New-York tribune., 1867-04-05
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THE "INFL UENCE" or THE NEU-YORK
HERALD.

and editorials lately published in your Herdd that your
interest in the fashionable of the day has not wholly
ceased although circumstances which you exercise
but little control may oblige you to look to other
channels than your for rea6e information regard
ing these and many other topics.
The renewal OF your inccndiary (EdtoraD attentions
To the Academy of Music and myself awakens the con
vctlon that you seriously annoyed II not quite dis
couraged, at finding my feet after your
frequent unsuccessful attempts during two years past
to punish, by your Extraordinary INFLUENCE, my re-
crcancy TO the interests OF your paper.
You first took up strategic position with the intent to
prejudice the public against artists whom you had never
heard or seen pronouncng them incompetent in advance
of their arrival In the country This move proved to be
bad beginning, for the public accorded these very art
lists fair hearing and quietly set aside your exceedingly
INFLUENZA" opinion Gracefully yielding an unten
able position you next placed in the field an antagonist
from Chicago offering TO back him at any odds don't
know whether Mr. Grau lacked heart whether he was
unscientcaly trained but certainly he failed to meet
vour eXpecations as an opera Feeling tlat
the reputation OF your superior "INrLUEScE" was at
stake, he struggled desperately but to no purpose
BY a singular chance public attention was ayerted from
the impending morfying defeat The incendiarys torch
was applied 10 the Academy Of Music and dis
aster overlook the contestants II you insist upon 1t
shall f9rego diguios your "INFtVENgE " tpi' paFlcu
lar instahce. ...." .a
You scarcely sought to dssemble The satisfaction which
you derived from the destruction Of the opera house
Involving 1t did the loss of many lives and the con-
sequent damage to my business Your extraordinary
"INFLUESCE" was now eXertcd prove for your own
qualification that opera not wanted I'm the United
States since it had gone out Of fashion at Washington
Heights The Academy In ruins and you opposed
it, being rebuilt Your "iSFLuENCE" on this occasion
avacd nothing and the stately proportions OF the edce
renewed. A. the work advanced you manufactured
and published in your Hcra the that the Grand
"a. tho
roof, which you volunteered to prophecy would come
down through lack of your important INFLUENCE
The Grand Jury made such presentment but the Su
pcrutcndcnt Of the Bureau for the Inspection Of Build
ng- prepared report upon the Academy, IN which he
WIS at pains TO assert that the stability of the building
could De guaranteed against far more iSFLrESfAL"
forces than The Ncir York Her0H This report was pub
Ished by you without comment
little time again elapsed and YOU began 10 reconsider
your opinions In the matter Of opera Having discovered
an mprcs,ano worth millions 20 The Herald
and priml donna whose varied gifts fairly echpsed
the united tacnt, OF all the Crisis aud Mlbfans the
world ever saw-accorliug 10 The HeruH-you oppor
uney observed that the popular Tor opera not
extinct but the contrary, more widespread than
ever The opening looked promising. AMI new era of
Italian opera. under the special INFLUENCE of The
Herdid was developed. After season of four
nights al the French Thcatcr the imprcssaro with his
eNehcqucr. and the prima donna with her incom
parable endOwments faded from sight and of an this
vast scheme for supplying the nation with purified and
improved opera nothing but the incNhaustible "INTLU
ENCE" of The Hcrah remaiued.
Ipresumc that you have learned. through the columns
of the newspapers that the Academy OF Music has been
nauguracd under the former management and with the
old motto "Thi, establishment does advertise In
The Ne TOr Heyuid" The roof has not tumbled IN 10
obgc you. you have sought 20 rcd0ub!e your NFLU-
gScE." Chanined 10y your ~ luck you now sound an
alarm Of publishing dreams OF frlghtui explosions
imminent confagratiOns. and wholesale human slaugh-
ter But must that You 90 possess more de
tailed knowledge of the fires that have recently con
sued certain prominent theacrs than do the propre-
tors or employees Of these same establishments.
Your last attempt has failed 10 hit the mark Instead
OF your peculiar ISFLUENCE" keeping the public away
from the Academy, the house full last evening the
receipts being above S,iOOg
But enough OF your failures INFLUENTIAL" journ
alist TO my mind your most conspicuous failure was
made your pretended character OF an honest critic,
when you engaged person to plead your cause with the
public In letter to The Times, published in september,
1896 your apoogst ayerred that he had investigated
tain charges Of back-mail which had placed at your
editorial door and after due deberaton had been con
vinced that you incapable OF evying or taking
blackmal. This communication was signed A subscri-
ber" without specifying whether the writer was sub
scrber 10 The Times 60 the opera. which very dipo-
matte vageness suggested the fact, as 1t afterwards
proved that the defender Of your mperled character
Wikoff by name
IL is odd that Mr. wikof should have stepped for
ward as your champion when the question was one Of
blackma Both you and he must have forgotten what
he himself once took occasion 10 write and publish con
cerning an analogous 80 to refresh your impaired
memories aud acquaint the present generation with the
facts take the liberty Of reproducing from the columns
OF The Rep6e the following extract from letter written
and printed by Mr. wkOff when he the agent OF tho
celebrated dancer Fanny Elssler:
81 had informed Mile. Elsser OF the dlsagreeable
necessity OF conciating the odious paper THE Herald,
and she therefore consented to receive ts editor He
called minutes after her arrival at the American Hotel
and offered his pen and journal Internationally for her
use | accepted it her behalf, and he straghtway
began the most extravagant puffs which he evidently
continued for the profit they brought him In the increase
OF his circulation. During the Summer OF lSO Mile |
Elssler made every courteous acknowledgment In her
power and received Mrs. @'''''', whom he had |
lately on previous occasions. Before her
departure for Havana the Winter OF the year, Mile
Elsser presented Mrs 80 '' with rich gold bracelet
of the value S00 Her surprise may be easily imagined
at hearing afterward that abomnabe attack had |
been made her during her absence, and which was |
Systematically repeated until she the point of
abandoning the country In dsmayi for, In all her Euro
pean experience she had never met an individual 30 lost
10 decency sunk debasement this man, who had
courted her notice, receiving her presents Tor MS
only repay both with inexcusable infamy.
suggested her the only apparent means to stay TINS
foul stream of low abuse. and her arrival in New
York In the Summer of lsi she bought at Storr Mor
mers Broadway service OF silver for $500, and case
of Jewels consisting Of earrings aud necklace. OF about
the same amount, and presented them 10 Mrs
who received them, Of course, most willingly.
"Thls led for time truce, and few days after |
Bennett wrote letter, chch he dated London and de-
Tended against the very pack he had set on but ne
took that OCCASION such his avidy for vuperaton TO
abuse several other mertOrous artists among others the
hen In cnnnrnhnn1 the tenlro |