Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1883-04-25
The IiVinustOns.

A New York letter says: The Living
ston family is very old and blue blood
ed In this state. 1t had two great man.
ors on the Hudson, and the great man
of the race was the old chancellor. The
history of the family has been most var
led. To-day it presents some curious
features. Upon Fifth Avenue are several
representatives enjoying wealth carefully
preserved, and living in elegance. John
stone, Robert, and Matsoon Livingston
move in the best society in New York,
and live In the best ofstyle. Mary Alice
Almont Livingston, delicate descen~
dant, was recent conspicuous in breach
of promise suit against Henry Flemin g,
president of the Central Oil Refining
Company, in which she obtained a YER
dict fer $75, 200. A friend, few nights
ago, asked me to visit with him another
branch of the family, one of the former
owners OF the upper manor. Up three
flights Ofrickety stairs In Sixth Avenue
building we knocked at the door of hall
room. An aged lady, with snow-white
hair, answered the knock and responded
to the name of Mrs. Livingston. There
were but three chairs IN the apartment.
She called her daughter, who was pre-
pairing to retire in what seemed to be a
dark closet, and comedy young woman,
aged 19, came out, laughingly apologize
ing for the surroundings. My friend,
who was police official, had interested
himself to find brother, who, when the
family was prosperous, had been cast
adrift because he had married maid from
the household, and who, after serving
under the police, became an engineer on
the Erie railroad and has not been heard
of since. The mother and daughter and
one son were living here In utter power
ty. The husband, Henry Livingston,
the nephew of the old chancellor, after a
wild career committed suicide at Stanwix
Hall, Albany, on the day that Garfield
died. He ran through with three for
tunes, and in some of his almost insane
adventures, was once or twice in the asyl-
un for the insane, and once was sent to
prison for raising check for $75, given
MIN by Commodore Vanderbilt, to S75,-
600. He was graduate of Yale College,
and his first adventure was to marry his
| governess. He got an estate by inherit
ance, and Martin Van Buren, sent him
as representative of the country in
Spain. He entered upon wild career of
scamp, goodfellow, and adventurer when
I he returned. He married q second
time, after securing divorce, and trav-
eled about from city to city. Once he
| lived in the Planters Hotel, In ST. Louis.
A son died there from a spinal injury
caused by fall. The family recall that
Gen. John @. Fremont gave up his room
for the funeral, and sent a beautiful
floral tribute representing little fellow
leaning out of the hotel window waving
union flag. Livingston became an
opium eater. He got the sobriquet of
"Doc" because he wrote out prescrip-
lions for it and signed them DIR. Liv-
lngston. Once he imagined when driv-
ing that Seventeenth Street was a race
course, and he tore along with break
neck speed, knocking down policemen
and smashing vehicles. When he was
captured thirty bottles of laudanum and
two loaded revolvers were found under
the seat of his buggy. In one Of his
bankrupt interims he got employment
out west as railroad engineer, but not
knowing how to run the engine, he
shared his salary with the fireman who
ran il for him. One day the fireman was
sick and Livingston found himself un-
able to stop the engine after starting it.
1t dashed along at break-neck speed.
He managed to Jump off and take to the
woods, never to return to the bust
ness. Almost by amiracle the lives ofmost
of the passengers were saved IN the &C.
cident that followed. The family, reared
in luxury, is now having hard work to
keep the wolf from the door. The Fifth
Avenue relatives gave them the cold
shoulder. The daughter has been Maude
Changers maid. and is now trying to get
a souorette part upon thestage. Shestill
believes that she is the heiress of the
upper Livingston manor, and she hopes
some day to discover it to be fact.