Omaha daily bee., 1902-03-07
ROUND ABOUT NEW roRK.
RiPpIes ON the Current Of Life In the
Metropolis.

Metropolis.
A notable character in the commercial
life Of New York passed away this week
In the death OF Charles Broadway Rouss,
Thirty-seven years ago he occupied a deb
tors cell in the Ludlow street Jail, broken
in spirit and penniless. Erastus Wiman.
then at the head Of Affairs Of r. q. Dun q
Co, became interested in Rouss and Sc
cured his release. In his book, Chances
OF Success" wiman thus relates the incl
dent; ut was about Christmas time. and
the poor fellow in jail was having a very
hard time; n the chances for his es-
cape from confinement we're growing daily
less, and his future was seriously marred.
A little act OF kindnes by the writer Of
these lines to the prisoner. in the shape Of
a Christmas dinner, seemed. however. TO
stimulate him. and he wrote on the walls
Of his cell these words;
""This is Christmas day-a friend has
sent me enough to buy q Christmas dim
ner. / vow to him and write II here, that
as l am today 20 years old. before 1 am
SO I will be rated In the reference book
which he helps to compile as being worth
$500, 600. and before / am so shall be rated
at over $1,000. 000.'
This boast, written on a prison wall by
a man overwhelmed by misfortune, seemed
the idlest dream that It was possible to
conceive Of. Yet It has become literally
true. Within three months he was re-
leased through the efforts Of men who
knew how hardly he had been used: in an
other three months his affairs had become
disentangled and he started afresh. with
In q year he had established . new bust
ness in the city of New York. He had
built up a trade that amounted 70 S6.o00,-
900 q year, and he occupies the finest
wholesale store now existing on Broadway"
Several years ago Mr.. Rouss lost his sight
and offered a reward Of 31,OOO.0 900 to any
man who could restore 1t. A multitude Of
healers and fakirs were attracted by the
oner, but Mr.. Rouss was too shrewd to
permit experiments on himself. He en-
ployed q poor blind man for that purpose.
The experiments, however, were useless.
In 1899 Mr.. Rouss erected at Mount Hebron
cemetery, Winchester, Va, a costly
mausoleum for himself. He gave 800, 900 TO
erect a memorial hall in Richmond, Va, In
honor Of southern soldiers and he gave
$500 to the University Of Virginia and
$50, 900 for the water works at Winchester.
He likewise donated the Washington
Lafayette statue near Morningside park.
The vagaries Of New York juries are
beyond comprehensive. A verdict for $780,
900 damages was recently returned in the
case Of a seven-year-old boy whose legs
were cut of by q trolley car. In another
damage case, brought by the parents Of a
child killed by the cars, the Jury awarded
only 5000. In this case the court in
structed the jury that NJ compensation
was to be granted for the grief sustained
by the parents.
L.Lf
The New York correspondent Of the Phil
adelphia Ledger does not agree with the
opinion prevalent in some quarters that New
York now leads London as the center Of
the worlds nance. 1.-THE fact is" says
the writer. that while New York has de-
veloped rapidly of late into a great inter
national market, 1t has not yet attained
| the dimensions OF the London market, and
Il will probably take q long time to catch
up with London. Lombard street and not
Wall street is the center of the worlds
money market. A few foreign loans have
indeed been ftoated In New York in the last
three or four years. Even a share Of the
British exchequer loan was placed here.
Bonds Of Frankfort-on-the-Ma Main are listed
in the Stock exchange. Wall street has
loaned money to Russia, Mexico and other
foreign countries, and has been Of material
assistance In tding over more than one
monetary crisis In Europe. But this record
creditable as It Is as a beginning, falls
short Of what London is. There the bonds
Of nearly every nation on the globe are
largely held and actively traded in. Only
one English stock is listed in the New York
Stock exchange. while scores of American
stocks are dealt in in the London exchange.
Recently 1t was proposed to introduce Kaflr
stocks into Wall street, but the suggestion
got no encouragement. Other capitalists
and Spectators still prefer domestic In
vestments, and II 1t is true that we have
become q creditor nation, 1t Is also true
that we are employing our surplus in
comes in the development Of our own coun-
try rather than in seeking new fields
abroad"
The brethren Of the Amen Corner are
commanded to appear and do honor to
Senator Thomas Collier Piatt at the Fifth
Avenue hotel. on the evening Of April 4.
It is proper to give the senior senator
a sumptuous spread, one OF the old-time
feasts SO enjoyable to the robust, but holy
~terrors to the aged. This win be the sec
ond and most notable dinner Of the amen
Cornerers." The first dinner was held a
year ago in honor of Governor Odell. But
Senator Piatt H.. and long has been, the
most distinguished member OF this unique
circle. Indeed. but for Senator Plat there
would be no amen Corner" The fact
that he lives at the Fifth Avenue hotel is
responsible for the large gathering there
of public men and journalists. Many years
ago the corridors of the Fifth Avenue hotel
were made famous as the gathering place
OF Wall street men and during the civil
war millions OF dollars OF stocks and gold
were sold every night after the closing
OF business downtown. But for a quarter
Of a century the hotel has been the head
quarters OF the republican party in New
York state, and this distinction is chiefly
owing to Senator Plat. One corner Of the