The San Francisco call., 1896-07-26
LATE GOSSIP OF GOTHAM
Penurious Tactics of the Widow
of John Jacob Astor's
Partner.
Another Shade of Life in the Metrop.
oils Shown by the Starvation
of Family.

NEW YORK, N. Y, July 25.-Though
aged and wall-to-do, Antoinette L. Scher-
merhorn, widow OF the Rev. DR.. John
Schermernorn and daughter of the orig
inal John Jacob Astor's former partner,
was examined as a judgment debtor yes
terday in proceedings supplementary to
Judgment of $1389 for legal services by
Erastus Benn, for long time her conf
Dental attorney. She submitted to the
lawyers questions with had grace, and it
was only after the most rigid examination.
which established her ability to satisfy the
judgment, that she consented to pay and
the proceedings closed.
Mrs. Schermerhorn's father, Francis l..
Lasak. who early in the century was in the
fur business with John Jacob Astor l, left
So O00, 600. but cut the daughter off with
life interest in $4,000, leaving the residue
of his estate to his eight other children.
Mrs. Schermerhorn's contest of the will
ended in compromise by which she re-
ceived almost as much as each of her
brothers and sisters.
Despite her comfortable income Mrs.
Schermerhorn pays only $6 week for her
furnished rooms at $50 Eighth avenue,
and breakfasts, dimes and sups at restau. .
rants.
Mrs. Schmerhorn stated that she had
$50, 600 with the Brooklyn Trust Company
and $50, 600 with similar corporation. and
that she received $1,000 q year from the
latter investment.
"How much do you pay for your board 2"
ST pay $6 week for my room. I eat
where please. Why, do you know, there
was a stretch of seven weeks when l had
only Indian meal to eat, with lard on it,
and once / had only one meal in seven
days"
A sad case of misery and starvation
came to light at Westheld, n. j., yester-
day. The family of Harry Edwards were
found in the most destitute circumstances,
the wife and mother confined to her bed
by illness and the four children hungry
and in rags.
For two or three days the people pass
ing the Wittkes building on Broad street
had detected the odor OF chicken broth,
and when some one remarked upon it, lit
tie Mary Edwards said she made broth for
her mother, who was sick. This led a
neighbor to call, and there in the Ed
wards tenement lay the woman, very ill,
the room desolate and she on her bed,
barely covered with filthy horse blanket
robe For months she had worked elgh-
teen and twenty hours day to keep the
wolf from her chiIdren's throats, until al
last she could work. no longer. The hus-
band and father, dissolute and depraved,
had done nothing for his family, and the
mother, forbidding her children to tell
of their circumstances, had finally taken
to her bed, exhausted and unable TO repel
disease.
The children with no food and the
mother sick, had gone to the rear OF the
meat markets and there had wrested from
| the cats and dogs chickens heads and
Iiegs, and had made broth for their mother
and themselves. Charitable people at
once provided for the family and called 8
physician.
Edwards is man OF education. His
father, a farmer of wealth, was angered ut
his marriage with poor country girl, and
| in quarrel the father shot the son In the
eye. From that time he has been sup
ported by the brave wife.
There will be no boxing contests at the
Surf Athletic Club, at Coney Island, to-
night. Mayor Wurster of Brooklyn has
taken an appeal from the decision of JUS
tice Osborne of the Supreme Court, which
license to the club.
The appeal will not be heard before
October; but as Justice Osborne granted a
mandamus, the appeal will not act as a
stay, and, pending the final decision, the
club may get its license temporarily. To
accomplish this, ii possible, Justice
Osborne, on the application OF the club,
} has given an order directing Mayor Wur-
ster 10 show cause why he should not be
/ punished for contempt for dIsobeying the
mandamus.
Manager Hamilton of the American Roof
Garden, and Hope Booth, the actress,
called at Jefferson Market Court yesterday
morning and furnished $500 bail each on
the charge of giving an immoral per-
formance. Their attorney asked that their
case be sent TO the General Sessions, in
order to secure trial by jury. 1t will
probably be heard on Monday.
The Sun says: The wedding OF Cornelius
Vanderbilt Jr and Miss Grace Wilson and
the wedding OF Harry Payne Whitney and
Miss Gertrude Vanderbilt will take place
very soon. The dates will be fixed as soon
as Cornelius Vanderbilt Sr. has recovered
his health. He will go to Newport this
summer, in all probability, but will remain
at his home during his convalescence.
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