As I Remember
A hundred thousand dollars was considered a highly respectable fortune
in New York between sixty and seventy years ago. Seven per cent, was the
usual rate of interest, the cost of living was low, and life was, of
course, much simpler in every way. I recall a prominent young man about
this period, Henry Carroll Marx, commonly called "Dandy Marx," who was
said to be the happy possessor of the amount I have named. He was
devoted to horses and from his home on Broadway he could frequently be
seen driving tandem on the cobblestone streets. I do not remember his
entering the social arena; possibly he avoided it in order to escape the
wiles of designing mothers, whom one occasionally encountered even in
those ancient days. His faultless attire, which in elegance surpassed
all his rivals, won for him the nickname of "Dandy." He also rendered
himself conspicuous as the first gentleman in New York to wear the long,
straight, and pointed waxed mustache. His two maiden sisters were
inseparable companions and nearly every day could be seen walking on
Broadway. Miss Lydia Kane, one of the wits of my day and of whom I have
already spoken, facetiously called them "number 11"--two straight marks!
In 1845 Burton's Theater was an unfailing source of delight to the
pleasure-loving public. William E. Burton was an Englishman of rare
cultivation, and was the greatest comedian New York had ever known.
Although so gifted, his expression of countenance was one of extreme
gravity. His presentation of Aminadab Sleek in the "Serious Family" has,
in my opinion, never been surpassed. He frequently acted in minor
comedies, but the "Serious Family" was his greatest _role_. Niblo's
Garden on Broadway, near Houston Street, was a source of great delight
in those days to all Gothamites. It was in this theater that the Ravel
family had its remarkable athletic performances. When I recall their
graceful, youthful physiques, I am reminded of Hamlet's philosophical
musings in the graveyard: "Where be your gibes now, your gambols, your
songs, your flashes of merriment that were wont to set the table on a
roar?" P. T. Barnum was a conspicuous figure about this time. His museum
was on Broadway, at the corner of Ann Street, and not far from the City
Hall. He was considered a prince of humbugs and perhaps gloried in his
reputation as such. I distinctly remember the excitement which he
created over a mummified old colored woman who, he asserted, had been a
nurse of Washington, and to whom he gave the name of Joice Heth. She was
undoubtedly a very aged negress, but she still retained full powers of
articulation and was well coached to reply in an intelligent manner to
the numerous inquiries respecting her pretended charge. It is needless
to add that she was only one of Barnum's numerous fakes.
Philip Kearny, a handsome gentleman of a former school, who lived at the
corner of Broadway and Leonard Street, was a lavish entertainer. He was
a widower when I knew him, but his daughter, the wife of Major Alexander
S. Macomb, U.S.A., the son and aide of Major General Alexander Macomb,
Commander-in-Chief of the Army, lived with him. Major Macomb was
conspicuous for his attractive personality and imposing presence and was
said to bear a striking resemblance to Prince Albert, the father of
Edward VII. His wife was one of the three heirs of John Watts, who owned
a princely estate. The other two were her brother, the gallant General
Philip Kearny, and her cousin, General John Watts de Peyster, a son of
that most accomplished gentleman, Frederick de Peyster, of whom I have
already spoken. Mrs. Macomb was a generous and attractive woman who
dispensed with a liberal hand the wealth she had inherited. Her pretty
cousins, Mary and Nancy Kearny, whom I knew quite well, daughters of her
father's brothers, were her constant guests. Another frequent visitor of
this household was Mrs. "Phil" Kearny, as she was invariably called,
whose maiden name was Diana Moore Bullitt, a famous Kentucky belle,
well-known for her grace and intellectual attractions. Her sister
Eloise, usually called "Lou" Bullitt by her intimate friends, married
Baron Frederick de Kantzow of Sweden, a courtly foreigner who had
commercial relations with the merchant princes of New York. Tradition
states that the Baroness de Kantzow, though not possessed of Mrs.
Kearny's beauty, was a more successful slayer of hearts than her sister,
and it is said that she had adorers by the score. A third Bullitt
sister, Mary, married General Henry Atkinson and after his death Major
Adam Duncan Steuart, both of the United States Army, the latter of whom
was stationed for many years at Fort Leavenworth.
Mrs. Macomb's health failed at an early period of life and to restore it
she sought a foreign clime; but, alas, her many friends were never
gladdened again by her kindly welcome, as she died abroad. In my young
womanhood I frequently attended parties at the Kearny house where
dancing and other social pleasures enlivened the scene. In this
connection it seems proper to refer at greater length to John Watts and
his interesting trio of daughters. I have already spoken of his son
Robert, who died unmarried at an early age. His two older daughters,
Susanna, wife of Philip Kearny, and Mary Justina, wife of Frederick de
Peyster, did not long survive their marriages; but a third daughter,
Elizabeth, the wife of Henry Laight, who never had children, lived many
years with her father and managed the affairs of his household. An
amusing story was told me many years ago regarding Mrs. Laight which is
well worthy of mention. As a young girl she was deeply in love with the
young man who eventually became her husband, but her father was so
devoted to her and so very dependent upon her that he violently opposed
her marrying anyone. Accordingly, a secret marriage was planned by the
young people to take place in Trinity Church. As the youthful pair was
standing in front of the altar, surrounded by a few sympathetic friends,
the rector reached the words, "Who giveth this woman to be married to
this man?" when, to the astonishment of the assembled group, a gruff,
loud voice in the rear of the church shouted "I do." Old John Watts had
opposed his daughter's marriage with all his might, but when he learned
by chance that she was to be married clandestinely, he graciously
accepted the inevitable and without the knowledge of anyone hurried to
the church and, entering it by a side door, duly performed his part as
just related. This anecdote was told me by Arent Schuyler de Peyster, a
distant cousin of General John Watts de Peyster. Many years later, when
I repeated it to Mrs. Diana Bullitt Kearny, she remarked in her
characteristic manner: "He was mean enough not to even allow her the
satisfaction of a runaway marriage." This estimate of his character,
however, does not seem to agree with that given by others. The Laights
were prominent in New York society. One of them, Edward Laight, whom I
knew as a society beau, was remarkably handsome. He was a good deal of a
flirt and transferred his affections with remarkable facility from one
young woman to another. His sister married a Greek, Mr. Eugene Dutilh, a
gentleman of culture and refinement, who owned a beautiful place at
Garrison's-on-the-Hudson which he sold about 1861 to Hamilton Fish.
Philip Kearny and his family lived next door to Peter A. Jay, and I
frequently met the young people of his household at Mrs. Macomb's
parties. Gouverneur Morris, a son of the distinguished statesman, and
Edward Kearny were _habitues_ of this establishment, as were also Ridley
and Essex Watts, both of whom I knew well. General "Phil" Kearny from
his youthful days was an enthusiastic soldier, but he was not a graduate
of West Point, having been appointed to the regular army from civil life
by President Van Buren in 1837. He served throughout the Mexican War,
where he had the misfortune to lose an arm at the battle of Churubusco,
and was killed during the Civil War in 1862 at the battle of Chantilly.
Speaking of General Macomb, I am reminded of a social _on dit_ of many
years ago. Mrs. August Belmont (Caroline Slidell Perry) lived in a fine
house on Fifth Avenue and frequently gave large receptions. His sister,
Sarah Perry, subsequently Mrs. R. S. Rodgers, was an early friend of
mine. The elegant Major Alexander S. Macomb, who was his father's
namesake and aide, on entering Mrs. Belmont's drawing-room was
unfortunate enough to brush against a handsome vase and completely
shatter it. It was generally conceded that his hostess was conscious of
the disaster, but "was mistress of herself though China fall" and
appeared entirely unconscious of the mishap. Some months later at the
house of Lady Cunard (Mary McEvers), a similar accident happened. The
unfortunate guest, however, in this case was immediately approached by
his hostess, who with much elegant grace begged him not to be disturbed
as the damage was trifling. Immediately society began an animated
discussion, when even the judicial powers of Solomon might have found it
embarrassing to decide which of the two women should be accorded the
greater degree of _savoir faire_.
In 1844, accompanied by my father, I attended the wedding of Estelle
Livingston, daughter of John Swift Livingston, to John Watts de Peyster.
At the time of this marriage, Mr. de Peyster was considered the finest
_parti_ in the city; while, apart from his great wealth, he was so
unusually talented that it was generally believed a brilliant future
awaited him. It was a home wedding, and the drawing-room was well filled
with the large family connection and other invited guests. At this time
Mr. Livingston was a widower, but his sister Maria, Mrs. John C. Stevens
of Hoboken, did the honors of the occasion for her brother. The young
bride presented a charming appearance in all her finery, and at the
bountiful collation following the ceremony champagne flowed freely.
This, however, was no unusual thing, as that beverage was generally seen
at every entertainment in those good old days. Mrs. John C. Stevens
lived at one time in Barclay Street, and I have heard numerous stories
concerning her eccentricities. In 1849 she gave a fancy-dress ball but,
as she had failed to revise her visiting list in many years, persons who
had long been dead were among her invited guests. She was especially
peculiar in her mode of dress, which was not always adapted to her
social position. It is therefore not at all surprising that unfortunate
mistakes were occasionally made in regard to her identity. Another of
her eccentricities consisted in the fact that she positively refused,
when shopping, to recognize even her most intimate friends, as she said
it was simply impossible for her to combine business with pleasure. In
spite of her peculiarities, however, she possessed unusual social charm.
Her husband was prominent in society and business circles. He was
founder of the New York Yacht Club as well as its first president, and
commanded the _America_ in the memorable race in England in 1851, which
won the celebrated cup that Sir Thomas Lipton and other English
yachtsmen have failed to restore to their native land. Mary Livingston,
the younger daughter of John Swift Livingston, was a _petite_ beauty.
She married a distant relative, a son of Maturin Livingston. I am told
that her brother, Johnston Livingston, is still living in New York at a
very advanced age.
Joseph Kemmerer's band was an indispensable adjunct to all social
gatherings in the days of which I am speaking. The number of instruments
used was always in proportion to the size of the entertainment. The
inspiring airs of Strauss and Labitzky, then in vogue, were popular with
the younger set. These airs bring back pleasant memories, as I have