Source:Fleming-part-in-story
George T. Fleming. "[⸺e's] part in story of city: De Rouaud occupies odd place and stories of his wealth and methods: Rare type of citizen." Pittsburgh Gazette Times, Nov. 28, 1915, sec. 2, p. 6. Newspapers.com 85896374.
TODAY'S story will complete practically all that is extant in regard to Claire Aime Fidele De Rouaud, whose strange career has been told in part in these columns the past three Sundays.
Naturally De Rouaud's merchandising and his singular business methods invoke attention and his place of busines [sic] at old 43 Market street, between Third and Fourth avenues, was certainly extraordinary.
It was an odd store, accounts state; a collection of everything, and under it was a cellar full of wines and liquors. He dealt also in silks and laces and made sausages.
When the women wanted extra fine laces it was to De Rouaud they went. He kept the laces in candy jars or in crocks such as are used for preserves. When there was a call for lace he would stick his long bony fingers, never over clean, into a jar and haul out the lace, often of a kind to make the eyes of the fair ones dance.
The price was invariably his own. No matter to him what it was in any other store.
So, too, of his silks, wrapped like mummies to protect them from the dust which lay thick everywhere in the store. If there was a hint that the price of silk or lace was too high, back it went instantly, while he turned his back on the customer.
If a customer called early of a summer morning she was likely to find him cooking his breakfast on the sidewalk on a portable stove.
Store Locked Up.
When De Rouaud went East for goods he locked up his store. No one could do business for him.
His prices fluctuated so as to be a source of wonder, sometimes high, sometimes low—a law unto themselves like De Rouaud himself. Suspicious persons alleged he was in league with smugglers and this allegation was readily credited because of his eccentricities. DeRouaud [sic] and his companions were reported also to be in league with the devil.
To many the queer French merchant was an uncanny person and one to be avoided, and frequently people would cross the street to escape meeting him, dreading the evil spell such a meeting would put upon them.
The heterodox views of DeRouaud [sic] and his boon companions, Tustin and Price, had much to do with this evidence of superstition. People regarded them as athesists [sic]. They were in fact deists and today would pass without notice the same as any moderate Unitarian.
The inscription on De Rouaud's tomb stated that he was born in Chalons in La Vendee. This is an error in spelling, attributable to Dr. Denny, who wrote the epitaph. The birthplace of De Rouaud was Challons, a town in the northern part of the province of Vendee and close to the shores of the Bay of Biscay.
The province of Loire Inferieure lies immediately north of Vendee. Nantes is its chief city and but a few miles from Challons.
Mr. Quinon thought an error had been made in the inscription where the name is spelled Chalons, and he judged rightly.
The grave lot provided under the terms of De Rouaud's will is shown in the picture today about 20 feet from the vault wherein James Tustin's body was laid with a little daughter. These bodies were disinterred in 1879 and reinterred in the Reed lot in the Allegheny Cemetery. Part of the De Rouaud grave lot has been cut away in the recent extension of Colwell street. This street has never been dedicated as a public highway or opened by ordinance of Council. It is a private road virtually.
Old Burial Places.
In the view of the tomb, taken in 1887 and reproduced today, the large tree at the left is a Holland-table pear, a very succulent fruit. The wall at the left of the tree holds up one of the terraces. At the right and rear are arbor-vitae trees.
The Tustin vault was photographed November 2 last. The open vault faces the east. It has been thus for 15 years at least.
The vault as it now is stands upon a bank fully 20 feet above the street. The wall that once made the vault's front, and forming a terrace, has been cut away. The arch as shown remains the same as when James Tustin's remains were lifted in 1887, as also the shelf on which the coffin rested.
The De Rouaud tomb was about 20 feet back or to the southwest, looking toward Seneca street.
The view of the Tustin fruit-house, with tomb near by, was taken from a point near the mansion in 1886. The picture of a winter scene was taken the next year. It shows the stone walls of the terrace and an arrow points to the vault.
Much of the matter pertaining to De Rouaud and the historical phases of the story we owe to Stephen Quinon, who joined all the scattered threads of De Rouaud's history into an interesting but incomplete record. But the day has passed for its completion. Nothing can now be added to the historical facts.
Something can be said in regard to the man and his Pittsburgh life, as related in these articles, but nothing to solve the mystery of his living apart from his brother, Pierre Marie Rouaud De Railliere, who had returned to the ancestral home in La Vendee and lived there in peace thereafter.
De Rouaud's Estate.
It has been mentioned that Dr. Denny, in compliance with the terms of De Rouaud's will, as executor, went to France and paid Pierre 45,000 francs. This was related in Mr. Quinon's story and that was the sum mentioned in the will. Mr. Quinon's story was originally published in the Pittsburgh Times October 23, 1894.
It happened that there was recently a necessity to look up the account of De Rouaud's executors in the register's office of Allegheny county. This was done and the fact that his estate totaled $58,048 82 was established.
Claire De Rouaud died January 1, 1844. January 5 his executors found that he had on deposit in the Bank of Pittsburgh $32,971 83.
The amount received from the sales of the stock of merchandise in the odd store, consisting of whisky, silks and laces, and various accounts paid in, totaled $26,076 99, and of this total $3,237 45 was received from the sale of the stock of liquors, and $6,850 from the sale of the shares of stock in the Bank of Pittsburgh which De Rouaud owned.
All the items of distribution are interesting. There was paid to Pierre $43,064 83, and in another line is the item $3,046, to "Capt. De Rouaud." It is not known who this was unless there is an error in transcribing and the copyist mistook the word "Count" for "Capt."
Dr. Denny's expenses to France were $500. It will have been seen that Pierre received $46,110 83 in gold instead of 45,000 francs. It may be doubted whether Claire knew how much money he had.
Other items of distribution of especial interest are that the executors' commissions allowed were 5 per cent, or $2,902 44, quite a tidy sum.
James Tustin was paid first, on account of the $1,000 legacy, $975, the inheritance tax deducted.
Payments Under the Will.
Later he was paid $700 on account of the second legacy and December 30, 1845, $1,275, in full, making $3,950. The register, P. A. Madeira, collected $1,264 03 collateral inheritance tax.
There are many small items of expense charged. Thus, "postage on a letter to brother Pierre, 59 cents;" "copies of obituary sent to France, 62 cents;" "Macaris, for making plaster cast of deceased, $15."
Three of the subscribing witnesses to the codicils collected the $1 fee allowed by law. The Philadelphia Inquirer was paid $7 for advertising the sale of the whisky, and $50 was the cost of repairs to, and the cleaning of the De Rouaud store on Market street.
There were many items of postage. Charles S. Bradford drew $50 for writing the will and for fees for legal services. Wilson McCandless, attorney for John Rippey, father of Col. O. H. Rippey, was paid a judgment of $311 which was given in a verdict against De Rouaud in a suit between them.
The first account of the executors was confirmed nisi with a balance of $1,856 44 in the hands of the executors and it is still "in hands" as far as the records of the Orphans' Court of Allegheny County go. No final account was ever filed.
The mystery deepens where and how De Rouaud accumulated his fortune. That he made it in his store seems improbable. How much money he brought with him to Pittsburgh no one now knows.
Now as to William H. Denny, generally referred to as Dr. Denny. He was the second son of Maj. Ebenezer Denny, the first mayor of Pittsburgh. His elder brother was Harmar, the younger St. Clair Denny, both named for generals in the Revolutionary army and warm friends of Maj. Denny, under whom he served.
The tomb of De Rouaud as erected was 6 feet 3 inches by 3 feet 3 inches. It was 1 foot 10½ inches to the border at the ends, the remaining space occupied by the wall and railing.
The lot is part of Manor, or outlot No. 20 in George Wood's [sic] original plan of Pittsburgh made in 1784. The De Rouaud grave lot was surveyed for the burial purpose by Robert E. McGowin October 30, 1845. The original draft, a copy of which was shown in the story of November 14 last, is in possession of William Henry Sims of Pittsburgh, and on it is the statement that it is the "Draft of a survey of a piece of land made to enclose the tomb of Claire Aime Fidele De Rouaud, being part of Manor outlot No. 20."
When the tomb was first erected crowds came to the Tustin premises to visit it. These were mainly English. James Tustin, London born, had wide fame among his countrymen in and about Pittsburgh. Every Englishman who landed in Pittsburgh considered it a duty to visit Tustin and inspect the wonderful tomb.
Many Visit Tomb.
There was great curiosity manifested Sundays was the great visiting day. People came in throngs on that day.
There were rarely visitors after dark. The universal inquiry was: "Is he really in there?" referring to the marble box.
Among the frequent visitors to the Tustin farm for many years were the Misses Hazlett, aunts of Controller Morrow, and many others from the city who were delighted with its sylvan beauty and rare views, its profusion of flowers and abundance of fruit.
Harold Harris of Woodlawn, Pa., writes The Gazette Times that he and his wife are much interested in the De Rouaud stories, Mrs. Harris having been born and raised in the neighborhood and familiar with the tomb from childhood and of course the Tustin mansion and its surroundings. He states that a horse was buried at the head of the tomb.
Mr. Harris is wrong there, however. There was a horse belonging to the Reed family buried within 20 feet of the tomb, Black Sammy, they called him, but it was at least 30 years after De Rouaud's interment. Black Sammy had served the Reeds upwards of 30 years and had been "retired on a pension."
Mr. Harris states that Mrs. Harris played about the Tustin farm in childhood and that they left the neighborhood three years ago. He states the last tenant in the Tustin mansion was Simon Nuller, a Hebrew baker.
Mr. Harris remembers that when the modern improvements began on the Tustin place about 1902 there were various bones unearthed, but he does not know whether human or not, or what disposition was made of them.
Slab Taken Away.
He then resided on the hillside above the tomb. He knows who got the slab with the inscription on it—"fine Italian marble" he states. It was in two halves, he remembers, and it is doing service as a hearthstone in the vicinity at this moment.