Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1891-02-15
AROUND GOTHAM.
MISS AVA VIKINGS coNouEsT-ITs
SOCIAL SIGNIFICANCE.
How cupid, slightly Assisted nv cfrcuns-
stances. Shot an Arrow at Close Range
Gossip About Two Notable Families
,cor,,no,s,nc. J, me richmond pispssch.l

scorre,poatence Of the Richmond pispssch.l
Erw yoax, February 1.-THE marriage
of John jacob Aston and Miss Ava hiogway
Willing. on Tuesday. viii unite the roy@
families Of New York and Philadeiphia.
Mrs. william Aston. mother OF JACK, IS
the oueen of society in the metropolis
while Mrs. Edward S. Willing reigns 10
sphere 40 hich that several OF her own near
relatives will never get into 1t.
In the time Of William Penn the Wiilirgs
obtained large grants of land from the
Crown and from Penn himself This me-
shod OF acquiring real estate was considered
4 GOOD thing in those days. and II certainly
had its advantages over the modern method
Of paying hard cash for undeveloped town
lots In western deserts II established the
willings upon footing which has always
remained firm. They are not so rich as
the Astors. but they have always been able
TO enjoy the costly luxury of social promi-
nence.
bilitv in nv country" said one OF MISS
WiilIng'e ancestors 10 foreign potentate;
"but II there were should be the Duke
of Pennsylvania" .,4,,,. :.
However. in spite Of Miss Vikings de-
scent from man who came 90 near oeing
duke, am strongly OF the opinion that
an alliance with her family wa, not soueht
by Mrs. Astor. The match pleases JACK
and his mother consents, 10 unoerrsta a.lp,
how Jack was BROUGHT othis state oil ninu
az any notion Of his can be thus desig-
nated1 one must appreciate the many AZ
fractions of the young lady. the tenoer
soiicitude of her mother. aud the evident
desire of Fate 10 perpetrato record
breaking pun by marrying the best eaten
az the day 10 daughter OF the mouse OF
Willing.
BEwrTcHTyo EFYEcT
Among the attractions aforesaid y inc
eunningest little French accent ever heaId
In these tlarte, No native of France could
,,ossiblv have acquired it, but Miss Willing
picked IL up during her stay OF some wears
r. PAWS v,here her education was perfected.
She uispronounces several English words
az nrett;lv "a 70 give bewitching effect TO
ianguaoe which on another girls lip would
seem commonplace. But fate would nave
ensnared Jack if this delightful eccen-
frieity hadn't IL is wonderiu, the way
thsse xonng people have been thrown to-
Gather dining the last two years. When
lack was in Paris with his mother year
or 40 AGO the Willings arrived unexpected,
10 at the same hotel. Jack was so moved
Nv this coincidence that he packed up his
baggage and went over to London. Inns
was done with Mrs. Astor's full approval
When the Astors returned 70 tpls Goun-
returned shortly after and also went 70
Newport. Later, the Astors went to
Ienox. but the separation was brief; as the
Willings had also arranged to spend part
NJ the summer in Lenox. There the TWO
youne people were seen one day walking
In A leafy road, nnd Jack looked as II he
were saving something of Importance.
AS he had never been known 70
do such thing before hrs TRENDS
at once surmised that he haa oeen
deeply affected. This was last sum
rner' and the engagement had been spoken
Of In print the previous March, but had
heen vigorously denied by all concerned,
Especially by Miss Willing. In New York
the Willings live at the Cambridge. which
makes them next-door neighbors or MIS-;
William Astor. Thus it is seen that Cupid
did not have to make any long sh9ts.
When thoy are married they will probably
live with Jacks parents, who, 1t is said,
will soon erect new palace at O point on
Fifth avenue not 80 closely besieged by
trade rs the present residence, on the cor
per of Thirty-fourth street.
Everybody wishes them happiness. JACK
used TO be hard boy to get along with.
For instance his playful ways on board ms
fathers Yacht nearly created q mutlny. IL
Ia related that one day he saw sailor lean
ing over the rail near the bow, and IT oo-
Cured 10 him that il would be very funny
10 stick an awl into ths most exposed por-
tion of the seaman's anatomy. He did so,
and the hardy tar fell overheard with ire
mendous howl, striking his head on the
anchor-chain which was not seriously IN;
iured. The sailor. however, was rendered
unconscious, and might have been drown
ed IL a boat hadn't been handy. On an
other occasion IL is said that he got a
moose around the cooks neck, and was
going TO eive an imitation of the execution
Of Captain Kidd, when he was dissuaded
by some of the sailors. The Captain COM
planned TO Mr.. Aston. who admitted that
Jack ought TO be punished, but said That
he preferred not to run the risk OF doing 1t
himself.
Jack went 10 Harvard College, where he
remained a year or two longer than most
Young men do. but failed to secure de-
gree. lie is not O good student, though his
general build, manner Of locomotion, and
regularity of speech suggest that emil
nent pedagogue, Dominic Sampson.
THE FACTS IN TIRE CASE.
There have been many misstatements
about the Astor family since this wedding
has been talked about, so perhaps 1t NAV be
we'll enough TO briefly ststethe facts. The
original John Jacob Aston, who came over
from Waldorf. Germany, in. 17s4. bring;
ing as his stock in trade q few flutes and
an abundance Of bull luck" left ~, wy,
GOO 10 his son William B.. who doubled IT.
and ut his death divided it between hi;
two sons. John Jacob II. and William
John Jacob ILL.,, or Jack" is Williams
son. William Waldorf Astor is the son OF
John Jacob II. He is said to DO worth
500, 900, 900, which is more than his uncle
William (Jaok's father possesses; Jack
of course, has a comfortable fortune II
his own right, and will probably be worth
at least SIC, 00O, 900 some day.
The wife of William Waldorf. by the
way, was Philadelphian. Her maldeI
name was Paul. There has been much tan
of social rivalry between her and Mrs
William Aston, and doubtless Mrs. JACK
energies viii be expected to assist the TIL
umphs of her mother-in-law. When II i
remembered that Mrs. William Astor las
Schermerhorn) considers herself superior
10 her husbands family, and that Mrs
Willing acknowledges no equal IN Phlladei.
phia. the tremendous social leverage aoou
TO DO exerted may be estimated.
BONE QUEER FACTS.
Mrs. Willing will be remembered a
having dared 20 say that Quaker-City 80
ciety was brazen-faced," and having GO
herself nicely talked about to paw for it
AT that time some of the queer facts OF he
own history were brought out Her tathe
was DIR. Rhea Barton, OF no very dlstln
euished lineage. Her mother was OF tn
Family of Frazier, which Is bit above tn
ordinary. DIR. Barton became widower ant
then married again. his second wife being
daughter of John Jacob Hdgway, OF a yer.
old Philadelphia family. Mrs. Willing
preference for the Ridgways has been 81
marked that il has confused peoples no
fions till they forgot that she wasn't tn
daughter Of DR.. Barton's second wife; He
two daughters, Alice and Ava, have Ridg
way for their middle names; she hersell
wore the magnificent Ridgway jewel
which came TO her at her stepmother'
death; and, in short, great deal wa
heard Of the Ridgways and very little Q
mr. Edward s. Willing is interesting a
being one OF the few Americans who hay
fought on the field Of honor. His sister
many years ago, married Dir. James Schoti
Jr., society man of Philadelphia, an
was divorced six years later after her huf
band had fought q duel with MIR. Pierc
Butler, Philadelphian Of Willing's SET
Strangely enough, the cause of the due
vssscmethinR which Mr.. Schottsaw in ID
Asior Uouse Ia New York. The first due