Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1868-11-19
FAST MEN AND MONEY.
Row Fortunes are spent by the
Fast Men OF New York city

;FSsI'' Men OF New York city
A correspondent writing from Goth-
am to the Troy Times, says
A man about town Is one who has
plrn-v Of money and has nothing to do
but t. spend Is One cannot be much Of
a man about JJwn under $4,000 4 year.
and most Of this stamp range in the
neighbOrhOOd Of this figure, although
some get up as high rs $4,000 A man
about town may or may not be m Irried,
but he generally llourishes in single
cursedness. If married, his wife is not
greatly troubled with his society. He
owns a box ut the opera for himself and
perhaps two OF three for female friends.
lie has n fast team, though his horses,
fleet rs they may be, are not as fast as
himself He may keep n yacht have
-tlck in race course, and be addicted
10 similar amusement5 without interior
ing with his general character for ltle-
ness, indeed, he may have a nominal in
terest in some business whose burden IL
borne by other parties The amount Of
money spent by some Of these men about
town Is almost incredible. The firm of
C., which failed lately in Broad
| street. illustrates this Oue Of the p3rS~
ners in this concern has, for some
time past, abandoned himself to
| dissipation, aud in three years
has spent $4,000 lie spe It $4,000 in
| ATTENDING the "Black Crook and in the
| female associations formed n that in,
| famous exhibition, and among his victims
| is his father, who Is by the above meu-
| toned failure involved IN ruin Men
| about town, as n class, begin on fixed in
comes afforded by inherited fortunes. but
| their extrayagant habits soon break upon
the principal, and they eventually 60 to
| ruin. Such an instance was found in
Young Costar, who, some years asO, ran
| through an estate Of 100000 We mind,
when a clerk, tried to collect from him
| bill of few dollars amount IN behalf of
our employer but tried in vain. He was
thoroughly used up and soon after finally
| disappeared. The average duration Of a
! man about town is about five years, and
! after this brief period Of eOruscatiOn he
| sinks into darkness. What becomes OF
this class is q curious question. S,ms
| fall back on their friends Others who
cannot do that find q miserable employ
ment in the service Of those gaming hells
where once their money flowed like
water. They may do well to rope in
| victims. but inasmuch as young men are
| preferred for this business, Us soon as
one gets up to fifty he Is past service.
The rope II" must dress well and not
spend money freely. They lounge around
the frst-class hotels and readily make
| aeGuaintance with the miscellaneous N ass
of newcomers. They are business men
and talk about business they buy and
| sell stock and deal in real estate, or are
agents for some railway or banking corr
% ration They invite their friends to
drink and smoke simply ont Of good feel
ing, and in the evening they propose
walks TO interesting places. To be brief
the result is an introduction TO gaming
house, where the pigeon Is generally
pIucked before they let him 60. This We
saw IA one Of the ways in which our men
about town wind up their career of pleas-
ure Another employment il found in
the service of some of the fashionable
clubs, andif brOken-dOwn man about
t1vn does not get provided for in some
way Of this kind, he Is quite sure to 20 TO
the devil by shorter course. As our
men about town are largely adde CT, 4 to
female intimacies ola disreputable char
as.er, the recent decision of a Western
Judge (Which may be adopted in our own
STATED Is of no small interest to this class
According to this decision, a maA and wJ-
man living together may be adjudged O.
be man and wife, even although there be
neither marriage tie nor even sembllnca
Of It, and parties who are DESTROYS Of es-
, Gaping what they call the thrall of mat
rimony may find themselves more mar
RED than theV think.