The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-11-27
- rALK AsoUr BsLMoNr.
mead Finarc:er Was q Many SIDED
~ Man.

-. View York papers are fuu Of accounts
life and career OF August Belmont,
Q - count Of whose death in New
;. las. Monday was published IN Tues
70 20 lroeyIxG NEWS. he left fortune Of
s.oD0,coa
". "a. s 1916. His father was a large
Ins9.; y7roprietor. but beng man of
lslOe "a acouainted with the many lead
LsiIL7 a-I-ers. particularly the .Rothschilds.
ils ~sre then rising into prominence, be
VIZ - that his son should pursue bust
resl,a-ser. This. next to the army, was
nes II thing a young man could do in
tee 1avs He was carefully trained at
m and after receiving a thorough cor
DoDs EDUCATION in the village school. he
De Us. ant to an academy at frankfort At
"a of Is he was placed in
TIE trS,ing house of the Rothschilds.
ne like every other de-
FIIlsS-,-,nt of industry, has no royal road TO
ls'uu-s and he began on the very lowest
SUI ~ the ladder as an Office boy. From
r-I...-r start he was bright, earnest, active,
tIs '..--,,ced an extraordinary aptitude for
Gnu As may be expected, ms promo
o. N the bank was rapid, ard while Vet
gu youug he was sent to Naples as the
ya! n-atlve of the firm The Bourbons
HHs.L'cbiIds had, of course, financial trausac-
h.l 1,ith them. The Rothschilds were the
tpD,3Dal bankers of the Papal government
pm - that Young Belmont had a splendid
as 1i Cor the development of financial
dents. L;,;.-- ,-;.,, l;.A. l. H.
- the important trusts confided to
caa' Svon for him the highest commentator
aa1 the supreme confidence of his employ
~ At this time he was, of course, in easy
o. .t',,,ms ances, aud in his leisure hours the
.rYstic side of his character was strength
M end developed. He became devoted
e .nSont of Italian art, and in all its forms,
s"S acquired that exquisite taste which
saaie hin one of the very best judges of
nictures in America.
Puo-ino served the Rothschilds so well in
I'D world, they were not long before
NV found important work for him TO do
~ he new one. Their large monetary in
=. .arasts in Cuba needed close attention; the
;slsnd rose in insurrection. AMI he was sent
70 Havana to protect them. His manage
Uanr in Havana of the affairs of the great
horsa was as wise as it had been in Naples,
ar5 when he had finished his mIssion there
| ba resolved to begin business on his own &C
nonnt in New York This was in 1887. His
rosirnation was received with the greatest
rsgret by his employers in Frankfort. Mr.
RaImont was at sea when the terrible
financial panic of that year, which swept
away SO many houses, burst upon the coun-
Try
A PRINCE OF HOSTS.
NJ man in New York, in a way, knew
. August Belmont more intimately than
Ward McAllister, so far as his social career
vss concerned. Mr.. McAllister remembers
him nerfectlv as one of the fashionable men
n the dav as far back as 1849, in which
wear he visited Saratoga and there met Miss
| Psrry whom Mr.. Belmont married after a
few Iuontbs' courtship Subsequently they
met abroad Just after Belmont had resigned
tbe Belgian mission and was on the point of
returning to this country. In this country
Mr. McAster was present at many OF the
entertainments, which made Belmont a
leader in New York society, and particu
hrly at the famous breakfast which he gave
in his art gallery to the Marquis and Mar
ouise of Talleyrand when the couple were
On their wedding tour.
From 1860 to 1875 Mr.. Belmont was the
und sputed social leader Of New York"
said Mr.. NcAlister last evening. "He was
ssOcial king, and welded unlimited power.
He had the taste, the tact and the wealth to
maintain this position, and while he Eeld
sway no one else was heard from. He gave
gys here; he had the most brilliant
souiesge. and for years he spent more
r6gey in his house and in his entertain
unts than any other family in New York.
GHis Youngest daughter died in 1875, and
Nthen retired from society. He had six
5ildreu.-four sons and two daughters /
ne some statements to the effect that Mrs.
Rowland was his only daughter. When he
retired from society he made room for Mrs.
AaNAv hos
leader in the sense that Mr.. Belmont was.
She has had competitors, he had none. He
was leader in sense that to-day would
be impossible.
Belmont was the first man in New York
TO spend money lavishly and give costly en-
tertainments. He began by spending $780,
900 year, and IN few years was spending
100000. That is not an unusual thing
now, but it was then without parallel.
His art gallery was among the first In the
city. BE bought pictures when nobody else
was buying them, and when he haG TO de-
pend sntirely on his own taste and judg
ment. His dinners were always good. He
lad good dinner every day in the year
md required as much in the way of care
ind skill from his chef when he dined alone
As when be dined lie monde One Of his
NEST memorable entertainments was the
breakfast he gave to the Marquis and
NarQuse Of Talleyrand. This was the
irst wueSof the well-known Frenchman.
Mss Curtis of Boston, who Is now in this
Duntry. On this occasion the plate was
aSpayed, belonging to Mrs. Belmont,
Which was presented to her father, Comma
aore Ferry, by the government because of
lis services in opening up Japan CONNER
aaly. He gave a wonderful fancy-drees
ball, which l have described in nay book,
aad he entertained the Japanese ambassa :
aors, Prince Arthur and other distinguished
visitors. In short, for several years August
Nlmonts house was emplatically the fash
enable house of New York.
u need scarcely add that his success was
uue' In large measure, to the brilliant
@ciai genius OF his charming wife. With
aer engaging manner and wonderful clever
ness she easily reigned queen. Belmont did
not seek social position before his marriage.
Alter 1t ne sought it earnestly and obtained
It
lSaw Mr.. Belmont only the other day.
ne mad sent me copy Of his well-known
GSoK' and l explained that had not sent
lh copy OF mine because I did not think
U4Sy men like him read books-that they
i'ao nothing, in fact, but the newspapers.
4uoted Chauncey M. Depew as telling me
va. ne mad not read a book for ten years.
nc replied that be did not think Mr.. De-
rH Aept track of his reading. Mr.. De-
y" Gad to read books In order to make his
sEsches. Mr.. Belmont declared that he
a ~ al the time, often sitting up until 2
IICiucK Or o'clock in the morning to make
s riulseI acquainted with the books about
'H'cl people were talking"
THAT FAMOUS DUEL
II l.