The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-07-14
TALES OF THE TINES.
Stories of George Law. Whose Fame Rssts
on His Eccentricity.

erysipelas at his home, 209 Firth avenue,
| New York. the other afternoon, was, ac-
cording TO the New York Herald, one Of
| the most eccentric and lavish expcndcrs Of
money of his day He inherited his large
| fortune from his father, George Law, who
| held controlling interest In the Eighth
and Ninth avenue railroads Ia New York.
| The elder Law was plain man, and when
| his son graduated from tho Columbia Col
lego Law school and did not desire TO
| practice his profession, he thought IL best
| that his son should enter the street rail-
road business With this object In view,
he set young George to work on horse
car of tho Eighth avenue line In tho CO.
| pacity Of driver. Ho explained that he
| wished his son to learn the business In ev-
cry department.
Young George willingly donned the rail-
road uniform and went to work. His ia
| ther required that no obey the rules with
the same care as the other employees OF the
road. But that George did not abide by
this decision Is best evidenced by his erratio
exploit one night when he drove his car
| of passengers after n drink. A former
student with Law at Columbia college got
aboard the car on the night In question
and suggested that Law stop tho car at q
corner saloon and join him in drink
Law said he had a better plan than that
and when near q sporting resort In Fifty
fifth street, half way between Eighth and
| Ninth avenues, he swung his horses TO ono
side and drove up TO the saloon. Every
| window In tho car was smashed TO atoms,
| and the passengers were not only amazed
| but frightened. Some OF them thought
that the driver had gone mnd. But Law
| showed them differently when he invited
them all TO have drink with him. After
all had partaken of his hospitality Law
| switched his horses around to the other
end Of the car, got on tho track again and
continued ON his trip.
He finally became superintendent OK tho
road, and at his fathers death became
| president of tho corporation, which, despite
his lavish expenditures, became prosperous
| under his management
| His most talked Of escapade was doubt
less his trip to Saratoga In the summer OF
| 1858, when he decked his admirers and
followers with diamonds in tho barroom
OF the Grand Union hotel. Among his
friends who accompanied him on that oc-
casion were Jerc Dunn, Colonel Patrick
| Duffy Of New Orleans, Colonel Pat Sheedy,
at that time John L. Sullivan's manager;
| John Halleck a gambler, of Boston; Joe
|
| former pugilist, of l.ew York; Captain
McCue, small fry lobbyis. at Albany, and
handsome Dan Murphy, gambler, Of Bos-
| ton. l
These formed themselves into a commit
tee of escort. A riotous time was spent,
and so freely did wine flow that 1t is said
that Colonel Tom Ochiltree advised the
| millionaire TO part company with his COM
| panions. But Law was not to be advised
| in this direction. He continued with his
| festive friends and wound up by present
| ing thcm all with diamonds Dan Murphy
| received q beautiful solitaire diamond
| ring, 7alued at 1900; Jere Dunn got ring
| set with rubics and diamonds, valued at
| $3.50; Joe Coburn's gift was solitaire dia-
mond ring, valued at $3.50; Johnny Saun-
ders, ring set with solitaires, sapphires
| and diamonds, valued at $3.50, while on
John Halleck was bestowed $3.50 ring
set with turquoises and diamonds
Captain McCue was moro lucky than the
rest and got two diamond rings and $500
in money The tray, which had been
brought from nearby jewolry store, was
then empty, and Law took from his pocket
| pair of diamond earrings, valued at $8,
| 900. He offered one of the earrings to Colo
buug dil't tAc W SOiO-
mel Pat Sheedy, the remaining members
| Of the party. He was astonished when
they would not accept them.
It was nothing, in Laws Judgment, TO
| spend $1,000 in night for wine alone.
| When Dick Darling's, on Broadway, Billy
| Tracy's, on Twenty ninth street, and the
| Empire Garden were In their palmy days,
| i6 was customary for Law to go into any
of them and buy champagne for every one
| present. Once in awhile he would make
tour of all the resorts and leave in his trail
| hundreds OF empty champagne bottles.
| When he forsook the Empire Garden one
night for Dick Darling's place on Broad
way, Jimmy Irving, the proprietor Of the
former resort, followed him into Darlings
| place So incensed was he that Law had
| gone there that he cracked Darling over
| the head with revolver. For tho assault
he was imprisoned in Sing Sing two years.
Even In marriage Law was eccentric.
| he always protested TO his friends he would
| die bachelor, but two years ago aston
ished them when he took for his bride
| Miss Olga Smith. Not until few hours
before the ceremony did even the brides
relatives know of the plan for the mar
riage The Rev. Arthur Ii. Judge, assist
ant rector of tho Church Of the Heavenly
Rest in Fifth avenue, was summoned to
the Gerard, In West Forty-fourth street,
where Miss Smiths relatives lived. The
ceremony was performed in go minutes.
| It is said that ono time he was engaged to
Miss Josephine Mack, who was living with
her mother at tho Hotel Waldorf. His at
tentions TO her were marked, and at one
time he gavo u magnificent entertainment
in her honor In the Moorish room at ths
Hollywood hotel.
Tho railroad properties Of the dead mil
| lionairc have passed into the hands of the
Metropolitan Traction company as lessee.
| His fortune Is estimated at $40, 900, 900.