The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-09-29

CORNELIUS VANDERBILT.
viewer often furnishes dangerous infor-
nation to the public. The subjects
about which the millionaire viii dis
course most freely are his particular
field of work and his hobbies.
Within a 40 mile circuit of New
York miIlionaires can be counted to the
number Of 1, 400 On the road between
Yonkers and Sing Sing there are &C Of
them, living on almost adjoining estates,
but the largest number that can be seen
together at once is at a meeting Of the
Metropolitan club, where a full 100
have gathered at one time
The vanderbiIta and Rockefe1lers.
But out of all these there is only one
here and there who Will give himself up
without a struggle to the interviewer
The Vanderbilts, for instance, are SIM
ply impregnable. You can storm their
Notifications with kilograms, letters and
cards Of introduction, you can train the
heaviest artillery in the shape Of the
greatest magazines and newspapers upon
the Vanderbilt redoubts, but you can t
make a breach big enough to crawl
through You can interview their secre-
taries, their sisters and even their wives,
you can interview all around them, but
no argument or excuse, be it ever so in
genious, has yet induced Cornelius or
William K Vanderbilt to talk to an in
terviewer about himself for publication.
The nearest I have come to an inter
view with Cornelius Vanderbilt was
when l set out to write up his new
Fifth avenue palace. None of his per-
sonal friends or associates, not even his
own brother, saw the inside of that
house till it was finished His orders to
his architect were, ssGive no infOrma-
ton about nor adInittance to the house
to any literary person, man woman or
child. . / waited till the interior was
finished. Mr.. Vanderbilt would move
in next week. Then 1 hurried to COrne-
illus Vanderbilt's Office in the Grand
Central station and argued half an hour
with his secretary. My words were most
gentle and polite, but they meant sim
ply: As Cornelius Vanderbilt has built
the finest house in America, it will be
written up, and as Mr.. Vanderbilt will
not allow visitors to see inside his house
the sswrite up'' will be inaccurate and
his beautiful palace misrepresented
Such being the case, won't Mr.. Wander
bilt authorize the writing for a maya
zine of at least one authentic descrip-
ton? Rather to my surprise, the secre-
tary returned to me with an order to
the architect reading: ''Show the gen
tleman through the house and give him
what information he needs. C. W Of
course 1 wrote up the house, and G. V.
approved.
The Rockefellers, like the Wander
bits, live in a stronghold that defies the
siege of interviewers. John D. Rookie
feller's private secretary, a young wom-
an, will step outside the fortress bear
ing your card as flag of truce just long
nr7og7r6 fO tell Won esNTr Rool~nfc T1 OF.
has been obliged to refuse this and that
for publication and is so sorry, but really
he doesn' t see how he can make an ex-
ception now.
Chauncey NJ. Depew.
But are there not certain millionaires
who will be interviewed? Certainly.
Millionaire Chauncey Depew, for in
stance, is the most be-intervieyved man
in New York He Will always see an
interviewer, providing the interviewer
viii await his turn. In the president s
Office in the Grand Central station it is
nothing unusual to find IL or u people
all waiting at one time to see the genial
Chauncey. He sees each person in the or
der of their coming have seen po-
lice captain, a judge, a sister of charity,
a well known merchant, four or five
newspaper men and a young man with
a card of introduction looking for q
''place, " all waiting at once, and the
young man looking for the place
went in before the others because he
came first. The only way to see DR.. De-
pew without having to wait hours,
sometimes day after day, is by appoint
ment And appointments for intervi evTs
he viii not make unless the matter is Of
utmost Importance. 'fWeIl, what can
do for your are his first words, and If
] the interviewer comes to the point at
once he'll give him all his attention and
load him with no end of bonmots.
The GOulds, as a rule, can be inter-
viewed If the interviewer is persistent
and patient Of the three boys, Howard,
the youngest. spends most of his time at
the Office and is the most willing TO be
seem He'll receive you in his shirt
sleeves very cordially and unaffeotedly
and viii talk freely if the subject ap-
peals to him He is very grave and yet
boyish- Now, I haven t Overcommitted
myself too much, have ~ he'll ask as
/ you leave And he's 50 cordial and