Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-07-13
NEW Y0RK'S OLD HOUSES.
THE ABODEs or HAMILTON. AU.
DUBON AND BURK.

NEW HORK, July 0.-With every pass
ing year here ancient landmarks are re-
moved, Old homesteads aud houses tor
merly occupied by men with historic
names are continually disappearing. At
the rate the destruction is proceeding
there will be left in no long time hardly
building in New York hallOwed by memo
rable associations. Perhaps the most in
teresting old houses yet remaining are
those formerly occupied by Hamilton,
Burr and Audubon IN the upper part OF
the island. They are almost if not quite
within riile-shot Of each other, aud one can
visit them, if he does not stay too long in
| each, inside Of an hour. The Hamilton
| house is at Ninth avenue and One Hum
/ dred and Forty-ffth street The great
statesman lived In il at the time of his
/ duel with Burr, and slept in it the night
before that fatal event. The house
1 is unOccupied, save by janitor,
and is not kept in good repair. Why the
Hamilton family have allowed it to be-
come dilapdated, in place Of keeping 1t
in good condition and occupying it as a
residence, is decidedly incomprehensible,
| for even now il Is sufficiently removed
| from the built-up portion of the city to be
/ aVallADle as summer residence, even II
| II Is too far from the centre Of fashion to
! be convenient as winter one. 1t Is GER
tainly not because the H0miltons have
no pride in their anoestOr-they nave, If
anything, too much, and sc0rn peO-
| pie who cannot boast "A Revolutionary
! sire of renOwn. Although it is not a
charitable thing to say, it may be said with
! truth Ofthe sons Of Hamilton, at Hnyrate of
/ the one who died recently, that the only
| thing he inherited from his father was his
name and tendency, in an aggravated
form, to love his neighbours wife. He did
! not inherit a particle OF his fathers
| talent, but when septuagenarian he
used, they say, to play the part of masher
and accost the pretty girls that he met in
the street.
THREE-QUARTERs OF AMILE IN A NORTH
ERNLY DIRECTION
from the Hamilton house is that in which
the man who slew the Federal leader
lived. 1t has more interesting assOcla-
tiOns than the Hamilton house, which is
! only memorable for one occupant OF note,
and whose almost only object Of interest
| is the cluster OF thirteen blackgum trees
in the rear, emblematic of the original
States OF the Union, which Hamilton
planted. The Burr house, on the other.
was at one time Washington's head
quarters. and it contains quite a
number OF curiosities of interest to
foreigners az well as Americans. 1t was
originally Inhabited by the Mary Phil
lipse, who, tradition says, refused 10 listen
to WashlngtOn's wOOiDg, and married his
| rival. The latter was lOyalist, and
! Washington had the satisfaction of driV-
ing them from the house when his army
| took brief possession, Ia the autumn OF
ll16 Of the upper part Of Manhattan
island.
The house subsequently came into pos
session Of stephen Gunnel, and Burr got
hold OF it through marrying Mr.. GunnePs
widow, Nine. Gunnel, of famous memory
in the law courts. Stephen Gunnel was
IA friend Of the great Napoleon, and
trunk in which Napoleon carried his war
maps, and the simple bed in which he
slept even when in his palace, are to be
seen in the Gunnel mansion, or the Burr
house, as it ls indliierentiy called. Gun
mel also knew NapOlean's great rival,
MOreau, and achandelier, which formerly
hung in the house MOTeau occupied when
in this country, in Broad street, now
hangs in the former home Of Burr. The
house is now owned and occupied by
Nelson Chase, the son OF Nine. Gunnel,
who obtained possession after long and
costly litigation.
AUDUBON HOUSE,
where the describer of the birds of
America used to live, is Audubon park,
opposite Trinity cemetery. IL is not no.
ticeable looking structure, aud has no es'
/ pecial history. The daughters OF the nat
uraist live not far from the place of their
birth. They are school teachers. The
ruins Of Fort Washington on an eminence
80 feet high, overlooking the Hudson,
are within an easy walk of the Audubon
/ house.
To come from the past 10 the present:
| This is the time Of year when the eXcur-
siOnists flock 10 New York in crowds.
An enterprising person is organizing just
now mammoth excursion from Cincin-
natl To this city which Will also include
short visits to West Point, Long Branch
and Coney island. lle expects that $500
will join his expedition and that his
profits will be at the rate OF 81 head.
/ A queer idea summer eXcursiOnlst
must have Of this city. for a New Yorker
| can hardly recognize New York in sum
mer. TO pass block after block Of houses
with the windows closed and curtained,
| and the doors in many cases barricaded
with boards, must make gloomy impress
/ sion, at any rate. Some streets are 80
uninhabited, and often 80 deserted, as 20
| make even person % the manner born
/ Imagine lAuL Vtstileuce ~ Lhe cause OF
/ tue silence and solitude. One could al
most believe that the cholera had already
come and was raging even more fercely
/ than II Is now raging In Spain or, rather,
| that IL had done It's work, and that these
streets were the streets Of its victims.
SOME BESIDES PRURIKNT PRUDEs ARE
HOLDING Up
/ their hands In holy horror at the unnec-
essary indelicacy OF the costumes worn
/ In ''Nanon" nc the Casino. one actress,
/ for example, wears tights and thus eX-
poses her legs In the character Of a page.
Around Il small portion Of the upper part
OF her body is waist Of the usual femi-
nlne form cut so low in the neck as O. be
disgustingly Indecent This sort OF thing
is appar0ntly the chief attraction OF
"NanOn," +" for the librettO Is net good and
the singing Is horrible.
Somebody proposes 10 get mp theatre
for children where only plays adapted 10
juvenile companies shall be played. AZ
what time entertainments should be Civ
en-, however, will prove q problem diff
cult 20 solve. They can't be given In the
evening, for children 90 young as not 10 be
able % enjoy the play az the average
theatre Will be IN bed. AS even young
children 10 70 school, the school hours
would have 10 be shortened b permit At
tendance at afternoon performances, and
the most onterprlsing manager could
hardly bring this 20 pass. The childron'b