El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1897-08-20
HIGH ROLLER TO BEGGAR.
Downfall of Holmes Agnew.-A Former
Prominent Clubman.

Downfall of Holmes Agnew.-A Former
| Prominent Clubman.
Holmes Aenew, a nephew of that
great American surgeon, the late DR..
HAYES Aguew, of Philadelphia, who
made President Garfeld's late hour
comfortable, was recently arraigned
in the jefferson Market Police court
charged with trying to beg nickel
from passersby on Broadway, says the
| N. Y. journal.
| Holmes Agnew is only thirty two
years old today, but he has managed to
run the gamut of that fast life possible
only to a man brought up to do nothing
and with plenty of money to lido moth
| ing" with.
A few years ago he was member of
all the fashionable clubs of New York
| City and a welcome guest in the most
| exclusive families. His mother, whose
heart is nearly broken by his escapades,
IS mem Der of one of the Oldest south
ern families. and at present lives IN
Washington, D. G. Agnew was
| brought up to look with contempt up
on any one who was connected with
trade.
With plenty of money at his COM
mand, he did as he pleased. Wine
suppers TO stage favOriLes, wild esca-
PAGES with notorious wOm.n, and all
the other peculiarities of what are
known as "high flyers, soon made him
known through bout New York. In the
renderloin he tossed his money about
with prodigal hand, until he came to
DE known as ''good thing" He
drove fast horses, opened wine on
every possible occasion, and was much
run after by persons with less money
than he had.
FAMILY FORTUNE DISAPPEARED.
Suddenly something happened
Hayes Aguew was without a cent. This
dio not disturb him. The fact that the
family wealth had vanished did not APP
parently cause him the least uEeasiness
or start his thoughts in the direction
of work. He simply undertook to make
mis- friends and acqua1ntanceS supply
him with funds when his relatives left
off. He borrowed freely as long as he
could, also depending in measure upon
one brother.
This brother of Holmes Agnew.
whose memory is revered at Harvard
today, had proved himself man. He
buckled down when the family reverses
came, accepted opportunities and was
,Oon on the way to wealth once more.
Then he died.
Holmes Agnew's mainstay was now
gone, but friends of his brother plac-
ed him in the way of making a mag
nificent living. They secured fer HIM
the opportunity to go to Paris with
about $50, 900 TO introduce certain
well-known commodity. According to
all reports the goods were never I'M
packed, and the $50, 600 lasted him just
six months. Representatives were sent
over to take charge of the business he
had failed to attend to, and Agnew
went to London. He had letters of in
production to the younger set OF the
British aristOcracy, ana remained
year in England.
MARRIED., BUT WOULDN'T REFORM
The money he had squandered was
made good and then Holmes Agnew
married. His wife was worth S5OO,OOO
in her own right and her mother is
we'll known as millionairess in New
York society.
His wife was devoted to him, but he
went the old pace, only at faster
gait.
This soon had it's end. The wife,
never strong, became an invalid and
the mother forced her to break with
her husband.
"When you are ready to live and act
like man Ill settle $4,000 year on
you for life." said the mother, land
then my daughter can live with YOU"
Holmes Agnew never settled. He |
made spasmodic efforts at work, bored |
all bis friends to such extremes that |
he was elected from their offices and |
then he took the gold cure. The effects |
of this treatment lasted long enough |
for him to become advertising manager
of an illustrated publication. He |
showed bility, but he would not work.
His old HABITS predominated, and when
the friends of his family forcibly took
him TO gold cure esta blishment
again he escaped in the night without
clothes.
His downward career from that time,
which was only eight months ago, was
more rapid than ever before. He
worked systematically, but be was
gravitatiDg swiftly to the state which
IN the Bowery gives man the title of
q "bum."
BECAME A RESTAURANT ''BEAT."
Every now and then he was heard
from in some we'll known restaurant.
where having eaten and drank the best
that he had not a cent.
When arrested on the occasions he al I
ways explained 10 gentlemanly man. &.
Ter to the magistrate that being
intoxicated he had forgotten that he
vas not worth as much as In former
lays.
For the past week Agnew has been |
haunting Park row trying to borrow
my sum from twenty five cents down
o one penny. He had passed the bounds
II liberation by his friends and they
II rafnaod IN IN