Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1881-05-12
How Mr.. Livingstone, of New York, As
tonishes the Natives of Florence.

Although the Florehtines love to stand
about the streets in the sunshine, and to
make picturesque groups of themseles.
yet every one rides the moment it be-
comes question of = half-dozen blocks,
be they rich or poor and on this point
extremes meet, for while travellers and
persons OF moderate wealth patronize
the public carriages, only the wealthy
resident families and the poor own their
own equipages and most certainly the
contadino makes a greater show with
his gay market cart and little donkey
hung around with tinkling bells and
scarlet tassels than the owners of satin
lined coupes and English thoroughbreds.
But the most sensational turnout in
Florence belongs to Mr.. Livingstone, Of
New York, who drives, s'twenty-in-
hand" Vive l. America! These twenty
horses are finely matched in size and
color, being all bright bay; and they
are decked out with gorgeous harness
loaded with heavy gold plated clasps
and buckles, of which they seem as
proud as young girl of her first ball
dress. The happy possessor of these
horses, and also of a great mania for no.
toriety, insists upon "holding the rib
bons" with his own hands; therefore,
as he is advanced in years, and is quite
feeble, he is fastened firmly and securely
to the high front seat of the English
''drag," which he usually prefers,
though on grand occasions he drives
mail coach made after the approved
model of the London coaching club.
These leather straps have been added
by his family quite lately, and much
against the old gentleman's will; but
having not long since tumbled out of
his place, to the CONSERVATION of his at
PENDANTS, who picked him up none the
worse for his fall, but very dusty and in
state of towering indignation against
everything and ryBody, he has given
a grudging assent to their wishes, nat
urally not desiring to literally ssbite the
dust" second time. His fondness for
notoriety must certainly be gratified. for
the band wagon of Barnum s great moral
show never excited more attention than
does the Livingstone turnout. An hour
ago he passed my window on his way to
the Gasoline, where he shows himself on
most pleasant afternoons. His horses
pranced and capered, and the great
golden buckles of their harness cleaned
brightly in the sunshine. Two prefer
naturally solemn footmen, clad in blue
liveries, sat with folded arms upon their
perch, and the main seats of the drag
were occupied simply by small, black
terrier pup, who amused himself by
jumping backward and forward, vigor-
ously barking at the crowd. Mr.. Living
stone sat in solitary grandeur strapped
securely into the coachman's place,
wrapped in an overcoat lined throughout
with magnificent Russian sables, with
Uniformed collar and deep cuffs, gar
ment which young American belle
might well envy him. A retinue of 80 or
40 ragged gamins escorted him, COM
menting on the points of the establish
ment and watching for stray centessimi;
but the owner of all this magniicence
sat rigidly upright, his eyes fixed upon
his risky leaders, for although he is said
to enjoy the plaudits of the admiring
crowd, he is not given to any unnecessa-
ry expenditure of copper coins. The
people call him sl' Americana" or the
observation-disclosures (Italy) Cor. Chi
c1Q0 Times.