The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1899-08-16
A FOILED AMBITION.

"Aristocracy" in the United States,
if not one of our most important
institutions, is certainly one of the
most amusing.
The antics it cats and the devices
to which it resorts in order 10 estab
lish it's claims to superiority may not
make the angels weep, but they
certainly do make sober minded men
laugh One of the latest and most
ludicrous assumptions of our own
peculiar aristocracy was put forth by
William Waldorf Astor, put forth,
alas only to be blighted and tram
pied upon, and that, too, by little
Spanish count
Not satisfied with being permitted
to trot around after a few representa-
tives of English nobility, Mr.. Astor
has endeavored to show that be is
entitled to walk abreast and sit at the
table with those whose recognition
and favor be has so industriously
sought since he renounced his native
land and became veneered Brit
isher
After profound research and In
yestigation. aided by designing indi-
viduals, vino for liberal compensation
engaged to get him up an iIlustrious
pedigree, Mr.. Astor came forth with
the thrilling announce ment that be
was a Iineal descendant of Jean
Jacques D'Astorga, member Of one
of the noblest and most ancient
houses of Spain that this ancestor,
in 1864, turned Hugueuot, fed to
Germany and changed bis name to
plain Astor, and became the founder
of the family that now owns the
finest hash foundry in New York.
As rule, citizens of this country
pay no attention to claims of illus
trious ancestry. They believe, and
with good reason, shas those who
boast most of such things usually
have poor title to the lineage which
they claim. But in Europe the old
aristocrats are rather sensitive. They
are apt TO resent the pretensions of
parvenus who try to cuddle up to
them.
No sooner were Mr.. Astor's claims
to kinship with the D'Astorgas made
public than Count D'Astorga came
out in an indignant denial of the
alleged relationship.
He declared that there had never
been any Jean jacques D'Astorga
in his family, and that Mr. Astor is
no more of kin to him than is sultan
of Suia.
This would seem to settle the case,
but additional evidence against Mr.
Astor's presumption is given by Mr..
Lathrop Wilmington, the most fa-
nous of European genealogists
lie says that "Jean Jacques D'Astor.
ga. the Huguenot, is myth, and
that in order to make room for him
in the pedigree the date of the
marriage of the D'Astorga whose
son he is salleged to have been he's been
falsified--has been pushed back fron
1882 to 1862 is order to let in
spurious son said to have been born
in 1864 As the Jean jacques
through whom Mr. Astor tried to
hitch 90 to the D'Astorgas never ex
listed, William Waldorf Astor has
no crusading ancestors.
The exposure of mis- bogus claim
and the defeat of bis fond hopes for
an antique crest probably caused MIR.
Astor deep pain. Why should he
not console himself with honeet pride
in those ancestors whom nobody will
refuse to concede to him ? 1t is well
known that he can date back to a
sturdy and honest butcher of Wal
dorf, near Heidelberg, and that the
son of that worthy sausage maker,
John Jacob Astor, came to America,
did thriving business in bides and
left a large fortune. This John