The evening times., 1899-07-22

houses in the world, once five times mil
lionaire, died Thursday last in HALEY.
| Idaho. The business world remembers
! him as one who after reaching the
age of sixty-iye years. set to work with
indcmitable energy and endured every
/ hardship to regain the fortune which he
had lest, so that he might pay his credit
ors-
| His closing years were ones OF earnest
| endeavor and seif-sacrifiee. He was build
| ing up new fortune and using every ef-
| fort TO settle his obligations when his
death came at the age of seventy-one
| years. Mr.. Thurber had pneumonia last
winter, which greatly weakened him. He
went TO HALEY in the hope of being bene-
| flied by the hot springs there. His death
| is attributed to heart disease and general
breaking down of the system.
Francis B. Thurber his brother. received
| a letter from him only two days ago, in
which he spoke of gaining strength.
Friends in this city have in the last few
| months read letters from him, in which he
| spoke in the most hopeful way Of the fight
which he was making. His death comes
| as a severe shock to the hosts OF his
friends who esteemed him for his gener-
osity and for his high sense of commercial
| honor.
Those who write essays on success and
kindred themes can find much to point the
| moral to youth in the career of Horace X.
Thurber He was born in Delhi, Delaware
county, ". Y, in 1928. He was a clerk in
bank in his native town for several years,
and then went into the grocery business In
Addison. Steuben county, N. Y.
He came to this city in the early ffties
and became a bookkeeper for Henry
Harms, wholesale grocer at No. 2S6
| Washington Street In the course OF busi-
ness he met John +. Pupke. who had
amassed fortune from the retail grocery
trade. Mr.. Pupke was convinced the young
man was possessed of much executive abil-
! ity and made him an offer, which resulted
in 1858 in the founding of the lrm OF
Pupke Thurber, wholesale grocers, who
established a large store at Nos. lib and
ITS Chambers Street. This firm, largely
owing to the hard work and enterprise OF
the junior member. was very successful and
steadily enlarged its trade.
This firm was dissolved in 1856, MI.
Pupke retiring Mr.. Thurber continued the
business under the firm name of H. X.
Thurber G. Co.. associating with him his
younger brother, Francis B. Thurber, and
Stephen L. Bardash. The business cut
grew the premises in Chambers Street, and
in 1874 Mr.. Thurber bought land at the
intersection of West Broadway, Reade and
Hudson Streets, and built what was then
the most prominent building in that To-
cality.
Under the name of H. X. & F. B. Thur
Der & Co. the firm became one OF the
| largest houses devoted to the sale OF food
products which the world has known. The
establishment was organized into depart
ments with experts in charge of every
| branch of the trade.
The trade of the house grew to great
proportions Branch houses were estab-
lshed in London and Bordeaux. Mr.. Thur
| her was a pioneer in the putting up OF
groceries in packages which attracted the
eve The name of the successful fem was
known all over the world.
Mr. Thurber, in 1884 retired from bust
ness. He announced in an interview pub
lished in January, 1884, that he would now
"step down and give the boys chance. "
| He was then fifty-si& years old and still
| hale and vigorous. He told a friend at the
time of his retirement that he was worth
S.. .e0O. 600, and that he would take rest.
Men of indomitable energy, such as Mr.
Thurber. can never rest
He devoted himself TO various business
> enterprises He would do everything in
: his power to aid friend and he freely
. endorsed paper to help those for whom he
. had a personal liking or in whose business
> acumen he had faith. He became inter-
ested in the United States and Brazil Mail
and Steamship Company and the United
States Book Company. Both were losing
for John w. Lowell he was obliged to pay
large sums of money. He also invested
heavily in mines and ranches in the West.
The panic of 1898 overwhelmed him with
disaster. Those whose paper he had en-
. dorsed were unable to meet there obliga-
tions, and Mr.. Thurber found his fortune
: slipping away from him. He lost heavily
. through endorsements he made for Charles
s. Higgins & Co., soap manufacturers OF
. Brooklyn.
! He went West in 1893 to look after his
: | ranches and mines in order TO secure
! enough from the wreck of his fortune to
| pay his creditors. He had property in
Texas, New Mexico, and Kansas.
. New Workers who have visited him In
. the West found him working with all the
. enthusiasm of youth He rode over his
property, directing and managing as he
| had done in the old days. A friend who
saw him recently in New Mexico met him
one evening after a long and weary ride
Mr. Thurber looked careworn and eX-
hausted. The next morning however, he
was himself again and started out on an
other trim. seemingly as vigorous as ever.
His life in the West was one of hard work
and self abnegation.
One of Mr.. Thurber's traits of character
\ was his generosity. He was always help
l ing Others and his benefactions were kept
secret One of his friends was once
obliged to go away on account OF Ill
health. Upon his return he found that his
| business in his absence had become in
yolyed. He told of his plight to Mr..
Thurber The two men went over the
books together.
/ Come around and see me tomorrow,
said Mr.. Thurber.
Mr. Thurber handed him check for q
l large amount the next day.
/ You can pay me back whenever con-
| venient,' he said.
Mr.. Thurber was one of the most kindly
!. | of men. There are many men high in the
\ business world whom he encouraged and
helped He was always for giving some
| body "a chance"
Mr.. Thurber was married to Miss Nancy
i | McLaughry of Delhi, n. Y, who survives
| him. She was with him in his last hours
The burial will take place in Delhi.
The Strike on the Hanna Docks.
Ashtabula, Ohio, July 22.-There is lit
| tie change in the strike situation on the
| Hanna Company docks here, except thai
the strikers, in addition to the restoration
J of four or five men who were discharged
demand that Superintendent George B
Frasier and Chief Engineer McNutt be dis
charged. L. C. Hanna came from Cleve-
| land this morning to have a conference