The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-07-08
Charles North Lost a Fortune lis
timated at Eight Million
Dollars.
PROUD TO EARN HIS LIVING.
Although Sixty-Eight Years Old,
He Hopes 10 Regain Part "i
His Wealth - Humble
Lie.
SPECIAL. CORRESPONDENTS.

SPECIAL. CORRESPONDENCE Z.
Boston. Mass. July LIES than
ten years ago. known az the ri'h-
est man In ssmery.lls. Mass. and worth
1T least SS"o.c'r. Charles II. North is to-
day referred to a. III. vegetable peddler. We
never wears hat. From the upper WIN
dews of the family mansion On Prospect
Hill. in that city. where lie now occupies
two rooms. can be seen Il large pork tack
ing establishment in the valley. with MS
name in great letters that everybody can
read. This white-haired man, uow in his
sixty-eichIh year is no longer connected
with the business.
In striking contrast his name appears in
small letters on the side OF his pr'lai'Ts
cart. and after them the word Agent n
'stili hopes TO regain his lost fortune, AMI
although cut off from family and friends.
Is remarkably cheerful and energetic. sh' W
ing the same energy which characterized
hin. when. young man. he came from
Vermont To Boston and iIid the foundation
of the fortune which has been swept away
lie was born in Vermont Of uopr parents,
who. while he was quite young, moved 10
Georgia. and later To- Coy.ustpn. Ky His
father was killed - the battle 81 Shiloh.
SeIf-Nadc Man.
When IS years Of age he struck out for
himself earning enough in a Na.tham bak-
cry To enable him 10 saeUi q year in
Ecench's Academy. II was with Jonn /.
Squire that he ieafueirJhc pork packing
business, and inside IF year ne was able
20 open a stall Of MS Own il, t.uiEcy Market.
He WAS successful from the start. anu
opening :. store on AaTn-t street. rapidly
gained pVu i.lIT.uo4. In ley, H. ul,Eea the
pork packing establishment IL - Tle'Nil.e-
Panther with every d,t-H IF tac business,
ne ..ay.. il his personal attention. ana grad
ualty added to mis- plant ana extended me
bus.ress until the name Of Charles II. North
became known all over The country he
had associated with him J. NJ. Merriam, >
H. Skilton and Newman Conant A. ne
years went by tee business continued 10 m
crease. and in 1880. 1870 Hands w"Te en-
p,oyed.
All This time Mr. North was active In the
affairs of his home city. when church's'
were to be built ne was always counted ~
on a. one OF the largest contributors Inc
North Homestead, on The top Of Prospect
Hill Was then one OF Jhe show places OF
Scmervile. 1t vas pointed out as the nome
III the richest man IL the place, and the trr-
nishiAgs OF the Rig square house were most
efabJr1re. II was here that his FAMILY were
born and grew 10 be men and women. One
daughter married a professor ~ the tnl-
rersity of Vermont; another married thi-
cago man; six sons are living III ana around
Boston. and one of them Is employed l.. the
office Of the pork packing company esTah-
HSheu ana once owned Dy MS iGtltt.
Mrs. North is now living with her sUES,
but the head of the family prefers TO 20 1t
alone. living in the big house On The hill,
and spending his days on the psudIeI's cart
aud his nights IN the big room. once his
back parloT. but now flied with account
books and other relics OF his former great
ness.
Changed Fortune.
The change in his condition came when
she Charles II. North Packing and Pro-
vision Company was formed ana the SwiftS
became Interested in the business. Then
followed schemes in which money went rap
idly. such as gold mines in Nova Scotia and
the purchase OF pork packing plant in
Omaha. Mr.. North still maintains that
these were not losing ventures, bat that he
found his money tied UP and others r.aped
the reward Of his labOrs.
However that may be. the fact rer....rs
that Charles II. North is now earning mis-
living as peddler of provisions. Every
morning he IS up with the sun. caring Tor
his horse ana sreat dog. III oyeT3lis and
Jumper and wearing about the yard long
character.
a small and talkatIve boy is his compan-
ION, and they are apparently happy with
their work Starting out early in the morn
ing, Mr.. North buys hts stock and then
goes from street to street and rom door 10
door. Everybody in Somervflie knows him
ana now In the days of his adversely they
are familiar; They call him Charley"
II is usually dark when ne returns home
lights the lantern in the barn. puts the
horse up for the night, talks to the dog, and
tHeH with lIle boy ana the lantern climbs the
narrow back stairs 10 his room, where the
huge roll-top desk. Uttered with papers. op-
posite mammoth safe are conspicuous OBJ
1ects In the dust-covered par!Or, now half
office, half jurkshOp.
His sleeping room is upstairs. and these
Two are all Of the eighteen he occupies Six
teen ale let TO a Mrs kimhal. who keeps
dodgers, and the furnishings still show evil
dence of the style in which the North fam
lily once lived. The owner OF the house eats
his meals with the other dodgers, and sits
long into the night porting over the papers
ana documents that formerly meant a great
deal TO him.
Then, before retiring, the aged man takes
a cold plunge. and he tells how. during the
winter, he would have to take the chunks
of ice out Of the bathtUb before entering IL
Physically he is a remaI kabie man TODAY
and pair of Indian clubs beside his desk
has something to do with it. Even now al
IS years of age he boasts that he il good for
hve-mle swim And yet the ability to
North.