Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-01-26
LETTER FROM NEW YORK.
Mrs. Astor's Rali-Their Silver Service
The French Ball-The RunCo Men
The Police Captains Dinucr-~Deccp-
tiOn'' at Wallack's. Etc.
reciai Correspondence of THE EvrSrNe STAR

The most wonderful success of all was achieved
by the silver service. however. This is a COM
mercial country. and the fact that any family
even the Astors. can afford to display $40 600
worth of silver. is of absorbing interest Aside
from this the entertainment was in every way
delightful. The Astors have the reputation of
being the most accomplished entertainers IN
New York. as they are certainly the foremost
family in the city. Invitations to their festvi-
ties are eagerly sought. The original John
Jacob came over from Holland with SIX Bphm
flutes. glass eye, and all his worldly goods tied
in a handkerchief. which he carried on a stick
across his shoulder He had plenty of Dutch
courage. quiet persisteRcy. aud was thoroughly
honest. So are all his children and his childrens
children. The result is family of somewhat heavy
people, who are sticklers for the proprieties in
every sense of the word. and who hold the
leadership OF New York society by virtue of an
untarniShed name. generous hospitality and
thorough familiarity with the ways of the polite
world. The AstOrs are never eNtraya-aut in
any thing that does not appertain to their houses
They drive quiet but blooded horses and the
eXteriors OF their mansions are among the most
sober on 9TH avenue. They are chary of enter
ing into great financial schemes OF any sort. ex-
cept those involved in the purchase aud sale of
real estate and have no liking for sport Some
years ago Mr.. Astor became fond of race horses
and was for short time prominent owner of
blooded stock and popular member of several
turf clubs. He ran his horses tor the sport of
H.
The people had unlimited confidence in him and
followed his horses through thick and thin be-
cause they believed they were honestly
run. One day Mr.. Astor found that horse
racing had descended to mere game
OF gambling in which the horses were
run by professional bookmakers in a set of
backlog schemes. Thereupon he promptly
Withdrew every one Of his horses from the turf
and gave up the sport forever. 1t was only a
shON time after that another stalwart citizen
Belmont followed
Mr.. Aston 1t is claimed 10y a great many peo-
pie that the Astors are endeavOring to set up a
sort of ariStOcracy in America and that their ey-
clusiveness is simply the forerunner of kind of
snobbish scale of social distinctions. Neyerthe-
less. the majority of good citizens understand
that it is a good thing to have in a population
SO varied cosmopolitan and unmanageable
as that of New York clique Of old famil-
uphold the good name OF their own blood ana
that of the city. The ball Monday night was
attended by about nine hundred people. Every
invitation had, OF course. been accepted. Par
ties OF guests came from Washington, Philadel
phia and Boston. The Vanderhits. both father
and son. their wives, daughters and children
attended in one massive brood. 1t was a proud
moment for the Vanderbilt family. 1t was a
thing for which they have been scheming for
years and years. and they were repaid for all
their trouble by the entrance to this the most
exclusive house in New York As William H.
sauntered through the rooms, looking mild and
happy and smiling gently on his surroundings,
he presented picture of perfect contentment
William has reason to be satisfied. 1t was only
few years ago when his father worked as a
deckhand on a steamboat and his mother kept a
sailors lodging house on the Raritau canal at
New Brunswick. New Jersey. Now he owns a
picture gallery, big house. lot of fast horses
half dozen railroads, 500 000 900. and is ad-
mitted into the best circle of New York society
There is only one thing more for William Ii. to
do-give a couple OF millions to the poor.
THE FRENCH BALL
went off this year without causing any deaths or
suicides though there were two alarms of fires
a score or two of arrests. and a dozen of fights
The danger of going to French ball il not that
one would be likely to suffer from having his
morals injured SO much DIS having his head
broken or being slug9ed by the cabmen Ii is
now settled fact that every body who leaves
the Academy of Music after. the French bali
must take n cab In former years there have
been ImpecunlouS young men who recklessly
spent their worldly wealth in wine with the in
tent!on OF walking home. They lived to regret
their course. Monday night everybody took a
cab Otherwise it was Necessary to engage in a
hand to hand conflict with some three hundred
pirates, who stood in circle around the door
at the Academy and seize their victims as they
came out. In all seriousness it is important
that the police get the cabmen in subsection
They are as unruly and rough set of black
guards as can be found anywhere In the city,
Many man has had his coat torn, his hat
smashed, and been otherwise injured by these
hungry jehus looking for prey in the early hours
of the morning.
The ball of the Cercle Francois Harmonic
is always the best French ball of the season.
The society is very large, and they spend money
freely in preparing for their annual festivity
The fact generally passes notice in the whir of
the ball that great many respectable people
attend merely for the experience of the thing
All the members of the society-and nearly all
OF them are respectable-bIing their wives and
such of their daughters as are old enough to
stand the strain OF the annual ball. They ALWAYS
90 away early, as the bali is quite disreputable
after one o'clock A more wildly improper affair
than the Harmonic on Monday night has never
been given in New York.
THE BUNCO MEN
Yesterdays papers contained no less than
three separate and distinct stories of the opera
tons of bunCO men in New York These gem
temen divide with the police the honor of con-
trolling the metropolis There are only four
things to be afraid of in New York They are
fair women, American beer. policemen and
bunco men. He who succeeds in threading the
thorny maze of our streets without encounter
ing any of these pitfalls is happy man. The
ounce men improve in efficiency every day.
lheir numbers Increase rapidly. and they have
| arrived at such point now that they mOnopo-
lie the attention of the police, and vet the 20
lice are utterly unable to cope with them The
laws do not provide punishment for their
oiiIHts All tHe cases tnat appeared in
the papers yesterday morning showed
conclusively that even the best efforts OF re-
spectacle citizens, backed by the strongest evil
dence of crime and praiseworthy efforts on the
part Of the police. will not suffice to secure the
conviction of clever bunco steerers. The diff
Guilty In every case is the timidity and reticence
! on the part Of the victims. 1t will be admitted
without hesitation that man who is taken in
by bunco men must be more or less of a fool and
fool ia the most difficult of all creatures to
deal with in court The bunco men really get
very strong hold on their victims through the
wickedness of the said victim. A good deacon
comes to New York. His soul is filed with
piety and joy and his pocket with money. He
falls in with a slick, wel-fed, gay and clever
bunco man. The bunco man takes him in.
few moments later the bunco man shows the
deacon a game by which. he Is told, he can
make thousand dollars by rsking one hum
dred. The coGntryman knows that it is skin
game, but he expects to make money out Of 1t.
So he goes merrily ahead Right here observe
that he is as wicked as the bunco man himself
He Is trying to get money without earning it
side; 1t is never the bunco man. After all won
der if q philosopher could not evolve the theory
t hat buncO men are more of q blessing than
curse. One thing is certain. their victims are
always either foolish or dishonest.
BuncO men make q good living. dress well, |
eat well, and seem happy and contented. There
are not few little tricks at which they can turn
their hands, and they are tied close together in
the bonds Of brotherhood. The buncO men at |
into all sorts of situations with ease and grace