Year: 1866

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and other articles from the wreck.


The Idiosyncracies Of N. York Misers.


1t is not generally known that New York
at the present time contains large number
of misers as iuveterate and degraded as any
on record, and if We had space we could
give a series of portraits of avarice and
wealth which would make the reader shud.
der. Many of these misers are old business
men, who have Withdrawn from active life
and still koop up their fadod aed ~oathor
worn signs, and beneath the garb of trade, ply
their money. saving habits. These men
will be found sitting solitary, in dingy Off
ces filled with cobwebs, and thick with the
dust of years. Money borrowers know
where to 60, and here these pale and thread.
bare fossils receive their best securities for
daily loans. Some of these half starved
wretches, whose trembling hands can hard
ly sign a check, can draw for sums that
would shake bank. One of the richest
men in the city is now to be found in just
such dingy hole as we have described,
where he loans enormous sums daily He
was a merchant once, and his old sign is
still up; and inside, all things remain as
they were half century ago. He suffers
daily for the comforts of life, but all this is
compensated for by the pleasure of accumu
lation. "They come to me to beg" said
the old man to an acquaintance, sand there
is not beggar in New York that doesn't
live as do," statement which was quite
true


A specimen of the better class Of this
genus was given in the late Exchange
Place robbery, we're Rufus Lord, man up
ward of four score, was the solitary occupant
of an Office, which contained between ST.
OOO,OO and 100000 in stocks and Sc
curities, all his own. Here this old man
sat, day after day, accumulating at the rate
of $4,000 per week, no doubt hoping 10
due time to get rich. Such a hord was
worth tapping, and the job was one of the
neatest and most successful ever done in
New York.


The late Stephen Whitney was striking
instance of the commercial miser. When
we knew him he had made about SIC, ,000,.
900, and at the age of seventy FIVE was try
ing hard to get rich. The person and cour-
tenance of this wretched man were study.
The tremulous form, the sharpened features
and the solioitous eye told of the one idea
which mastered the soul Mr. Whitney
was in his day to be seen habitually in Wall
street, picking his way along among the
brokers and sharpers, and buying notes, of
which he was good judge His son in.
law was in heavy business, but his paper
was not considered first rate; the only
chances of his success being that the old
man would keep him up. This chance We
used to hear often discussed, and on its
probability his paper found market. But
the old man did not keep him up, and he
showed himself too sharp to be gulled by SO
near relative. Mr. Whitney was some
thing of a politician on one OCCASION the
leaders of his party came with an applica
ton for funds for electioneering purposes
"Gentlemen," was the reply, 81 am with
you, heart and body. As for money, l have
none but to help along, I will come and
sit up all night and fold ballots"


Some of these New York nisers are ut.
terly recluse, while others are social and of.
ten meet to discuss methods of money ma
king The group occasionally seen in a
certain old rookery; where few millions
are represented in hungry form and seedy
raiment, would be a study for an artist
The great complaint with this class is that
'interest is down, money is cheap, and the
country is going to ruin Only five per
cent. on good paper, and six on bond and
mortgage; and as for seven-thirties they
pay well enough, but one may get his throat
cut taking care of them. Che worlds made
of thieves and beggars, and there's no use
trying to get along. IN = Citizen