Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1895-05-16


OF his relatives to her dear men,,
the closing scene. People in tha =.
would scarcely behave SO. via, 'ails
should be expected of the xSto,,, ~
as they are perhaps, but as tbas ~
sumo TO be? Who was the 81. ~
fender or offenders may no, H., -. .pi'
but such rancor, under suca e.,. NV
stances, is beyond explanation !. uui,
pels the humanity we beHava
common TO us all. There may n ss =
thing behind the watering place @-s
test concerning a postal address ~
only that appears on the surface
Notwithstanding the fabulous 49,
continually increasing wealth ~ ~
Astor estate, there has never been .ss
outward denotement of dissatisfacao.
about division of property among 4.
many heirs. How 1t will be II ~
future, with these acrid personal AZ.
sensionS, no one can determine D..
1t would surely seem that they mns.
give rise to any number of lawsuits n
the fifth generation, unless fam,lr
harmony can be restored, and thar a.
pears impossible. One OF the n,
of John Jacob Astor's lnjunctions !
his heirs, on his dying bed, is under,
stood to have been to avoid all strfas
about property, with the assurance
that they should each receive stric,
financial justice. He hoped thar sncb
policy would be continued. He haa
wholesome dread of lawyers. kDoying
how they could, in time, eat IN ia
biggest and richest estate Thus far
his injunction has been scrupulensly
needed, fortunately for his descend.
ants.
Mrs. Astor the untimely death q,
Mrs. Waldorf Astor has decided tbA
vexed question rs to whom the coveted
name belongs to, for the present. At
leasD is about 60, and has two suryiy.
ing daughters and son, John Jacob
Astor the third, about 81, husband
and father. Waldorf Astor is As or
46, and has three children, tile Young.
est son, 10 years old, John Jacob
Astor the fourth. He was thus re-,
named several years since. presumably
that he would, on reaching his major.
ity, be the head of the family, as his
father has been. This win, in all prob.
ability, be contested by his cousin. the
third John Jacob, who has the adyan.
tage of seniority, and whose claims
will be maintained and foStered while
lie lives by the dominant and dominat.
ing Mrs. William Astor. Her hatred Of
the Waldorf Astors win surely be
transmitted She has even attended
dinner parties within few days-she
who has heretofore been so austere In
her observance of conventional, fash.
ionable mourning whenever and wher.
ever there has been a death among
her kindred. Was this a deliberate
affront to her nephew?
Waldorf Aston is almost the first Of
the AstorS who has had any ambition
to be something more than a million
aire. He has served in the state legis
lature; he has been minister to Rome
he has written two or three historic
novels; he is now proprietor of the
Pail Mall publications; having ex.
patriated himself, apparently, because
of his irreconcilable discords with lis
aunt, by marriage. and with all her
connections. When and where will
these end? win they lead to the dis
solution of the vast estate and It's final
restoration to the people, from whom
IL ORIGINALLY f.1mpY
If John Jacob Astor, the Badenese
peasant, could know of the existing
troubles among his descendants be
Would be anguished to the core Ills
pecunious soul would be rejoiced that
the $4,000 he had left had Swelled, IN
forty-seven years, TO some S300,000W0'
but it would quake with mortal fear
lest that stupendous and unprece-
dented fortune might, by reason Of
reciprocal hatred among its poSsesSnrs
be eventually dissipated and turned
back into the customary channels q
trade
The western congressman echoed lle
feeling of his constituents when. some
years ago. he thanked nature that
human life is limited to 100 years.
Otherwise, such men, he said, rs 1ohl
Jacob Aston and Cornelius Vanderpll
would own the Whole world.