
/ At time when he had no credit and wa,
obliged 20 meet note. he sent out a large numhe,
Of handbills announcing that his choice stock
would be sold below cost Purchasers focked TO the
store. and before the note due his shelves wer.
empty and he had plenty Of morey with which n
pay his Indebtedness and buy fresh supply q,
goods His business increased rapidly that T.,
1923 he was Obliged to move to a larger store IN
Broadway. between Chambers and Warren SITS ana
four years later he moved again to stlH large,
store in Broadway, Murray-st.. where he o.
cupied two stories OF building. He SON extended
his store TO "A third and fourth story. and In m.
financial crisis OF 1891. when many other merchant,
went TO the wall, he doing a safe AID thriving
business.
Mr. Stewart watched the market closel, and took
advantage OF it's changes. sometimes matng thou.
sands of dollars in a single transaction IN irygoods
His wealth increased 40 rapidly that In lss he wa,
able to erect the large marble building Broad
way and Chambers-st.. In which he conducted a
wholesale and retail business. He bought foods In
enormous quantities for cash at low prizes and
sold the goods at small profits rapidly. ie va,
o,ick TO detect the uptown movement OF trade
and in 1862 he transferred hts retail business n
the large store AT Broadway and Tenth-st fc pro-
cured a long lease Of the land bounded by Broad
y,av Ninth-st Fourth-ave. and Tenth-st., and
there erected the building. which covers tw and
one-lliartcr and has eight stories two 'slow
and six above the 81 lewalk
rIt,GE SALES AND AN ARMY OF EMPLO-Es
Mr. Stewards business had grown 20 enormous
proportions previous 10 his death In March &C.
HIS annual sales amounted TO about Soe00D ad
the expenses Of his business amounted TO 5000
evorv wear He had in his employ more than 100
porsors and had established branches In sevehl
other cities The capital invested IN his bushes
WAS about SGO0o00 Mr.. Stewari held the chf
interest in the firm of A. T Stewart Co.. ~
men associated with him having only small hold
ings A month before the Ceath u Mr Stewart
his only partner. according 10 the reports of me
commercial agencies. was william Libbey who held
only a smau interest Mr. Stewart left large
fortune
EX-JUDGE HILTONs PURCHASE
For q month after the death Of Mr. Stewart his
business was carried on by h.s former friends and
business associates William Lbbey and Henry
Hilton the executors Of his estate. according TO
the terms Of his will, but on April H. 1915 Mrs
Cornella VI Stewart. the widow. sold all her In
tcrest in the estate to eX-JudSe Hilton Tor AV"O
and other good and valuable considerations The
business was then under the control OF eX-Juhge
Hilton. but it was continued under the firm name
of A. T. Stewart & Co until February 10. 49,
when the firm went into voluntary liquidation and
Mr. Iibbey drew out For month or 50 tne 6us-
ness was transacted under tho firm name cf Ern,
roc. Sylvester Il Co. and then the wholesale ara
dana
department being conducted by Sylvester ii.l'Tn .
90 and the retail department being run by T. J
Donnng e CO. The men who were interested wiz
ex-Judge Hilton in the firms were Horace =; oy
vester r. J. Denning, former ehpoyrs, az tIry
Hilton one Of the sons Of ex-Judge Hilton. lie
wholesale and retail departments were oo'n IN N Se
vember 1856 Albert B Hilton and John Il hugns'
son and son-in-law Of ex-Judge Hilton. wer1 "a, a,
mtted TO membership IN the nrns' heilneI u "'''
contributing any capital
FURTHER CHANGES IN THE FIRMS.
IN 1859 Mr.. Sylvester withdrew. and his place !
the firm was filed BY Frederick II. Hilton az
other son of ex-Judge Hilton. The firm name
the wholesale branch was changed 10 Hi'ot
Hughes & Dennng. In 1891 when Mr.. Deh'''ii
died the wholesale and retail branches OF the ousf
ness were placed under one control again the nr'n
name being changed to Hilton. Hughes 90
Henry G. Hilton. who was man about Town ana
had not contributed to the firms capital Win Win
drew in 1898 taking nothing out with MN rre.-
erick r. Hilton died in August. 1894. John NJ
Hughes withdrew from the firm in May, 1885 leav-
ing Albert g. Hilton the only member OF the nrtn' '
which still continued to transact business as ILL
ton. Hughes & Co
WHOLESALE TRADE ABANDONED.
The wholesale branch of the firm was discon-
tinued in November, 1894. and the efforts OF the
firm were concentrated upon the task OF building
ND the retail business. The wholesale business
had been at one time two-thirds of the business
Of 4 r. Stewart &, Co. but it had shrunk TO such
small PROPORTIONS that its abandonment was
thought to be a good stroke Of hnanciering. The
credit of Hilton. Hughes & GO had Dsen quen,o'er %
the autumn of 1898 ex-Judge Hilton was Obliged TO
raise large loan to meet d, S opSy from Mrs
Hetty Green who drove hard narsaln "a ~ & at a nm
whom money was tight. She lent S2olVn on
mortgage on the Stewart Building. ex-Judge ~,
ton pledging himself to pay her per cent & on me
nsd odd ISF o bv the rm of Hilton Hughes Co after
the loan was made
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE STORE.
After Albert 3. Hilton became the sole member
OF the firm last year. he introduced numer OF
improvements which made the store more popular
than it had been in several years lie was "ssls'ed
in that work by Manly NJ Gillian. VINO had neeh
associated with John Wanamaker In Philadelphia
for many wears before he was induced TO CONE 10
this city and take the management OF the ston IN
broadway There an improvement ID tne
come the enormous expense Of the estaoishmGt,
Many of the firms customers were WeH.'ny va "a t nv
lies who were accustomed to have credit anu lrs
bills at the end of several months or year, az az.
these credits. amounting TO about N,u"1V"' "'''"
drain the firm. 49,. sr,o v,o,j
In anticipation OF he time when the ,i mrin ~ "a
have to discontinue business, Albert Is hn1on 20.
months ago to the representative OF c0mne'o -
agency that the firm might go into lqudatlo"h h,St @
be reorganzed corporation 10 coliDu.' ~ ,hich
ness on a cooperative plan The grounu OH NJ H.
the store stands belongs to the Sailors SIge Cor
hor and Mr. Stewart secured a lease ol
ninetv-nine years from 1867. The store cost horo
than sGo0O0O and it is the property Oh eN
Judge Hilton
OTHER LOCAL BUSINESS TROUBLES
. ,.,,,.,,,,rrr,S Avn , xvuor ESALE JEWEL