The New York herald., 1922-02-15
Old New York.
Fulton Street Bridge, A. T. Stewart
and Horace Greeley Recalled.

To THE New YORK HERALD: In the
SOS worked In an Office at 100 Fulton
street, at the corner of Broadway. 1t
was one Of the most congested corners
in all the city. and at times completely
blocked by stages and carts which de-
fed our M. P.s, or Metropolitan Police.
The only person they had any apparent
respect for was Peter Cooper. who used
to pass there driving his old chaise on
his way down town. They would let
him through.
One day we saw Kate Fisher, the
equestrian actress. ride over the Lowe
bridge mounting the steps in front of
Knox's hat store and descending in front
OF ST. Paurs. mounted on her horse
Black Bess. She was playing MaseppG
at the Old Bowery Theatre at the time.
A photographer on the east side of
Broadway took frequent pictures of folks
on the bridge. calling halt with a
bugle, as we had no such thing as the
snap shot then. He probably took the
view shown in THE New YORK HERALD.
The Astor House served superb meals.
The garden in the center had an iron
roof, built by James Bogardus, one of
the first architects to use iron in town.
He built the Harpers' publishing house.
The management under Mr.. Dam was
excellent, too.
recall Mr.. Stewart very well. One
day while in his store on an errand /
saw one of the younger clerks slide down
the balustrade of one Of the staircases
just as his royal majesty was about to
ascend. Mr.. Stewart grabbed him by
the collar as he landed and asked IL he
was employed in the house. The lad
had the presence Of mind to lie.
He certainly was a character. and
was never perfectly understood by any
body-a strange mental and moral COM
bination. A lady, "a professional nurse,
who knew him intimately and had his
confidence and respect, told my folks
after his death that she could always
go to him for a worthy cause and be
literally aided, but always with the
warning never to tell any one. Shaking
his finger close to her nose Mr.. Stewart
would add: 'If you do 1t will be the
last cent you ever get" Old New York
ers will remember his moving the old
apple stand and the proprietor up town
with him.
The first time I saw Horace Greeley
was as a small boy. carried message
to him in the old Tribune office. He was
seated cross-legged at a table, one cor
ner of which he had cleared, and writ
ing on a pad. He looked up pleasantly
and asked: "Well, young man, what
do you want? A job in the Custom
House?"
Bonner and his old Scotch veterinary
surgeon. Bretherton, from whom he got
about all he ever knew Of the horse and
it's ailments, was one of the familiar
figures about Park Row.
1 was born and raised on the East
Side and recently made a visit to my
old playground. About the only familiar
object left was little drug store away
down on Grand street with the old sign
in the window, "Tapeworms removed
while you wait" Alas. / had not one to
leave with them for remembrance.
1t was the custom in the newspaper
office where I misspent somo valuable
years to give all hands turkeys on
Christmas. AS business declined it got
to be chickens which became smaller
and smaller. At last it ended with a
ferry ticket for those who lived oyer the
water. 5. A. PALMER.
MOUNT VERNON, February IA.