Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-04-19
SKETCH OF ]. v. GATES
Big Financier an l-'round
Good Fellow.
TAKES LIFE EASILY
FOND OF OUTDOOR SPORTS AND
ALL GAMES.
Has No Alterations and Is Most
Pleasant Boon Com
panion.
TAKES LIFE EASILY

SpSSiai correspondence ol LIE ENeuliS Star'
NEW YORK, April IS, 1902.
John w. Gates did not need that
fine Louisville and Nashville coup to
fetch him into the general focus. He
Is always in the public eye, particu
larly in the visual organ of New York.
He is the most good-felowish of all Of the
millionaires. There is nothing secretive or
Grabbed about Mr.. Gates. One may see
him any night at the Waldorf-Astoria,
playing billiards with anybody he chances
to meet in the public billiard room, or
jumping around at ping-pong in the gal
lery devoted to that game now the fad.
He probably knows more men of different
classes in New York than any ten other
millionaires of this cosmopolis and not
few of these chance acquaintance cost Mr..
Gates quite lot of his spare change, for
he is known as producer" in the patois
of the well-dressed CRATER" and he
stands for a touch oftener and with bet
ter grace than any individual on the At
lantic seaboard. He is not by any means
good thing" but he is naturally gener-
Gus man, having had his own era of impe-
curiosity, and he enjoys the fun of giving
away money in reasonable sums-for he
frankly says that he never looks to get
money back that he disburses in response
to that species of appeal known as the
hurry touch
'They must need it or they wouldn't ask
for it, he says in off-hand way, and
I'd feel cheaper in refusing 1t than they
in being turned down."
Dimes Where Fancy Suggests.
He dimes all over town, and never with
out a jovial crowd seated around the board
with him. He puts on airs whatever,
and one may hear his laughter out on the
street. He affects no mystery, and, except
when great deal is involved, in which
secrecy is absolutely essential. he habit
ually puts his closer line of friends on the
right side of the market He is very lib
eral in his drinking, without ever showing
the slightest indication of 1t in manner or
speech. He goes to the race track and bets
his thousands himself, without employing
a commissioner, enjoying the rude exercise
of propelling his vast frame through the
damned betting ring. He takes whimsical
notions occasionally, and few weeks ago
he was recognized in the peanut gallery
Ghe lucent circle of seats of an Sth ave-
nue. theater, where a bowling melodrama
was being performed. He was leaning
back and enjoying the thunders of the hero
enormously, and the whistles and cat-calls
of the boys over the Vaccinations Of the
black-mustached villain seemed to tickle
him amazingly. He begins smoking long,
black cigars before his breakfast in the
morning and never leaves off smoking
them until he goes to sleep at night-or the
next morning-and yet he himself says,
with a smile, that his health is something
scandalous.
Perhaps the general excellence Of his
health is due to the fact that he spends
most of his time in the open air. Mr..
Gates has a pretty level-headed son. In
addition to a trained and trusted staff of
men, to whom he entrusts the bulk Of his
affairs when something big is not on the
carpet, and consequently he mas leisure to
be out of doors during most of his waking
hours.
Fond of the Automobile.
He spins all kinds of automobiles over
Westminster county and Long Island nearly
every day, although the number of chill
dren that have been killed by AUTOMOBILE
lists within the limits Of New York within
the past few months is a fact that deters
him from engaging In that recreation in
town. None of that for me- he said, in
speaking Of the slaughter Of the infants
by careless New York automobilists 'If
I should ever kill young one, I'd sell out
and join the Trappists." He is mighty
golfer, and may be seen on the links in
Westminster, New Jersey and over on
a fan Of the fans and knows dozens
of the ball players by their first names.
He can tell good trotter or PAGER as
far as he can see one, and minges in the
Sunday morning brushes on the Speedway
with his fine string Of goers. He dresses
just like the young fellows. as he himself
puts the matter, and he is partial to sack
suits of light gray cloth, red neckties and
such effects. He talk with a long
shoreman or with an enwrapped disciple of
the Burne-Jones school of art and he likes
to talk with quaint characters. He Is an
all-round citizen, and there isn't a doubt
that he gets a good deal more fun out of
life than the great majority Of millionaires
who affectedly talk about being afflicted"
with their millions.
A Telegrapher's Experience.
The telegrapher who works in the writ
ing room of the WaldorfAstoria very nat
uraly regards Mr.. Gates as being about
right. A few weeks ago Mr.. Gates was
talking with party of friends In the writ
ing room about good things to eat.
There's one thing that 1 can't get to
my liking in this mans town." he broke
out in his bluff way, land that's lemon
meringue pie. If there's any one thing that
I'm fond of when it's fixed up right, it's
lemon meringue pie, and lots of 1t. but
they don't seem to know aow to make 1t
right these days. The jeIlys too stringy
or hard or soft or sweet or sour or some
thing or other. and 1 can't get any old
fashioned comfort out Of tt .
The writing room telegrapher overheard
this remark of Mr.. Gates, and. as he was
on speaking terms with the millionaire, he
approached him a few moments later and
said:
"Mr Gates. among a whole loc OF ether
things that wife can do right up to the
handle is the making of lemon meringue
pie Making lemon meringue pie Of the all
right brand and workmanship is, might
say her main hold"
at is, hey?'' said Mr. Gates, his eyes
cleaning wolishly. "WelI, the quicker
you get your wife TO bake two of EN- for
me, the happier I'm going to be-
Had the Pies Baked.
When the telegraohar got to his tiny
Harlem fat that evening he told his tidy
little wife that he wanted her to bake him
a couple of lemon meriugue pies for n sue
cial purpose, just soon as sho could get
at the job. He didn't tell her that the pies
were to be for the consumption of John w
Gates, for fear of making her nervous and
thus jeopardizing the success of the pies.
She got the materials that very night, and
baked the pies on the following morning
before her husband went down to the
Waldorf The telegrapher took the pies
along with him, and he handed them to
Mr.. Gates about 2 oclook that afternoon.
before the millionaire had taken his lunch.
con- Mr.. Gates raised the covers and took
one look at the pies, and then he disap-
peared into one Of the elevators, CARRYING
the pastry along with / i'm. He went up to
his apartments, and thera, in soljtarv
splendor, he put away both of those pies
Then he came downstairs and made for
the writing room.