The Washington times., 1918-06-08
French and American Troops Successful Offensive On Ma
HEAD OF ASTOR
FAMILY IS DEAD;
AVOIDED BY KIN
tcontinusd from First Page.l

(Continued from First Pase.l
and nfeees, who considered them
selves the very cream Of the Ameri-
can aFistocracy.
Il was an unforgivabIe crime that
l the bent and white-haired AstoF COM
mitted when he refused to chill the
. love that erept into his heart for the
comedy MalvinR Diuehart, the daugh-
| ter OF John Dfnehart, q simple though
prosperous farmer OF Red Hook. n.
4 Y. Although his grandfather had
! been q peddler and his uncle a
\ butcher, old William b. Aston, who
/ had been admitted TO the innermost
circles OF Americas. colonial families.
could not brook nat his son should
marry a farmers daughter. He re-
garded such q union as q king would
look upon the mating Of q royal
prince and a barmaid, and he treated
this disobedient son Of thirty-flve as
guilty Of unhlial conduct.
BrlIIlant soeiaI LIghE.
This forgotten Henry Astor. Of
West copalxe, was as brilliant q
young social losht in the early part
Of his life Is Col John Jacob Astor
was during the years he was happy In
the marital companionship OF the
beautiful wife, who was Ava willing.
Henry AstoF was in the prime OF his
young manhood when he married Nal
yina DinehaFt. and became the parfah
OF the family. Before then he had
taken a prominent part in the most
brilliant social life both here and
, abroad He, was immensely fond Of
travelling, and had made several
tours Of the world.
Several times he had been reported
engaged to debutantes who were
fayorites in New York society for
their beauty. He was already sew
eral times a millionaire BY his grand
fathers will, and II was estimated By
mothers never reckoned that he would
inherit about $30.OOO, 900 more from
his father. OF course. the calculating
motors never Feekoned that he would
stoop to falling in love with q far
mer's daughter and comforting upon
her the name OF Aston.
It cost the young scion Of the then
richest house In America $1,000 900 |
and his social standing for his G4s-
obedience, but he paid IL willingly /
and. he says today, has lived happily
ever after. Unlike the rest OF his kin
and his associates among the elect, /
Henry Aston was endowed with q
rather bitter eyniciBm. He had be-
gun to ALLEVIATE himself from his
Rristocratic father and brothers by
commenting sarcastically upon the
shams and delusions Of the world in
which he lived Returning from his /
second tour around the world he
asked permission OF his father to
manage the big Aston farms. at Red
Hook. and II was while he was en-
gagged In this work that he met and
fen In love with Aalvina Dinehart
a., h-s.--s uL,-n--R
When . VeU young man John
Dinehart, MalVinass father. had been
q farm hand on the Astor estate. He
had risen rapidly to be manager and
superintendent, and he had invested
shreWdly in several profitable farms
His rustieity had never worn on, and
his place had always been in the ser
wants hall His daughter, therefore,
though well educated and talented,
was looked upon Is utterly impos-
sible IS q mate for the young mil
lionAire; that Is, BY his father and
brotherA
But there vas one niece, Margaret
Astor Ward, daughter OF Henry As
tors dead sister, Mrs Samuel Ward,
who sympathi1ed with Henry In hIs
romance. She was married four years
later to John Winthrop Chanler, and
became N4a UQA4GEE OF the DEGaGnL
Of Chambers and Chalo-
ners. The Chanler boys, SHERIFF
Bob" once husband Of La Cavalieri,
and Lewis StuyVeSant, are the only
blood kin who have kept In touch ]
with Uncle Henry Aston during all {
these years, and II Is more than likely {
that they may share In his millions I
when he is laid to rest under the I
tomb that he erected :
several years ago in the little ceme-
cry Of the Reformed Church At West
Copake. I
No children were born Of the Astor- !
Oinehart union. and there have never 7
,een any children in the household. Z
Ior has the Astor mansion at West
,opRke ever known such a thing as I
retinue OF servants. For thirty 1
ears Henry Aston and his wife have $
occupied the big white frame home I
tead that faces on the main road -e
unning by West Copake down to the b
,opake Iron Works. four miles away. I
,opaks Iron Works Is the railroad c
tation on the Harlem division OF the q
few York Central The little village {
4 Copake Flats, with its pretty little ,
Iouses and enormous elms, oaks, and =
'eeches, lies in between
- Ties That Don't Bind. :
The entire district has proSpeFed r.
ince the coming OIHenry Aston from A
Ted Hook. for he set a standard for II
armin,g that scores OF his neIghbors v
ave prohted by And he bought u
thousands OF acres and put them IN s
er cultivation. "a
The move to West Copake was made E!
q order sever forever the last tie n
hat might bind him to the Astors OF g
led Hook. Since then his social cir g
lie has been his own family-his wife, II
er seven brothers, 'the Dinehart
oys," their families. and the few I ~
armers who have been admitted to "a
ltimacy in the Astor mansion. o.
In accepting his exile from the GID o
society in which his parents moved. n
IenFy Astor adopted a regimen OF life
hat was warranted to blot out for ~
ver-every suggestion Of the luxurious U
Ouseholds he had frequented during CT
is younger days. He accepted the
,andards OF living Of the Dineharts.
nd never once since his marriage has