The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-03-04
PALACES OF NEW YORK.
Westward the Financial Star of Power
Takes It's Way.

1akSS 1GS way.
New York, March 3.-The other day
met gentleman who is an authority on a
subject of peculiar interest: You see how
many foreigners he said ''are coming
over here every year to marry our young
American heireSses. You hear of American
milionGres buying the antique and historic
furniture and decorations Of Europe. You
see men of wealth living here in New York
in style that few of the nobility of Eu-
rope can emulate What does it meanl 1t
means that the drift of wealth is toward
this country. Ii means that the star not
only of political empire but of financial
power Westward takes its way.
In Ireland, in England, and on the Cont
nent the nobility are going to the wall. Tho
feudal system was like great comet; it dis
appeared centuries ago, but its lu'0inous
trail has stretched across the intervening
epOchS to The present time, and even InlS Is
now dying out
d. o. Mills, the we'll known millionaire,
paid more than $400O 900 for the interior
decorations of his New York palace, with
its inlald woods. mo aic work, carved woods
of every description, ceilings of painted
canvas and u hundred other items of lux
urious ornamentatlon which would have
astonished a Doge OF Venice or a Lorenzo
de Medici
Among the other notable mansions, which
indeed are Veritab;e palaces, are those OF
William X, Vanderbilt, Cornelius Wander
bill, John ID. Rockefeller VINO made his for
tune by driving everybody else out of the
kerosene oil business: Judge Henry Hilton,
who owes his fortune to the late A. ]. Stew
ART; Mrs William II. Vanderbilt, Robeit
and Ogden GOeiet, descendants of a success
ful merchant; John Jacob Astor, William
b. Aston, Henry Clews, whose palace ranks
fourth among the dwellings of New York
million aires; Mayor Auram S. Hewitt,
who lives on Lexn gton avenue in house
Inherited from the late Peter Cooper. and
which he has converted into palace; Mrs.
r. l.. Stuart, the widow oil the millionaire
sugar reiner; Henry G Marquand and
Secretary of the Navy Whitney, not 20
mention others.
And, by the way there is a little story
connected with the house occup ed 10y Sec
rotary Whitney which illustrates peculiar
phase of New York life 1t was formerly
the residence OF Mrs. Frederick w. Stevens.
She is the daughter of one of the old
auctioneers of New York, named Sampson,
who died years ago, leaving her an income
OF $500 900 year. She married Frederick
Stevens, who was poor lawyer, and sew
eral children were born to them. Tuey
lived in comparative happiness until i'll an
u
the Marquis de Talleyrand, a grandson of
the celebrated political trickster of the
great Napoleon's day. The talk of society
CONCERNING the sentiments entertained by
the auCtoneer's daughter tor the titled
Frenchmau need not be repeated but the
gossps did not fail 10 remark that not long
after the return of the Marquis de Talley
rand to France the auctioneers daughter
decided that there was something IN tho
climate of Europe, especially of France alb
soutely essential to the preservation Of her
health She went to Europe, leaving her
husband here, and for several years, it is
stated, maintained relations with the sweet
scented sprig of + ench nobility whichneed
not be particu arized Then she came back
to this country, and in wonderful court
at Newport obtained a divorce from her
husband on the ground of neglect and in
compatibility OF temperament. This legal
miracle accomplished, she returned to
France and became the wife of the Marquis
de TalIeyrand. The father of this model
French guest to introduce into American
homes, was too poor to properly maintain
his ducal title, aud he there ore relinqu-
ished it in favor of his son, who had been so
successful i'll sharing a rich and ambitious
woman i'll the matrimonial waters, and now
the auctioneer's daughter is a duchesse of
France. to be sure the title only goes back
to the First Napoleon. who manufacture d
tides in order to fill up his parvenue
court, but the lady is nevertheless a
duchesSe.
Her New York palace occupied four lots
at the corner of Fifth avenue and Fifty
seventh street, where ordinary gravel Is
about as valuable "a gold dust. When She
finally took up her abode in Paris she offered
the residence for sale, and it was bought by
o. II. Payne, one of the Standard Oil cor
poration, for $500, 900. lie presented it to
his sister, the wife of the present Secretary
of the Navy And it may be added that on
the birth of Mrs. Whtney's first child he
presented TO the mother, to be held in trust
for the youngster, the sum of 81 900, 900.
Secretary Whltney's palatial home in New
York is said to be furnished III prlncely
style.
The most luxuriously furnished house on
the continent, however, is that of William
K Vanderbilt, at the corne. of Fifth Ave
nue. and Fifty second street. The houses
of the Astors, in respect TO artistic decora-
ton and refined luxury, are distinctly in
ferior to those Of many people Of far less
wealth. A few years ago there were only
two or three notable dwellings in
New York. They were double mansions
that is, houses with a frontage of at
least fifty teet, with depth of
from 100 to 200 feet-and the homes of the
Astors figured prominently among the
palatal homes, but now they are behind
the swift pace of the times. Other million
aires are ransacking Europe tor bric-a brac.
American fnanciers are despoiing the
fendal palaces of Europe for costly souve-
Mrs of vanished epochs TO furnish the more
splendid palaces reared by Americas com
mercial greatness.
OSCAR WILLoUGHBY RIGGS.
Oalx pifre and Idphtwood