The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-12-06

| Stephani. My father was born at Mainz
on the Rhine and my mothers people in
Hamburg. Germany. My fathers father
mothers father was Gotthelf Moehring
physician Of Philadelphia. Pa. and was
| born in DantZic, North Prussia, in 1871.
graduating from the University Of Berlin
in 1873.
| II am an only child and was in business
with my father for years. from 1873 to 1888,
under the name Of A. Stephani & Co.. Nos.
Swlth branches il Philadelphia. Pa. and
I'm 1883 we were the heaviest importers
Of low,grade ports and sherries In the
/ United States-by low-grade mean wine
Adding the customs duty of 50 cents per
gallon we used to sell 1t at IS cents and 81
my father died in 1883 and left his prop.
erty to me. my mother to have the use OF
it as long as she lived.
HIS MOTHERS WILL
my mother was appointed executrix of
fathers will and / don't think she was
ever entirely sane. She was 72 years old
and partially paralyzed. She never made
any accounting of the funds Of the es-
tates. Safe-deposit box No. 572. Of the
York. at No. lao Broadway. contained a
large number of railroad stocks and bonds
of the estate. Daniel Dousherty, a law
of Phi bps bo went ut ts
$50 mother told mel. and have never
been able to find out what became Of
the contents Of that box-it was rented
In my name. I used to ask my mother
often when she visited me at Sing Sing.
What about that box?'
She would reply: What do known
That was all the satisfaction I could ev-
The box in the safe-Deposit Company
Of the State Of New York, at No. IS VIII
in railroad stocks and bonds and other
property of mine-in all about $1,000
Il have New York Central stock bought
In the panic Of May. 1851 think 1t was
Pennsylvania stock..you know, Pennsyf-
vania is a double share stock-and that
would be 81 for a single share. l have
paid 255 for-it's worth 400 now.
II have kept track Of the stock market
since have been in prison. 1 subscribe
regularly for the daily and Sunday
other New York paper. and We exchange.
l think the tendency of the market just
now is going to be still lower. Take that
United States Steel Company-I think that
Is going to grass. The common stock will
be wiped out altogether. sooner or later
Most of the common stock Of the other re-
ing but water. The American Ice Com
pasy is the only possible exception in the
INDUSTRIAL line. There is no tariff on ice.
In reply to a ques tion as to how he
passed his time Stephan said:
FOOD DOESN'T SUIT HIM.
''The food here isn't very good-it isn't
what am used to. OF course. am able
to buy some extras in the way Of eatables.
use every day a can of condensed milk
that buy with my own funds. We rise
at a. m. and eat breakfast at a quarter
past seven. Breakfast consists Of coffee.
one kind Of breakfast food. such as hon.
my, oatmeal or cornmeal mush-no cream
or sugar. We have 'blackstrap,' or mo-
lasses, on our breakfast food. Lunch at
more ike twe Thick souan nd brea o
supper, at a quarter Of six p. M, we get
bread and butter. tea and stewed prunes.
At half-past six o'clock We must go to
each day for short time in the yard
In the lear of the hospital. don't like
It here as well as did in Sing Sing. In
s sre Ss Of there
side by side in row Of separate cots. No
privacy and no place to keep my valuable
ggapers or anything, l could smoke in
beer or wine TO drink. Here We are not al
lowed to smoke and we are unable to get
anything to drink except milk and water.
and easier for my friends to visit me.
My mother died a year ago in the San
Reno Hotel. Seventy-fifth street and |
Eighth avenue. in New York City-CentraI
Park West, 1 guess you call II now. I |
haven't been out since 1890. In my time, |
back in the eighties. there wasn't much of |
anything above Fifty-ninth street
DISAGREEABLE INsINUATIoNs.
Clinton G. Reynolds was disagreeable
man, always nagging me. He never ac-
tually charged me with dishonesty. as I |
remember. but he made most disagreeable |
insinuations. The first trouble had with |
him was Immediately after father died in |
1883. leaving his property. as said before,
to me. my mother to have life interest |
in 1t. Father left me legacy Of 80 900 |
cash outright, but mother. acting on the |
advice of Reynolds refused to pay 1t to |
me for year after fathers death. pro-
tested to REYNOLDS. and he said in his |
surly way. We'll. you can wait I waited |
a year. and again went to see Reynolds |
You'll have to wait six months more
he said. He had found that my father, be-
Ing in a foreign business, his executrix
was legally entitled to eighteen months in |
which to settle up the estate.
ST grew very angry. but said nothing to |
Reynolds. I went home and persuaded |
mother to pay me the $4,000 legacy. She |
gave me four checks. aggregating that
amount payable to John II. Davis & Co.
Of Wall street, through whom I invested |
my money in stocks. as I told you. I put
those stocks and bonds. together with my
leveiry and other valuables and securities
of all kinds, in all about $l,000. in that !