Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-01-12
Special Correspondence of THE EVENING STAR

Etc
| Special Correspondence of THE EVENING STAR
| NEW YORK. Jan. IL.
Charlie Demonico's disappearance was due to
| the almost criminal neglect of his family. The
| man has been "a mad as March hare for a
! year. and everybody knew it. The habtues of
| his restaurant were so thoroughly accustomed
to Mr.. Delmonico in his insane condition that
| they paid little or no attention to him. The
| fact that his mind was impaired had ceased to
| be novelty and he was looked upon merely as
| harmless lunatic. Everybody supposed he
was well watched. In point of fact it seems he
| was not watched at all. His family made some
! pretense Of having a nurse for him. but this
| nurse was merely one of the restaurant
! walters who was occasionally pressed into ser
| vice. Insane men are proverbially cunning. Of
| course Mr.. DelmonicO wouldn't try to run away
| when his servant following him about.
The trouble with the famous restaurauteur
| has been al unconquerable aversion to exeT-
! else The same inertia has been the bane of all
/ the DelmOnicOs. Sro, who died a wear or so
/ agO. was. for long while. a curiosity. Men
| used to look at him with positive anlazement.
| He had room on the top floor of the Goth
| 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 nine O'Clock.
| Then he sat down and read the papers and
| smoked until lunch time. He was occasionally
| interrupted by minor affairs connected with the
! business. but seldom left his seat. After lunch
| he would sit and smoke till four o'clock in the
! afternoon. when he would leisurely climb into
hack and visit the downtown Delmonico
! places. BY half-past five he would be back in
| the restaurant again and sit and talk to his
! crones until eight o'clock. Then he ate very
| heavy dinner. From that time until half-past
| one he scarcely moved from his chair At
half-past one he would go down and look
| about the kitchen. 90 up to his room on the top
| floor and sleep tor an hour. He was called
| again. Half-past three found him in the mar
kets along the river front buying the food for
| the daily consumption of his numerous restau-
rants. The task generally took him two or
! three hours. 1t was usually G 0 clock before he
! came back to the restaurant again. and after
another short nap and bath he was ready for
| his breakfast, as usual, at 9 o'clock. This was
| his daily program 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 stu
| pd and lounged lazily in his chair with his
head on his breast. This was natural consider
ing the small amount Of sleep he had. When
he died nicotine said to be the most potent
| cause of his death Charles Delmonico nher-
| tied the vast business. The immense fortune
which came to him was the immediate
! cause OF his ruin. He conceived the idea
! OF being 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 stupid and loegy express
sion in his restaurant. tor hours and hours at
time. He grew cross. mOrose and sullen. Men
who had known him for years. and known him
intimately, were rpbuffed when they apprOachpd
| MS Chair, and he was terror to everybody
whom he employed. But it is a singular fact
THAT through all his illness and subsequent di-
mentia he never relaxed his yigilant care of his
restaurant. DeimOnicOs to-day is even a more
perfect establishment than it was five years ago.
When Charley DelmOnico became pronounced
lunatlc (abOut year ago.. people who had for
merly made it a point to go and speak to him
every day and try and keep up their social rela-
tons with him, looked askanCe and gave him
wide berth He sat staring moOdily at the floor
for hours at q time. He grew very stout and
like Siro, his chin was depressed. His eyes grew
heavy and o2gy. and without the faintest spark
OF animation He is the last Of the Delmonico's.
The business. Will probably so to his nephew,
whose name is Crist.
LANGTRY IN :'PERT"
1t needed the temperance of Mrs. Langtry
to consummate the failures OF Mr.. CQghlan in
one disastrous performance. When the Lily
began her engagement, Monday night, pcopl
quite expected to see failure; they also exc
pected Mr. CoghlantO get back into his old posi-
ton Mrs. Langtry was partial success, but
Mr. Coghlan complete failure The piar,
Peril, is extremely tiTeSome. but Lanptrp's
cost uI1es we're superb. The performance was
interesting hroauoo there were so many things
That were bad and SO many others that were
good. The audience WAS amused throughout
Inc success OF the evening was achieved by Mrs
angtry when she tainted in the third act She
gave loud screech, waved her arms in the air.
fell over on to the sofa. rebOunded into the air
turned over and Topped down on the floor with
dull, sickening thud. The applause was ter
rlhc, ana there were loud calls for Freddie"
THE SLUGGERS.
Mr.. Pendergast had better take the advice Of
disnterested man and steer clear of John l..
Sullivan. He stands about as much chance Of
defeating northwestern hurricane as he does
OF Whipping Sullivan. Pendergast, l hear. is
the victim Of his friends. He is not great
boxer, nor is he an unusually strong man. Sui
livan was wrong not to accept his challenge of
-. 400. 1t would have been an easy matter for
the man from the city of baked beans to ami
hilate him from the city of churches Fender
CASTS exhibition as a .'knocker-out" was a
lizzie. The gentleman whom he ATTEMPTED to
knock out Zone Hu@hey Burns) was the most
| incomplete and battered specimen of humanity
have ever seen. Burns has evidently passed a
coarse and tempestuous life. He looks as if he
had been struck by lightning four or five times
at once, and all his features have been so dis
tOrted, disarranged and upset that they possess
small resemblance to their former selves
Thus, no man knows where his nose begins nor
ends. The jawbOne has been broken several times
He has only one good eye, and that isn't very
good. either 1t was picturesque sight to see
Mr. Burns get up and stretch himself on the
platform, then placidly remove his false teeth
and prepare for action He got up before Pen
dergast and Pendergast pushed him ND against
'theropes, held him violently there for while
then showed him over Burns tumbled to the
floor and was Immediately thrown up on the
stage again by his hackers. Pendergast once
more showed him against the rope for awhile
and then, by way of variety. showed him under
the rope Again Burns tumbed to the floor
and was as promptly thrown back by his enthu-
slastic adherents. Pendergasts boxing con-
sisted of showing the horrible example opposed
to him against the rope. He didn't hit half a
dozen good blows during the encounter. After
he had showed Mr.. Burns around until that gen.
tleman looked even more discouraged than
when he entered the ring, Capt. Williams stop
ped the fight" 1t was ridiculous exhibition
throughout. Better things had been expected
after all the putting and booming that had been
given to Pendergast. He had better go back to
Brooklyn.
bal DE LOPERA."
The first French ball of the season was held
last night at the Madison Square garden It
was officially known as "Bal de rOpera," but
among the knowing ones 1t was called :.a hat
check affair."" The tickets were nominally g.
Probably out Of the 1900 people who attended
the ball, not more than two or three persons
moi opy-fhi forf bayr IT..