Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1894-09-02
devoted to their children aud the wife
insists upon having their custody.
SOME FAMILY HISTORY.

TOUR duu MS. GitiOb' - DAS kNNt -
his sister, gave reception in his
honor. Among those present was
Miss Alva Smith, beautiful
Southern girl Of eighteen. Within
year they were married. The engage
meat was kept secret long time, but
the wedding itself was Of course the
big society event OF the year or Of sew
eral years, and the people who came
from abroad TO see il were almost as
many as those who were here. For the
wedding trip Mr.. Vanderbilt took his
bride abroad. They were gone q long
time, but at last returned TO settle
down. In 1881 Mr.. Vanderbilt began
the building of the great white chateau
az the corner OF Fifth avenue and Fifty
second street, which is one OF the finest
houses in the city. 1t is said 10 hava
cost about 5000. 600, and during the
building It was under the eye, not only
OF Mr.. Vanderbilt, but of his wife, who
took great interest In il. Two or three
years later the marble palace at New
port was under way. A friend Of Mr..
Vanderbilt, speaking about the case,
said:
''His wife, you know, was the Oldest
OF three sisters, who were called ia So
clety the pretty Smith girls The
family was from Mobile, where the
father had been a wealthy cotton fac
tor before the war. When they
came from the South they hadn't so
much money, but they had the three
interesting daughters, and their
BLOOD WAS THE BEST.
MRS Smith, the mother, had great
ideas for her daughters, who, besides
being beautiful, were accomplished,
and had been educated in France.
THAT was a great card in those days,
recent as they are, so when the Smith
girls blossomed out they attracted at
tention.
"Well, the young couple went to Eu-
rope on their wedding tour. When they
got back they jumped In 10 entertain,
Of course. And when they entertained
the Smiths were there in force. Willie
K. seemed to think it was great fun.
In n short time Mimi Smith, the young
est daughter, went TO Paris with Mrs.
Field, Philadelphia woman, who had
Just divorced her husband. Virginia,
who was a year or so younger than
AlVa, stayed here and married Fernando
ID. Yzuaga, from whom she was subse-
quently divorced. In Europe Mrs.
Field and Mimi travelled around for a
while, then settled iu Paris. There Mrs.
Field fell in love with Baron de Fon-
tenilliat and married him privately.
"Tbe Baron was the son OF the old
Comte de Fontenilliat, and he had two
brothers. The eldest was a Comte, too,
but the youngest, GiastOn, had no title.
I believe he called himself the Baron
CASTOR De Fontenilliat-but they let
You do that In France il you want TO-,
you know. Castor, anyhow, was
BEST MAN FOR HIS BROTHER
at the wedding, and Mimi was maid of
honor to Mrs. Field. The young peo-
pie were both handsome, and it seems
they, too, fell in love, for they were
shortly after married.
"GastOn was q good dentist, fearless
horsemau aud crack at roulette.
Mimi had q little income from her
fathers estate, but it wasn't much. 1t
was common talk at the time that
Willie h, when be heard Of the mar
riage-which he did as quickly as the
cable convey the message-sent the
bride q wedding present of check for
$4,000, and this Mrs. Vanderbilt sup
plemented this by offering TO give the
bride an allowance of -, 900 year.
"But a year after the marriage the
young couple came TO New York. What
tney came for is not definitely known,
but there was a story going around at
the time about Willie X. 5 having been
black-oalled at club in Paris, of which
one of the Fontenilliats was an officer.
IL was supposed that CASTOR came here
TO make his peace personally with Willie
X, who was very angry at the Fonten-
illiats generally.
when the FontenilllatS Of the
younger branch got here they seemed to
think that it ght be
GOOD PLACE TO STAY.
Mr.. Yzuaga had been put in a broker
age firm in Wall street by Willie X, and
be was said to be getting rich. As Gas
ton did not understand English he was
put in the same Office in charge OF the
foreign correspondence.
HE didn't stay long, because that
kind Of work did not suit him. lie went
into business with a fellow countryman,
out be didn't stay in that long, either.
IL was then said that he went TO Willie
X. and complained. he thought some
thing ought to be done for him. Then,
a
against CASTOR. Mimi and Gas
ton parted, although they both
remained in New York. Mimi
announced that she was going on
the stage. She really did euter Dion
Boucicault's dramatic school. CASTOR
in the meantime gOs JOB as instructor
in an uptown riding academy.
"Willie X, annoyed at first, was, Of
course, Mortified. he tried TO call them
of, but they persisted. But the allow
ance was greatly increased, and Mimi
and CASTOR became reco0ciled and went
10 Europe.
''In all these matters, Of course, Mrs.
Vanderbilt sided with her family, and
Willie X. was almost harried TO death.
be doesn't like notoriety, you know.
or course, with such incitement it
wouldn't take much TO bring on abso-
lutte incOmpatibility.
The women Of society say that Mrs.
Vanderbilt is naughty and heartless
aud has done so many unkind things
that she has very few friends. Her fol-
lies and eXtravsganceS as described here
would make a tremendous book. Cathe-
riae the Great was never more auto
cratic in her demands upon people
around here and never more selfish in
euScting tribute and admiration. Her
sisters-in-law, Mrs. Cornelius Wander
bit. Mrs. Fred Vanderbilt, Mrs, Sloan