Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1884-02-20
The DelmOnicO Family.
New York Cor. washington Star !

The trouble with the famous restau-
rateur has been an unconquerable aver
sion to exercise. The same Inertia has
been the bane of all the Delmonicos.
Siro, who died a year or SO ago, was for
a long while a curiosity. Men used to
look at him with positive amazement.
He had room on the top floor of the
Twenty-sixth Street house, but spent
most of his time in the restaurant. He
was known as the man who never slept
but always smoked. He took breakfast
in the restaurant about o'clock. Then
he sat down and read the papers and
smoked until lunch time. He was occa-
sionally interrupted by minor affairs con-
nected with the business, but seldom
left his seat. After lunch he would sit
and smoke until o'clock in the after
noon, when he would leisurely climb
into a hack, and visit the downtown
Delmonico places. By $50 he would
be back in the restaurant again and sit
and talk to his cronies until s o'clock.
Then he ate a very heavy dinner. From
that time until l 80 he scarcely moved
from his chair. At 80 he would go
down and look about the kitchen, go up
to his room on the top floor and sleep for
an hour. He was called again. Athalf-
past three he was Ia the market along
the river front buying food for the daily
consumption of his numerous restau-
rants. This task generally took him
two or three hours. It was usually 6
o'clock before he came back to the res
taurant again, and after another short
bath and nap he was ready for break
- n Il I,
daily programme, Sunday included. He
smoked very strong cigars, and had one
in his mouth as long as he was awake,
unless he was eating. During the
day he was usually sleepy and stupid,
and lounged lazily In his chair with his
head on his breast. This was. natural,
considering the small amount of sleep
he had. When he died nicotine was
said to be the most potent canse of his
death. Charles Delmonico inherited
the vast business. The immense for
tune which came to him was theimmedi-
ate cause of his ruin. He conceived the
idea of being a great millionaire. He
had fortune of several millions to start
with, and he was thoroughly conversant
with Wall Street affairs. He was jolly,
wide-awake, and enterprising at first,
but he gave way to the besetting sin Of
the Delmonico family, and before long
became as Emphatic and lazy as any Of
his famous uncles. He sat with stup-
i'd and loggy expression in his restaurant
for hours and hours at time. He grew
cross, morose, and sullen. Men who
had known him for years, and known
him intimately, were rebuffed when they
approached his chair. and he was ter
ror to everybody whom he employed.
But it is singular fact that through all
his illness and subsequent dementia he
never relaxed his vigilant care of his
restaurant. Delmonico's to-day is even
a more perfect establishment than it was
five years ago. When Charlie Delmon1-
co became pronounced lunatic (about
year ago. people who had formerly
made it point to go and speak to him
every day and try to keep up their So
cial relations with him looked askance
and gave him a wide berth. He sat
staring moodily at the floor for hours at
time. He grew very stout, and, like
Siro, his chin was depressed. His eyes
grew heavy and loggy, and without the
faintest spark of animation. He is the
last of the Delmonicos. The business
will probably go to his nephew, whose
name is Crist.