Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1906-01-01
The Late c. Yerkes.

/ rl1dy last, Wds hShtiVhCu i" p"'"i
days Gazette.
When 81 years old Mr.. Yerkes opened a
stock brokers' Office in Philadelphia,
and three years later, in 1861, purchased
banking house and dealt exclusively
in 6rst-class government and other
bonds. In 1871 he failed for a large
amount, among his creditors being the
city of Philadelphia, Refusing to make
the city preferred creditor, be was sued
and convicted of misapprOpriating pub
lie funds, and was imprisoned, but the
decision was afierward pronounced illeg-
al, and be was pardoned. Mr.. Yerkes
resumed business. He Became promi-
nent in steel railway operations in Phil
adelphia and subsequently, in Chicago,
where he became head of the North and
West Side surface railroads and of sever
al suburban and elevated railway corpo-
rati0ns. He later became interested IN
underground railways in London and
their construction, and had practical
monopoly 10 what is called "the tup-
penny tube" Mr.. Yerkes married
Mary Adelaide Moore, Of Philadelphia
He took a trip to Paris last autumn with
his wife, and there contracted a cold,
which brought a crisis to the disease
with which he had suffered for years.
He returned to the United States.
While the body OF Dir. Yerkes, was
lying at his residence, No. S64 Fifth
avenue, New York, Saturday, every ef-
fort was being made TO smooth over for
the brief time before the funeral the do
mestic tange into which this mans queer
sense of ethics had plunged him. The
BODY is at the home of his legal widow,
but for the last three years Mr.. Yerkes
had not entered it. Nor had the widow
visited him during The last weeks OF his
tgatslillness until FridaysfteraoOn, when
she was informed be was dying. Even
then, it is said by some, she remained in
another room until the end came.
Another home is but a stones throw
from the mansion where the bodi lies.
There live a mother and daughter in a
great white stone residence, furnished
with all the lavish display that the mil
lionaire loved.
II is this establishment and It's baud
some Young owner for the property IS
held by the daughter--that account for
the three years estraDgement between
Yerkes aud his wife, and the announce
ment OF Mrs Yerkes, only feS hours
before his death, that she would not
visit the dying magnate.
In the Fifth avenue house the widow
| for the last FIVE months has, she al
leges, been prisoner by reason OF
| Yerkes' desire to divorce her. She had
been ordered to leave the mansion by
his personal counsel, and on her refusal
it had been threatened that gas, water
and electricity would be shut off,
Her own lawyers bad told her to re-
main in the house, warning her that ad-
vantage might be taken of her absence
to throw into the street her personal
effects and close the doors on her.
Mrs. Yerkes' position was strange.
She was misunderstood, she says, when
she declared repeatly during his last
sickness that she would not visit him al
The hotel. She believed that the appeals
for her to come to him were merely tricks
TO get her out of the house.
She knew, with wOman's intuition,
who would be the next Mrs. Yerkes and
the next mistrss of the Fifth avenue
home. if once he succeeded in his plans
for divorce. She knew that her OWE
marriage to Mr.. Yerkes followed on the
heels Of the divorce obtained by his frs
wife.
The mother of the girl, whom Mrs
Yerkes feared, was well known 10 lh'
police of Cincinnati.
The woman had peculiar career
She was the wife Of distinguished off
Ger in the Confederate army, and mem
Der of one CT the most aristocratic Ken
tucky families. When the husband die
DOOR. his widow, who had two younI
children. adopted a life which CORE
sponds in some respects to that of Mrs
Warren. in George Bernard Shaw's play
Her sou and daughter we're edu
Gated. the girl in a convent and tn
boy in celebrated academy in Lex
ington. Kentucky. Both grew up il
ignorance of their mothers position i
life.
Yerkes met the women and daughte
e in Cincinnati, and in 1897 the woma
closed the business in that city and ap
reared at the Hotel Grenoble, in Ne'
r York, with her son and daughter. The
occu,ied an elaborate suite until Yerke
presented to the daughter the house nc
far from his own.
This daughter is tall and strlkingii
t beautiful girl. She was at Saratoga !
the summer of 1899 and met there
woman distinguished in New York s(
ciety. who ''took her up" The youn
woman was invited and went TO sociei
: functions at her new friends house !
7 Washington Square, and was admitte
!. and couTted by several eligible men
wealth and position. Among these WI
the son of multi-milliOnalre me
d chant 10 the down town dry good distrlc
A man who was aware of the family
- status went to the head of the Washing
I ton Square family aud told him. In
man was amazed and indignant.
: "fuquire about them and see it | q
L., aeaA n