New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-03-20

Paris England and tnotJn VAIN o, sn :. - -,.a
States. True, it was not Herr Nom VINO conso.sss
and executed 1t; bnt as its results
and nt,tea a $3.50 in Berlin, Chrcnoioglscnes
va-Ia,ebrizs bs had all the benefit OF IL Tor nus
second and third volumes and faithfully uscu ~
ZOO even 10 n greater extent than the ackno"ieus
,,orts r,a,le In his notes render apparent.
This article may perhaps, be censnred 40 u1u u,
1870 q Mercy TO him who mercy SHOWS. ""
odd n paragraph or two TO exhibit INC qusn', -
ILL., Nobrs. Johann van Beethoven, 0 cn'iuiose
,s,,-or nasseo his last years as member OF MS
.anI,s,v3s family. That nephew, after leaving the
.rr,v had married Ia Moravia and remained there
until called TO visnn' by his uncle. johann urea
IN 1s4s. Carl IN 1s - and his WIDOW no. tour
amiable and pleasing daughters, ana ONO SON. Nero
now the only representatives Oh tne oiu Donn
fa1aily of Beethoyens Madame caroline van DeeS-
h,,,er lnew the uncle only as good-humored,
M, NON of no great intellectual force OF educa-
,ion whom the long struggle with poverty IN his
oa,Iv life had made extremely economical, and
,rhosa only costly indulgence was his carriage and
borses The nephew she had Onlv known as the
vouug lover. the kind and afectiOnate husband,
the fond devoted and indulgent tather OF her
children n man of eimpe habits, retiring, and lntl-
mate with few friends-a thoroughly domestic man.
II was not until after she came to Vienna that she
gradually became aware OF the sad notoriety, III
contrast TO the fame OF the composer, Oh heI nus
band. his deceased father and uncle Johann. IN
hjcted upon them by an anecdote or TWO tOiu Ny
Ries. by the charges Of SCHNEIDER, repeated IN
nperlatives with additions by their copyists and by
the fantasies of penny-nliners who had discovered
that anything "pIquant" concerning these persons
was salable matter for teuilletons. On VISIT 10
the good lady in 1S59-we think 10 was our hrst-We
found her with eyes red and swollen with weeping
and hardly able to speak. Some kind friend hau
lust sent her for perushl the volumes Oh lhat vic
slanderer OF the dead, the infamous HeriDcrV h"u "
WHICH ne gave rein to his prurient fancy to make
3piquant' book on Beethoven and his brothers.
Knowing the character of that book, the depth OF
her emotions was not surprising But harder TO
bear was that whoever wrote Oh Beethoven was al
most certain 10 devote more or less space to the
beartless ingratitude and shocking conduct OF the
nephey. which had broken the great composers
heart according TO the copyists OF Schlndler.
When Beethoven died, this nephew was boy OF
eighteen years Can any living person show that
when the boy was once away from the unhappy
associations and influences which had corrupted
and eabittered his boyhoOd that his better nature
did not rule him that his wife and children ever
had cause to blush at the conduct OF the husband
and father SCHNEIDER published in 1860 revised
and enlarged edition OF his book IN when al MS
old charges against Beethoven5 brothers anu
nephew were intensified; in Justice TO his memory
be IL said that, writing near FranKiorf-aih-
Main be was % a position TO know many
.his which might nave led HIM to a mildcI treat
ment Of them: and even he, with all his projuhiees
does NOT refrain IRON bearing testimony that Carts
ooo.l qualities made him in later life an honor
able father of a family" Tho appearance OF this
volume called out OF course, notices and articles IN
endless yariety; all the old scandals were revived
the great name she bore became burden 10 the
widow year or two later came Herr NOM 70
Vienna. collecting materials for his projected BOOK
and applied to- her for information. Here, theh
was hope that at last younS and impartial winter
woud seek TO know and impart the truth, and
nothing hut the truth would weigh with the scales
of iustice: would show that the cloud 10 long rest
ing upon the good name Of those 70 near qua dear
TO her. was less dark than was believed she I'M
parted what little she knew from Others OF the
composer, granted him freely copies OF all papers
bearing on his subject. not already borrowed nom
her and sold for their own benefit by swindlers,
an, nided him IN every way IN her limited power.
How tbi, hopo was blasted has been indicated
obove. OF her husband she found, when the boo;
came ont, the errors Of the boy and
IAN his faults, observed.
Dot in n notebook, learned, aud eonned oy rotet
and Scbindlers charges not only repeated but with
all the additions which close scrutiny coad detect
in letters and tho gossip OF the conversation books
Az 70 her uncle Nohl seems to be aetuated by q
spir,t OF personal and relentless hate. Why we
cannot pretend to say 1t appears ineXpcable. In
one NJ HIS publications he tells the public, ne Nus
tratiye OF Johann van Beethoyens aVarice, That
after the death Of his wife he married her daughter
norm before the mothers marriage with him, to
ureyent certain property from passing out OF MS
possession, It would have cost him postage
stamp to inquire at Vienna into the truth OF the
story nay IL wOnld have cost him the story ltsel
since be must have been aware ct the impossOllity
Of such marriage In Catholic Vienna. so, giving
the name OF Madame EglOf" Us AUTHORIZATION the
story was just to his purpose-he publishes tine
abomin,Lle falsehood-Barnum and Hewitt on u
small scale. An indignant refutatiOn OF tins now
caluinny was Immediately sent to the public press,
without tho knowledge of Mrs van Beethoven.
giving the name and official position Of the gentle
man whom the young woman did marry. And this.
hidden in tho mass OF notes to his Volume Ill., is
Nohl's retraction: As here for the last time,
brother Johann and his evil passions will be par.
tcularly noticed let IL he remarked that according
to n communication VI Fran c. van Beethoven ITO
whomi when n, after the death Of his wife he al
lowed her daughter 70 bear his name, and that sho
married Herr StolzieW
What docs tho reader say to tho following tom
the Same volume, p. 1921 - His tJohann'sl really
shameless avarice. not to mention nuinberless
minor instances is proved by this one fact that he
| so invested his property rs gradually to exhaust
it on himself and nothing remained to his heirs.
This Carls widow herself related to me, for he had
lived years with them" IL would have cost him
another postage stamp to inquire in Vienna whether
he had not mistaken Mrs. van Beethoyeni but here
also it woald have cost him the fine opportunity OF
adding odum to the name OF Johann; for he
would have learned that after deducting all costs
and charges, the heirs inherited moro than 0O00
florinsl Does anyone suppose that Carts widow
herself" ever told Herr Nohl such an utterly IRA
tional falsehoOdi A jaundiced mind neither hears