Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-09-30
NEW YORK LETTER.
soMR OF TIRE CHARACTERS OF THE
GREAT METROPOLIS
Shs Champion Champagne rinksr-A For
tune in Wins-hmericaa
Peer Kings,

NV YORK. September %. 1883.

from the County Democracy has Deen
one of the surprises in the present poll.
teal can,psigl. ia the metropolis. White,
whom the newspapers have only recently
cared 10 mention by the familiar SQUIRT
o7icf Of ANDY" IL one of the characters
Of this bic town. Dickens or Thackeray
would have delighted in his acquaintance,
and would undoubtedly have made him
immortal.
Ignorant and without the slightest
amount Of culture he is yet the boon
companiOn OF some of our foremost cltl-
zens and is reputed TO have larger per
ponal following than any other politician
in New York.
In acquiring his personal friends the
champagne habit has assisted HIM to
considerable extent, although that is by
no means his only hold upon them. 1t Is
Whites boast that be never drank drop
of whiskey. and that he has INDUCED IN
malt LIQUORS. brandy, and ordinary wines
only occasionally. II is well known that
his salary as police justice, g, 600 year,
does not begin 10 cover his champagne
bills for half that period.
The larger part of his income Is de-
rived from the contract with the city Tor
the dlspos4l OF IT'S dead horses and other
oifal. The day on which White opens
less than dozen qUart-hotties should be
marked with al the shades of red IN hir
calendar. lie has no particular brand
apparently, but the yellow-labelled
Clcquot seems 20 be his favorlte.
His love for the gaseous Aud has led
him into doing some curious things for
instance lie was sitting IN Que OF the
uptown resorts at the time that Abram
= Hewitt was elected mayor. and while
the police were Writhlng IN one OF their
yirtuous spasms and were rigldly en-
forcing the excise law. superintendent
Murray was striving herOicaily to catch
Ill offenders who kept their SIDE doors
open on Sunlays. and detectives in citi-
2ens clothes we're Prowling about town
wIthsuspicious eyes.
WOULDN'T FOBTGO Ills BATH.
White would not foregO his morning
bath IN champagne. nevertheless. With
in few doors Of the Police Court is a
saloon which yields a power IN the ward,
I. y
morning before ascending the bench a1d
there drank quart of his favorite tippie.
At that time arrests Tor violating the OK
ciso ltw were frequent, and be invana-
blv found a string OF prisoners awaiting
INN when he assumed his Judicial duties.
These be- held strictly 10 account those
Who could not furnish bait being sent 10
prison. When the court closed be would
once more Wcnd his way to the saloon,
this time IN tine company OF some OF the
lHwvers that frequent the court.
sualiy the party numbered four or
five and they found seats around table
in q private room. White did all the
treating. and If tho capacity Of his com
panuns had been equal to his own the
quantity consumed would have been
enormous. As il was case OF quarts
usually proved sufficient This WAS be
tore dinner After drive up the road
behind q team OF swift and handsome
horses hp would betake himself TO the
Manhattan Cub, OF which he is a NOM
ler, and would invite two or three
friends to assist him In dispoSing OF din
ner and more champagne. The quantity
womb depend on the size OF the party
and the tastes Of the members. As long
e. any one else could stand it the wine
flowed uDC eAslnCly.
/ have seen White drink champagne
with q small party Of friends at the cafe
of the Morton House until my head grew
dizzy counting the bottles. AT an IN
formal gathering in Harlem, where he IA
at hone and whence hederiyes his pOlIii-
cal following, ho recently began one Of
ms champagne sprees. and he did not stop
until bee had eighty qua-t-bottles on his
ml. His fame rs champagne duuker
has become so great that several Of the
leading champagne-hOuses have offered
him the same privilege they have ex-
tended 10 such social lights as Thomas
Howard and Ward McAlister, and the
cx-hing Of dudes, EVanGer j.. Wall
that IS, to drink as much rs he pleases
free of cost, provided he drinks their
special brands only. That is an OppOr-
tunity extended only 10 the man whose
expressed preference would influence a
large number OF others Bat White
prefers TO remain unhampered and TO
nay II what he wants rather than to
drink for nothing at the dlctatlon Of
others.
dis entire income exceeds $4,000 p
wear and he spends il all. He might be
u millionaire If he had prscticed the or
binary economy OF rich men. but 1t is
doubtful whether much would remain
after his funeral expenses were settled II
lie were to die tomorrow.
While tho politicians are doubtful
about the result of his leaving his old
political affiliations, his standing as a
consumer OF champagne cannot DO af-
iec;ed.
TIE AMERICAN BEER KINGS.
The thirsty drinker who exchanges
simple nickel for the foaming goblet with
which the modern beer-seller serves his
patrons seldom realizes that he IS con-
tributing towards a series OF fortunes so
great az to already attract public atten-
ton aud to throw into the shade the
smaller Accommodations OF the more
esteemed vacations. Yet this is tar from
expressing the true state of the case.
The past thirty wears have done much
toward converting the American people
into a beer-drinking nation. and in SO DO
inc have added to the list of miliiouaires
the names OF at least forty lager-beer
brewers.
OF these the pioneer is rugged, solid,
stoEd, and methodical German. To-day
he Is worth many millions, yet thirty
five years ago lie WAS a poor boy know
ing bot little OF the English language
and still less of business methods. Ills
own description of his career applies to
that Of nearly all his rivals and is an in
teresting commentary upon the changes
in American habits Ia the past three de-
cades.
"When / began business the lager
beer industry was in its infancy. Ii
grew but little at the outset, but received
Its first great impetus during the civil
war. At FIRST we lost money through the
dishonesty Of retailers as well as through
their i'll luck. In the latter case we often
advanced money 10 help them tide over
their troubles. and TO secure ourselves
took a chattel mortgage or bill OF sale Of
the saloon as collateral security for the
loan. Before long we found that there
was considerable profit in the practice