St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1877-01-12
Our New York Letter.

A HAPPY THOUGHT FOR THE WEATHER
| BUREAU-OUR NEW GOVERNMENT
STIRRING UP INsURANCE-No WE'D
DING IN THE HERALD OFFICE-COM
MoDORE vANDERBILT's LAST WISHES
| PEACEFUL END OF HIS EvENTFUI
L1FE-$60, 900, 900 OF PRoPERTY-THI
MAIL MISUNDERSTANDING IN THE PARE
BAD FOR CUPID
| NEW YORK, Jan. 5, 1877.
To the Editor of the CaLe1Onian
1877 came down to us in snow drift
and we are still busy trying to shove
him out and see what he looks like.
don't remember seeing New York sc
clogged up with the feecy nuisance
since the winter of 1928 when we
were caught in it even worse than now
This time is bad enough, however, for
the usual January thaw declines to
hurry itself about clearing the streets,
and the municipal aid in that direction
promised last week has thus far proved
to be a delusion and u snare. 1t is a
great pity that the weather bureau
won't allow this month to swap off a
few of its days with next July; both
changes would be welcome, if not quite
healthy.
With the new year comes in new
city government. Mayor Wickham
leaves his comfortable chair for Mr..
Ely'soccupancy, Sheriff Conner, through
whose fingers Mr.. Tweed slipped so
easily when he wanted to travel in for
iegn parts, steps out of his official shoes,
which are found to fit a successor by
the classic and apparently foreign name
of Reilly, while eX-BOss John Kelly is
just beginning to get his seat warm in
the COmptrOller's Office recently vacated
by grOuty Andrew Green. A new NUM-
cIpal broom usually sweeps pretty clean
among the small offices, but thus far
civil service reform has been so far re-
garded that present incumbents of
mlnOrpositiOns who perform their duties
satisfactorily are being retained to an
uncommon extent. This in itself speaks
well for the new government, which in
deed seems to be regarded with less
popular distrust than any previous one
for years. 1t is to be hoped that the in
creased confidence which this fact brings
will do IFS share toward starting the
tagging wheels of business.
Our life insurance difficulties con-
tlnue, but are now going to be pushed
forward to the speediest possible end,
the New York Superintendent of In
surance having announced his intention
OF examining every life insurance com
pany in the state. This is a move in
the right direction, and while it NAV re-
suit IN the extinction of more weak
companies, it will also re-establish con-
fidence in the strong
Alarmists are always ready in times
OF depression to try and to produce a
panic, and the natural uneasiness felt
on account of the evidence of misman-
agement or worse in some institutions
Of this kind which the last few months
have shown, gives them some ground to
work on. But the bottom has not fall
en- out yet. There are several COM
panies left in New York about whose
permanent stability there can be no
question. The old "EQuitable,n for in
stance, with its assets of between thirty
and forty millions and its careful man
agement, is one of the safest as it is one
OF the largest companies in the world.
VI course in the case of this and the few
similar institutions the efforts of the
designing can have no serious effect.
but they are still greatly to be depre-
Gated, and it is well that the action of
the Superintendent is calculated to set
the matter at rest.
That model journalist and exemplary
young man, Mr.. James Gordon Bennett.
OF the Neac York Herald, is a party to
one OF the large sensations of the week.
AS has been widely announced through
the press of the country Mr.. Bennett
has been for some time engaged to be
married to a Miss May of Baltimore,
but on account of his numerous sprees
and bad behaviour generally, the we'd
ding has been once or twice postponed.
Last week the father of the bride ex-
pectant came to the eminently sensible |
conclusion that all the wealth of the
prohigate millionaire would be a Door
for his daughters's future
and wrote Mr.. Bennett |
that the match must be broken off. No
one knows exactly what the latter's
course was after receiving this dismissal. |
If it is admissible, however, to reason
from precedent, it is highly probable
that he sought refuge from his sorrows
in the cup that inebriates, and was per-
haps guilty of some indiscretion while
under its influence. At all events, he
to incur the righteous indig-
nation of the young lady's brother, Mr..
Frederic May, who on Wednesday
procured rawhde and went
for the hero of the Polo Club in a man
ner that slightly damaged the latter's
person and greatly damaged his dignity.
The particulars of the affair are the
subject of mere surmise, as nobody in
possession of the facts will disclose
hem. What the ultimate result of the
1lfflculty will be is yet to be seen.
mere are all sorts of wild rumors, of
1uels and gore, but nothing comes of it
yet. 1t seems certain, however, that
Mr.. Bennett has left town, but for what
destination or for how long, is not
known at this writing.
1t Is not every nation that can bury
I citizen worth fifty millions, more or
ess, every year for three years, but
With the passing away of Commodore
'anderbllt, America accOmplishes the
lnwelcome feat, Aston in 1875, Stewart
m 1876, and now the only remaining
;ompeer of that princely pair. Mr.. Van
ierbllt's death, which occurred a few
minutes before eleven on the morning
d the fourth, was the parting of a
thread which the attrition of over four
'core years had worn thin and slender.
md as might have been expected, was
entirely painless. His faculties were
lrRSarNad oil a1ae.kf 70, L. 4 Il Il