The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1897-12-18
CITIZEN FERDINAND WARD


Ferdinand Ward, ex-Napoleon of finance,
is now. at 46, clerk In the Office of the
surrogate of Livingston county, New York.
Quiet, modest, commonplace. the once
proud Spectator is the most unobstrusive
citizen of Geneseo. The once vain, SUPER
cilious high-roler is now simple, serious
man, doing his best to hold the regained
respect of the village community in which
the days of his boyhood were passed.
Time and trouble have softened Ferdin-
and Ward. In his skyrocket days he was
never much of a talker, and he is now
reticence itself, though by no means I'M
social or impolte. He is greatly interested
in sports and is an enthusiastic follower of
the hounds. He is also fond of base ball
and foot ball. OF one thing he will not
talk, and that is his connection with Gen.
Grant. The merest hint of the subject and
his face becomes as cold and grim as a
sphinxs.
Ward is at his Office in the Geneseo
SQUIRT house promptly at 8 o'clock every
morning. He is as regular as clock work.
He is at his desk constantly until noon,
when he goes home for lunch. Principally
at o'clock he is at his desk again, where
he works until s. His work is done with
great care. He pays the minutest atten-
ton to details. He is glad to do extra
clerical work, assisting at night in the in
dexing of the county records writing up
the books of tradesman, or scrutinizing
the books of the local banks, for. he is an
expert accountant. He is known as the
hardest worker in the village and his per-
sonal life is entirely correct. Geneseo folk
generally do not believe that Ward was
Intentionally Dishonest
him as intellectually incapable of deiber-
ately planning the elaborate schemes in
which he finally became involved. Once
the firm of Grant & Ward was started, it's
momentum carried it beyond his control
and after that his life was a succession OF
struggles to keep from being swept Off
his feet. His friends and neighbors are
charitable enough to give him the benefit
of the doubt.
Anyone who is stylishly dressed is a
prominent figure on the streets of an
American village and for this reason Fer
dinand Ward is marked man in Geneseo.
AS boy he was a dude, as young man
he was fop, as a juggler of stocks and
securities he was dandy, as surrogates
clerk he is the best dressed man In the
town. His clothes areinvariably of the
bCSt ddeiily, up-lO-Qdte, anu his llnon Is
immaculate. One might search with
microscope for speck of dust, even on
the patent leather shoes. He is a short,
spare man, with a long, solemn, clean
shaven face, bearing a faint resemblance
to Anthony Hope. There are few wrinkles
in the smooth, pale face, and his hair is
just turning gray His manners are quiet.
though courtly, and his bearing Is that
of man whose thoughts have ever seri-
GUS trend.
AS minor clerk in the surrogate's Office
Wards salary is not munifcent, and he
must think of his old New York days with
a bitter smile, unless, as 1t may be, he
has gained Notwithstanding he never
had when he was Wall street wizard.
He lives with his second wife, to whom he
was married few years ago, in the fam
lily homestead on Ward street, which was
bequeathed to him by his father, Rev. Fer
dinand Dewitt Ward, man of great
prominence in his profession in his day.
Since his occupancy of the place Ward has
built small house at one end of the large
grounds and the rent from this dwelling,
with his small clerical salary and the
slight Independent means of his wife, con-
stitutes the income of the family 1t seems
to be adequate, for Ward has no expensive
habits. He does not even keep a horse
and nearly everyone in Geneseo keeps a
horse.
Though he does not keep a horse Ward
is very fond of thoroughbreds, and he Of
ten rides after the hounds the estate
of Congressman James Wadsworth, who
has the devotion of an English land own
er to hunting and athletics. The Wads-
worth hunts are famous, though none of
the enthusiastic hunters has ever captured
fox. Ward is a poor rider and he never
\ attempts to clear fences and bitches. But
in this respect he differs but little from the
riders of the Geneseo Valley Club for they
all sit a horse abominably. Horseback
riding is lost art here in the east. The
men who chase an aniseed bag over the
fields and call it sport 90 ape the English
method of sitting a saddle. When Fer
dinand Ward rides one can see the sky
between him and the horse.
While Ward may not be an expert eques-
trian he is known authority on the
history of New York state There is no
state in the union whose history is so rich
the empire state, particularly the west-
ern part.
He has collected valuable library of
books dealing with early Indian history,
and he was one of the leading figures at
the dedication of log cabin last Septem-
Der to commemorate Robert Morris pur-
chase of the lands from the Iroquois a
hundred years ago. He has read several
papers before the Livingston Historical
Society, an organization that is justly
famed in New York state. In every way
he is living life of rectitude, putting
forth every effort to make amends for
former mistakes
Wards first business enterprise, as has
been often told in print, was the running of
a small job press, but the business was
not a success, so he asked a Geneseo liv-
eryman to allow him to collect his bills.
Certainly said the liveryman. "I'll
be only too glad to give you chance.
Here is bill I've tried every which way
to collect and have given it up for bad
job. If you can get anything out of the
fellow you may have all my collecting to
do"
Ward was delighted with the chance.
But when he looked at the bill his face
flushed. 1t was a bill against himself.
He paid 1t and got the job, and he made
a successful collector. He paid 1t and
got the job, and he made successful col
lector He worked for a number of years
at different things in Geneseo and then he
went to New York, and his metropolitan
career is such recent history that there Is
no need for repetition There is another
reason for not recalling the past. He Is
doing his level best to live it down.
JOHN NORTHERN billiard.