﻿SiEGEL 
  Brothers. 
  117 
  

  

  were 
  New 
  York, 
  Philadelphia, 
  Cincinnati 
  and 
  Chicago. 
  In 
  

   the 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  18S1 
  Mr. 
  Link 
  sold 
  out 
  his 
  business 
  — 
  in- 
  

   cluding 
  his 
  brand 
  — 
  to 
  Messrs. 
  W. 
  Duke 
  Sons 
  & 
  Co., 
  by 
  

   whom, 
  ever 
  since, 
  he 
  has 
  been 
  employed 
  as 
  book-keeper. 
  

  

  SIEGEL 
  BROTHERS. 
  

  

  These 
  courteous 
  and 
  enterprising 
  gentlemen 
  were 
  born 
  in 
  

   Kovno, 
  Russia, 
  which 
  town 
  has 
  large 
  cigarette 
  factories, 
  and 
  

   in 
  one 
  of 
  these 
  J. 
  M. 
  Siegel 
  served 
  his 
  apprenticeship, 
  and 
  

   also 
  worked 
  in 
  St. 
  Petersburg. 
  He 
  says 
  that 
  every 
  fac- 
  

   tory 
  was 
  in 
  charge 
  of 
  a 
  government 
  officer, 
  who 
  remained 
  

   in 
  it 
  all 
  the 
  time, 
  having 
  entire 
  control 
  of 
  it. 
  Every 
  

   night 
  the 
  officer 
  superintended 
  the 
  closing 
  of 
  the 
  factory, 
  

   and 
  put 
  the 
  government 
  seal 
  upon 
  the 
  door; 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  

   morning 
  he 
  broke 
  the 
  seal, 
  and 
  opened 
  it. 
  At 
  night 
  the 
  

   operatives 
  were 
  regularly 
  searched, 
  and 
  as 
  many 
  as 
  left 
  the 
  

   factory 
  to 
  go 
  to 
  their 
  dinner 
  were 
  also 
  searched 
  at 
  noon. 
  

   Turkish 
  tobacco 
  was 
  used 
  entirely, 
  the 
  cheapest 
  being 
  worth 
  

   a 
  dollar, 
  and 
  the 
  dearest 
  nine 
  dollars 
  a 
  pound. 
  These 
  Rus- 
  

   sian 
  cigarettes 
  are 
  famous 
  the 
  world 
  over. 
  From 
  Russia, 
  

   J. 
  M. 
  Siegel 
  went 
  to 
  London, 
  and 
  worked 
  there 
  in 
  the 
  largest 
  

   factories 
  about 
  four 
  years. 
  On 
  coming 
  to 
  the 
  United 
  States, 
  

   he 
  worked 
  with 
  Goodwin 
  & 
  Co. 
  several 
  years, 
  and 
  was 
  Su- 
  

   perintendent 
  of 
  W. 
  Duke 
  Sons 
  & 
  Co.'s 
  cigarette 
  department 
  

   about 
  three 
  years, 
  when 
  he 
  went 
  into 
  his 
  present 
  firm. 
  

  

  David 
  Siegel's 
  knowledge 
  and 
  skill 
  in 
  cigarette 
  making 
  

   were 
  obtained 
  under 
  more 
  trying 
  circumstances 
  than 
  in 
  

   his 
  brother's 
  case, 
  but 
  he 
  reaped 
  the 
  reward 
  of 
  indefatigable 
  

   perseverance. 
  He 
  learned 
  the 
  trade 
  in 
  England, 
  where 
  he 
  

   served 
  several 
  years 
  in 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  largest 
  factories 
  in 
  the 
  

   city. 
  At 
  that 
  time 
  the 
  way 
  of 
  acquiring 
  proficiency 
  was 
  by 
  

   serving 
  a 
  tedious 
  apprenticeship 
  of 
  years, 
  at 
  very 
  low 
  wages. 
  

   At 
  the 
  expiration 
  of 
  his 
  apprenticeship 
  he 
  came 
  to 
  the 
  

   United 
  States, 
  where 
  he 
  earned 
  from 
  $45 
  to 
  $55 
  per 
  week. 
  

   He 
  worked 
  for 
  Kenny 
  Bros, 
  three 
  3'ears, 
  and 
  was 
  superin- 
  

   tendent 
  for 
  M. 
  H. 
  Ryders 
  eighteen 
  months. 
  He 
  was 
  then 
  

   offered 
  a 
  situation 
  b}'- 
  the 
  two 
  largest 
  firms 
  in 
  the 
  country, 
  

   one 
  of 
  which 
  was 
  W. 
  T. 
  Blackwell 
  & 
  Co., 
  and 
  with 
  them 
  he 
  

   held 
  a 
  position 
  as 
  superintendent 
  for 
  three 
  years. 
  While 
  

   abroad 
  in 
  their 
  interest 
  he 
  was 
  notified 
  in 
  London 
  of 
  a 
  

   change 
  in 
  the 
  partnership, 
  and 
  not 
  wishing 
  to 
  travel 
  further 
  

   gave 
  up 
  his 
  situation 
  with 
  them. 
  It 
  was 
  on 
  this 
  trip 
  to 
  Eng- 
  

   8 
  

  

  