Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1900-11-03
NOTE TELLER LLVORD.
Life Of Official Who Robbed New
York's First National Bank.
USED TO BRAG ABOUT HIS WEALTH.

His wife Created Sensation Mt
Bali by wearins Diamonds valued
at $3.50, 0oo--Costiy FURNISHINGS Of
His Mount Vernon Home-His Troa-
BILE With "a Church.
Cornelius l.. Alyord. Jr., the $1,000
year bank note teller, who robbed
the First National Bank of New York,
one of the oldest and richest financial
! institutions in the United States, Of
| S100.00 maintained the most luxuri-
Gus establishment In Mount Vernon,
the home Of many very rich New York
| business men, says the New York
World. He lived at the rate of $4,000
year. His magnl1cence has been the
talk of the town ever since he went
there to live, six years ago.
He made no effort to conceal his ex-
travagance. On the contrary lie
Haunted it before his fellow townsmen.
He did not regard the leaders of Mount
| Vernon society exactly with contempt,
| but they were not often invited 10 par
| take of his lavish hospitality. lie was
princely entertainer, and his guests
We're usually people from New York.
Occasionally he would invite the may
or of the town, Edwin X. Fiske, to
/ a banquet, also some of the members
of the City club, the fashionable organ
| ization of Mount Vernon.
! Alvord was In the habit of talking
somewhat contemptuously about his
salary. He said to one Mount Vernon
! friend: "It 1T only a flea bite to my liv-
! ing expenses. but the position ot note
teller is a valuable one to me. 1t
! throws me into contact with people
who give me valuable information
about Wall street and enables me to
make about $4,000 year"
| TO others he often spoke of the finan-
cial interests he had outside the bank
and frankly said they brought him
large sums yearly. All of his friends
regarded him as successful Wall
! street operator, a man accustomed TO
dealing in hundreds of thousands. His
trade was sought by the shopkeepers
with avidity, and he was regarded
| throughout the business section of
Mount Vernon as the most desirable
! customer in the town. His credit was
never questioned. lie ran big bills, but
always paid promptly whenever pay
ment was requested.
| There are many outstanding accounts
with the tradespeople there now, and
when the news of the defalcation reach
ed them they became badly worried
| Mrs. Alvord usually paid all of the
bills contracted with the local people
| She had an account of her own in the
! Second National Bank of New York
and paid the bills by check. Mrs. Al
word is a big, SNOWY looking woman of
SO or 40, with yellow hair and fine
complexion. She has grown stout In
the last few years, but is fine looking
woman. Alvord weighs nearly 800
pounds and is so fat that he walks with
some difficulty. He is a tremendous
eater, fond of the richest of table deli
cacies and has always drunk cham
payne at dinner. The Alvords have
three chldren-Hefen, aged 8; Harry.
aSeu D, anu blduNS, dSeu -.
The home in Mount Vernon is not
any finer on the outside than the neigh
| boring houses. 1t Is at 227 Summit
avenue, In Chester HILL the fine resi-
| Dental section of the town. All of the
| property in that neighborhood is re.
stricted. The Alvords went to Mount
| Vernon six years ago. He bought the
l,o sto Il 81,
900. The plot has a frontage of 100
| feet and asdepth of 100 feet The house
cost originally $1,000 to build. but its
| interior has been changed and elabo-
rated from time to time. Much money
was spent on the dining room, which Is
paneled with expensive woods.
The villa is a three story affair paint
ed white and yellow and a combination
of the Queen Anne and the colonial in
| architecture. 1t has a broad piazza in
which are eight big, comfortable loung
ing chairs. The stairway leading from
the entrance hall to the second floor Is
broken by big square platform in the
middle. On the wall above this plat
form is long distance telephone. The
telephone service of the local company
was too restricted for the sumptuous
note teller
There are several good paintings on
the walls of the front drawing room
and some costly bits of statuary about
the apartment. The sideboard In the
dining room gltters with cut glass and
silver. The barn attached to the house
is one Of the finest in Mount Vernon
and about the biggest. Alvord gloried
In having the finest equipages in the
town. His wife had a victoria and n
brougham. both of the showiest and
newest models. and different team
for each vehicle. Alvord was always
driven to and from the station in a
runabout drawn by third team. His