The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-07-08
Magnificent Balls in His New York
Palace, Which Were Attended by
the ..Four Hundred
WAS A SKILLFUL POKER PLAYER
AND DLUFFED MANY MEN INTO lay
ING DOWN GOOD HANDS.
Captured the English Derby in 1881
with Iroquois, an American Horse
Also Was a Yachtsman.


died at 2:1O o'clock this afternoon at the
Fifth-avenue Hotel, where he was taken
from the Deutschland when that steamer
arrived from Europe on July t. The men,
bers OF the family present at the bedside
when the end came were Mr.. Lorillard's
daughters. Mrs T. suffern Taller and Mrs.
William Kent, and their husbands and
Pierre Lorillard, jr., and wife and also
Pierre Lorillard III.
Mr.. Lorillard's recent severe illness dated
from June 90 He was in England and
went 10 his lodge at Ascot, hoping to see
his horse David Garrick win the gold cup.
He was stricken with an uraemic chill
and was sick for a week. He was advised
to come TO America and boarded the
Deutschland, but his condition became
graver each moment. His physician, Dr.
Kilroy, told him that ne did not think he
would live to get to New York. but the
magnate insisted that he would. 1t has
never been thought he could recover since
his arrival. The funeral will be at II
o'clock on Wednesday from Grace Church.
The interment will be at Greenwood.
Pierre Lorillard was born in New York
city nearly sixty-eight years ago. He was
of the fortune which made the family name
famous. He inherited much Of the busi-
ness ability of his father and marked sue
cess attended the commercial enterprises
which he planned and executed. At the
death of his father he received about 81. o0o.-
coo and an interest jointly with his brothers
and sisters in the great tobacco house of
which his father had been the head. He
at once purcha sed from his brothers con-
troll OF the house and by shrewd manage
ment greatly Increased his fortune. AS
part of his inheritance Pierre Lorillard
came into possession of several thousand
acres OF rough. hilly and seemingly un-
tillable land amid the Ramapo hills No
one but a genius in divination and a Ma
poleon in execution would have even
thought of turning this waste land into
lakes on the property. the very wildness
of the woods and hills was fascinating,
the climate exhilarating. 1t was in 1Ss4-s5
when every one supposed that Mr.. Loril-
lard was engrossed In plans for founding
Tuxedo. for establishing a great game and
fishing preserve there, for building great
clubhouse and for selling off building plots
TO those who would become members of the
organization and subscribe TO its laws
Every. one said the plan was grand but
not feasible, chimerical-a dream. Mr.
Lorillard only went on with his plans. The
original outlay In building roads, laying
water and gas pipes and hauling material
mendous. But there was an iron will and
an elastic pocketbook behind the enter
prise. No person can look al the Tuxedo
or to-day, only fifteen years old, and not
be convinced that Mr.. Lorillard was no
more rash in predicting that a garden
would grow from desert than he was in
sending lroquois to England TO win the
Derby.
For awhile Pierre Lorillard ruled Tuxedo
as the Car rules Russia. Mr. Lorillard
wanted only those whom he would ask to
his house at Tuxedo. Mr.. and Mrs. James
Brown Potter had a cottage at Tuxedo;
Kyrle Below was instructing Mrs Potter
vited Bellew to the Tuxedo clubhouse
When Mr.. Lorilard learned of this he
was furious. When Kyrle Bellew learned
what Lorillard said 70 Potter. Bellew. in
turn, was furious. There was gossip OF a
duel between Lorillard and Bellew, but it
was only frothy gossip.
Pierre Lorilards wife was the beautiful
Miss Emily Taller Having married her,
he bought the house al the northeast cor
ner of Fifth avenue and Thirty sixth
street. New York. and behind it he erected
a beautiful ballroom. There were not so
many multi-millionaires I'm those days:
there were not so many superb bathrooms
in private residences; only the Belmonts,
the Astors and Marshall O. Roberts could
boast of them. In his house Mr.. Eorillard
gave a series of the most beautiful balls
and dinners ever seen In New York. He
bought Ochre Point. at Newport. and built
what was then the grandest cottage on the
| Cliffs The Breakers. which he afterward
sold 20 Cornelius Vanderbilt.
Mr. Lorillard'S closest friends knew that
he was even a better judge of a wine than
OF horse-which was a high compliment to
him. In the last few years he did not give
many dinners But for many years ne paid
chef $4,000 a year when ctner million
aires were hiring cooks for $50 a month.
| To give a dinner costing 81 900 was an or
binary event to him. He delighted in stag
| dinners. 10 which he invited invariably
these cost $500, He thought nothing OF
/ spending s1.500 10 5000 on a luncheon for
a few of his women friends.
Ii is an actual fact that when his wife
was in society ana the family was undi-
vided there was more money spent In the
| Lorillard home-or homes-than in any in
| of the house were Baltimore terrap!n and
| canvasback duck. Nothing but the rarest
wines were served. He was stickler on
wines His sherry was served at tenn
/ perature OF so degrees: his dinner claret
| between e5 and 20. He had a temperature
| fixed for all his rare wines, and woe to the
| butler who departed from the rule. He
| insisted that his champagne should always
be served from ma gnums of four quarts.
One OF the few American institutions in
which Pierre Lorilard delighted was poker,
He was always ready TO bet on a good
hand and when he had not a good hand to
| bluff. His cool bluffs made many a richer
twelve years ago Mr. Lorillard held a hand
| against ]. 3. Haggin that was the talk of
! the town. There were five millonaires in
/ the game. and Frank Work dealt the cards
dropped out but Mr. Lorllard When there
was LOO in the pot Mr.. Haggin called
| He had a straight flush in diamonds. Mr.
| Loriilard with a placid smile. displayed q
royal flush in hearts and took the money
/ His friends say that he has held more royal
| Pushes in poker than any living man.
Mr. Lorilare's famous cherry and black
racing colo-s were famous on the tracks OF
two continents. He was one OF the few re-
naming turfmen of the American Jockey
| Club days. when old Jerome Park was al
/ It's zenith He began racing I'm 1873. Free
| Lance and Saxon being the first members
OF his afterWara important stable. He