Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1898-11-17
ArAMous HOTEL.
The..Astsr House, Of New York, and
Its Interesting History.

~ A1scH"suB sAsssvHy'
According to the New York Even.
Ing Post, the Aston house is the mos'
famous hotel in the United States
and during it's sxty-four years Of
standing there with its arms open "a
the world. so to speak, history has
been pouring steadily through that
granite entrance. When the steps
were laid, Andrew Jackson was presi-
dent. Four times. at least, he was a
guest in the house. and all You have
to do is to recall his political asso-
ciaies to know who gathered round
him there, This was before the
American motel keeper had passed
from h0nface to bureaucrat. He
stood Mt ;he head OF his own table,
in a white AKRON, NOT only the host,
bnt the supervisor.
Nearly all the other hotels at the
time were in the vicinity. The old
Tontlne coffee house on Wall Street
ha r''t yet been rem3leled. but it
was giving slowly to offices. The
Franklia stood on the corner of Dey
street. and the Washington was on
the CORNER Of Chambers where Stew
art afterwards built his store. The
Clinton. on Beekman. and the Ex-
change and the Merchants on Broad
street, were all accounted good hos
telries. But the opening of the Astor
house was called at the time "a pro-
digious and costly event." and the
hote almost Immediately became the
stopping place of all the distinguish
ed people who came to New York,
and the meeting place of all the con-
spicuous people who did not leave
New York. Its formal opening was
attended by all the magnates OF the
city. Mayor Cornelius W. Lawrence
presiding while about him were
grouped Caleb s, Woodruff, Isaac L.
Varian, General William Hall. Thur
low Weed (who was then editing the
Albany Journal), and the men best
known to us as Recorder Talmadge
and Judge lngraham. 1t is curious
to know that. aside from the festivl-
w. VI u'e occasion, 'l'e ohlel 'oplc
M', 1 nolloI ''oi' Neo D"npl'he anu
e'e" 'e"e'"
., a year laler, hawhorne wrote MS
,,1, wlce loa isles. DicKens wrote
oke'ches 10y BOZ and irving .Ihe
adventures OF Oaptarn Bonneville,
ana uhey all shook hands afterwards
III tne As'or mouse court whlcn IS
ITO" ul'e roluhaa, One year a1ter me
opening bacK hawk $1,000 on tae
granl'e Steps wf.h the scare OF the
Paie'ace SUN on MIN, ana looked Won
oer,hgly across 10 rhe Drick church.
nagn up on oank' where line Times
Duliurng now s'anos, and 10 me fark
nheaier' where me memories OF
sweep famny kemole' were still
Iresh, And There, too, stood Sam
houston, one year a1'er the Datue
Oh oah Jacln'o' WIN a CIVIC guard OF
honor warning for MIN 10 enter that
ciVlc cnariot' the barouche. Similar
uanouches drove up 10 the same steps
Ior henry olay .Danlel webster,
frahKlln Fierce, MlIlard Fillmore,
James bhchanan, "anfleld Scott, JET
Iersoh DAVIS ana aoralnam Lincoln.
lhere are fhdeeo very rev INDUSTRIOUS
names IN tne history OF the country
Detween 1850 ana 1898 whose owners
nave NOT STOOD IN those portals
brigadlers. commodores' senators.
chlef Justices ambassadors. princes
looked nrsu upon New YORK from
tlia' ll,ooesa granite peues'a', ~ was
qrapru w''l' o'ach a, V"e ueaVh ol
oa.Asoi'' p"e IT was al'e'Warus wrap
Peu vi 'ne salne elhp gU "len
T.as s''u i,a,, 'lson a,'u Webster anu
in.eo'n ano ual al uleu' rroll' 'nae
polnv sonle V, '.e ''los' famous pa
sean's s'a'aeu' J"S' az SUM- VI .ne
Illus" iiio'iie''o"s campaigns we're
t .ea', AZ WI .re parIols "o o
1ao,s .unoSe nulen lie , u,ss d',u
Naen'IS 10y ~, ',,u "'n''eiu oeoV'
~. ~ a'.:.a 1 ""s ee w.. i'e 'r
b. W s;' ','u ol'.'''' ""'"
sa 49, ~"s ''a"' """ s w. VIZ" =.
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49, W tan w to1 ~ p a, o liz co.
hon,,s M nua ,. ~ .,hnna n nao
,,,or,v to,. nofnsshrnsnt ona ton ,a,. s
and h u,os thara dn,r;r,n .ha Won,,
De-. w." s...as. Mn. -.
tha ;do, .hioh' Nv arnhod;as ia shs