OF JVEW YORK CITY.                         149
 

CHAPTER XV.

Within a short time, three persons of some distinc¬
tion— mercantile and quite celebrities — among the
fast and dashing portions of the city have died, and have
already been mentioned among the " Old Merchants,"
during the past two years. I allude to Charles Davis,
Theodore Dehon, William D. Kennedy, Edward Vin¬
cent, J. Sherman Brownell, and Henry P. Gardner.

The last named died October 4, 1861, aged thirty-
eeven. It is nearly twenty-two years ago, when he en¬
tered mercantile life, under the mercantile auspices of
Fernando Wood. He was a boy in the store of Fer¬
nando Wood, at No. 133 Washington street. He was
his clerk at the time Mr. Wood had $1500 placed to his
credit wrongfully, and which Mr. Wood with prudent
foresight drew out of the clutches of the " Merchants'
Exchange Bank."

That year Mr. F. Wood went before the people as
their candidate for representative to Congress. The
real facts of the case were laid before the people, and
honest men like W. B. Astor, and leading merchants,
indignant at the swindle attempted to be put upon Wood
by the " Merchants' Exchange Bank," took his part,
and elected him to Congress.

Henry P. Gardner was a most excellent young man.