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T MMibfrt KavemeyerMillionr
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BY the gloomy Williamsburg
shore of New York’s East
River stand the vast refin
eries of the American Sugar Com
pany, controlled and largely owned
by the Havemeyer family.
From hundreds of windows in the
smoke-blackened walls gleam hot
red fires that burn all day and glare
angrily through a pall of smoke all
night. They are producing millions
of pounds of sugar a day—the greater
part of the sugar consumed by the
■whole United States. They are
pouring untold wealth into the pock
ets of the Havemeyer family.
The furnaces burn on and on with
out a rest. From time to time, it is
said, a heat-crazed man rushes out
and leaps into the murky "waters of
the East River. This great blazing
chain of refineries is the Moloch of
the modern world. The corporation
that presides over it has been con
victed of defrauding the Government
of millions of dollars by the sys
tematic underweighing of imported
raw material. Several of the officers
have been convicted of crimes of
this nature. But still the blazing
Moloch goes on pouring its millions
Into the pockets of the Havemeyer
family.
The wealth produced this way has
been attended by the most amazing
and uninterrupted series of misfor
tunes and tragedies that American
life has ever seen.
Sudden death, suicide, divorce, dis
honor —misfortunes of every kind
have stricken many of the Have
meyer family. It is inevitable that
people should speak of ‘ the taint of
the sugar millions.’'
The latest misfortune to one be
longing to the direct line was the
sudden death of William F. Have
meyer. He was a son of Mayor Wil
liam F. Havemeyer and a grandson
of the original William F. Have
meyer, one of the two brothers who
founded this numerous family. The
recently deceased Mr. Havemeyer
had engaged in the sugar busi
ness in his youth. He was only’
sixty-three years old, apparently in
tgood health, and, having enjoyed
every comfort and care, was entitled
to look forward to a long and happy
Autumn of life.
But the family fate pursued him.
He was stricken unexpectedly with
heart disease and died suddenly
and alone before there was time to
summon son or daughter. His fa
ther before him had died suddenly
and alone.
The terrible accident that hap
pened to S. Osgood Pell’s automobile
near Garden City is regarded as an
Illustration of the ill luck that at
tends those indirectly connected
with the Havemeyer family. In the
automobile, besides Mr. Pell, were
William Laimbeer and his wife, for
merly Miss Nathalie Schenck. Mr.
Pell and Mr. Laimbeer were killed,
while Mrs. Laimbeer was crippled
and the beauty for which she was
noted marred.
Now Mr. Laimbeer's first wife was
Clara Bloodgood, the actress, whose
first husband was William Have
meyer. She lived unhappily with
Mr. Havemeyer, divorced him and
then married Jack Bloodgood, a fa
mous man about town, who died sud
denly soon after his marriage. Then
Mrs. Bloodgood went on the stage
and made a brilliant success in “The
Climbers” and other plays. At this
period she married Mr Laimbeer,
who has recently been killed. Just
when she should have been happiest
Clara Bloodgood committed suicide
alone in her hotel.
Clara Bloodgood’s brother-in-law,
Harry Lattimer Bloodgood, has
parted from his wife and recently
attempted suicide.
Almost daily comes news of
trouble or misfortune in this fam
ily. Young "Teddy” Havemeyer, son
of the late "Carley” Havemeyer. who
died most tragically, is the latest
victim of the curse. The young man
was engaged to pretty Miss Vida
Bispham. daughter of David Bisp
ham. Just on the eve of the date
set for the w’edding the engagement
was broken.
It may be interesting to recall
that this family, so lucky in money
making and unlucky in everything
else, was founded by two German
immigrant brothers. William Fred
erick and Frederick Christian Have
meyer, who landed at the Battery in
1803. They started a little sugai
bakery in Vandam street, Greenwich
Village.
Both brothers had children who
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The Beautiful
Nathalie Schenck,
Who Has Been
Crippled and Dis
figured in the Acci
dent That Killed
Her Husband.
went intn business
and developed it. The
sons of Frederick
Christian were Theo
dore Augustus. Hen
ry Osborne. George
and Thomas. The
business ability of
Henry O. was destin
ed to develop the
business into the
vastoctopus that ex
ists to-day.
Years ago the family demon of ill
luck began to work. In 1882, when
the Civil War was breaking out,
young George Havemeyer. son of
Frederick Christian wished to enlist
for the cause of the Union, like most
of his friends and companions. His
father ordered him to stay at home
and make money. Six weeks later
he was killed by the falling of a
heavy piece of machinery in the re
finery. His father saw' that the acci
dent was about to happen, but could
do nothing to prevent it.
Before the close of the wat the
business had grown too large for
New York and the Williamsburg re
fineries had been started. Lawrence
Elder was taken in as a partner
and the firm became known all
through the sugar-eating world as
Havemeyers & Elder. In the early
seventies Henry O. married Miss
Louislne Elder, the daughter of
Lawrence Elder. His oldest brother
Theodore had already married Miss
Emily de Loosey, oldest daughter
of the Chevalier de Loosey, Consul-
General to New York of Austria-
Hungary. These marriages intro
duced the Havemeyers into New
York society ami were their first step
forward socially. The Chevalier de
Loosey was related to the House of
Hapsburg, the ruling house of Aus
tria.
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‘‘Mr. Laimbeer Killed in His Automobile.”
Henry’s marriage with Miss Elder
was a happy one for the first few
years. One son was born and named
Henry. A daughter was born and
named Adeline. Less than fifteen
years after his marriage Henry O.
grew weary of the wife of his youth.
They were divorced, and Mr. llave
meyer, thirty-eight years old, imme
diately married his former wife’s
niece and namesake, Louisine
Elder!
Theodore had already married Miss
His first wife was heartbroken.
Her disgrace was more than she
could bear. .Mr. Havemeyer, believ
ing that money could salve all
wounds, gave her a handsome for
tune, which she refused to touch.
She retired to a small place in Stam
ford, Conn., and devoted herself to
charitable work. Nothing assuaged
her grief, and she died of a broken
heart.
Did Henry 0., Sr., grieve for the
wife of his youth? Who knows? All
his family realized, however, that
sugar meant more to him after this
tragedy ever before.
But another tragedy affected this
man, who had become known all
through Christendom as the Sugar
King. His oldest son, Henry, the
son of his first wife, would not bend
himself to his father’s iron rule He
did not want to work in the sugar
Copyright, 1913,
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The Charming Clara Bloodgood, Whose First Husband
Was William Havdmeyer, Whom She Divorced,
Then Married Jack Bloodgood, Who Died Suddenly,
and After Marrying William Laimbeer (Who Has j
Just Been Killed) She Committed Suicide.
factory; his soul loathed everything
connected with the factory. With
the. money given him by his mother
be went to Paris. He lavished his
fortune on pretty actresses, on
horses, on every pleasure known to
the Parisian. In 1892 he died sud
denly in Paris, practically penniless
Henry O„ Sr., after his son's
leath became more and more the
Sugar King. It was he who'organ
ized and brought to its great power
the Sugar Trust. While he was
making trust history the members
of his family were making social his
tory. By his second wife he had two
children, Horace and Electra. Their
early lives were darkened by gossip
about their father’s divorce and their
recent years darkened by the oppro
brium heaped on their father. Hen
ry, Sr., died in 1907, a very Embit
tered multi-millionaire.
Tragic fate has stricken the chil
dren of Theodore Havemeyer. Ten
children were born to him
The oldest, Charles F„ always call
ed Carley, married Miss Camilla Moss,
a very beautiful girl. They were
ostensibly happy. Several months
before the birth of the third child
Mr. Havemeyer shot himself. He
died instantly. This tragedy oc
curred in his home on Long Island.
Less than a year later bis widow
married Fred O. Beach, an intimate
by the Star Company. Great Britain Itigt
Tragedies of the Sugar Millions.
J— Henry 0. Havemeyer, the ruling spirit of the Sugar Trust, di
vorces his wife and marries her niece and namesake. The first
wife dies of a broken heart. (1885-1886.)
2 — Henry Havemeyer, Jr., oldest son and principal heir of old H. O.
Havemeyer. runs through his fortune and dies suddenly and
mysteriously in Paris. (1892-1895.)
’} —George Havemeyer, the older and favorite brother of Henry 0.,
is shockingly destroyed by falling into the machinery of a sugar
refinery. (1862.)
—William Havemeyer, cousin and business associate of Henry
0., elopes with Clara Sutton Stevens. She divorces him and
marries Jack Bloodgood. He dies suddenly. She marries W. M.
Laimbeer and later kills herpelf. (1888-1907.)
—William Mott Laimbeer is killed in an automobile accident with
his friend, Osgood Pell, while his second wife is permanently
disfigured. (1913.)
(j — Harry Bloodgood, brother-in-law of Clara Bloodgood, quarrels
with his wife and attempts suicide. (1913.)
7 —William F. Havemeyer dies suddenly and alone like his father.
(1913.)
—Teddy Havemeyer, son of the unhappy Carley Havemeyer, and
Doris Bispham break their engagement just before the wedding
day. (1913.)
0 —Thomas Havemeyer, third brother of H. O. Havemeyer, makes a
marriage which estranges his family until his death. (1887.)
|Q — Theodore A. Havemeyer, brother of Henry 0., dies a disap
pointed man, after having spent half his fortune in an unsuc
cessful effort to be made Minister to Austria. (1897.)
| | —Sarah Havemeyer. mother of Henry O. and Theodore, dies. An
other son, Charles, long estranged from his family, contests her
will and fights his brothers in an action which is filled with
scandal. (1890-1892.)
|2 —Carley Havemeyer, son of Theodore, and nephew of Henry 0.,
~ kills himself in his Long Island home. (1898.)
| —ln one year Mrs. John Mayer, who was Nathalie Havemeyer,
Theodore's oldest daughter, commits suicide by shooting: two
hours later her youngest sister, Mrs. Cameron Winslow, gives
birth to a daughter under the same roof; Mrs. Theodore Have
meyer, the widowed and broken-hearted mother, exiles herself
to Austria, where she has since lived, and Theodore Havemeyer
is almost killed by his polo pony falling on him. (1900-1901.)
|| —Frederick Havemeyer, the fourth son of Theodore, marries the
divorced wife of William Travers, of Baltimore. Travers com
mits suicide when told that the marriage is imminent. (1906.)
—Marie, a daughter of Theodore, divorces Perry Tiffany. (1906.)
|Q— Frank Hippie, president of the Real Estate Trust Company, of
Philadelphia, commits suicide after wrecking his bank in aiding
Adolph Segal, the promoter, who has been ruined by the Sugar
Trust under the direction of Henry O. Havemeyer. (1906-1908.)
|7 —Officials of the Sugar Trust are indicted by the Government for
shortage in weight and conspiracy. Henry O. Havemeyer, now
dead, is blamed by the trust officials for all the wickedness un
covered. and Horace Havemeyer, his only remaining son, begins
suit against the trust fqr $10,000,000 in reprisals to clear his
father's name. (1908-1912.)
| —Mrs. Fred Beach, the widow of Carley Havemeyer, has her
throat cut In a mysterious assault at Aiken, S. C. The assail
ant just misses her jugular vein. (1912.)
19 — Mrs. Beeckman Lorillard, connected by marriage with the Henry
O. Havemeyers, kills herself by hanging. (1912.)
friend of Willie K. Vanderbilt, who
was best man at the very quiet wed
ding The Havemeyers w;ere most
indignant, and refused to recognize
the bride afterward. Since her mar
riage. Mrs. Beach has suffered many
dangerous accidents. She has had a
very serious operation, and has suf
fered much from unkind gossip. A
few months ago the last tragedy oc
curred. She was dangerously wound
ed at her home in Aiken. Someone,
supposedly a negro, attacked her
with a razor'and cut her throat, just
missing the jugular vein.
The authorities of Aiken became
convinced that Mr. Beach had at
tacked his wife. In the Spring of
this year he was tried and acquitted.
Theodore Havemeyer. Sr., died
just before his son’s suicide. He,
like his brother Henry, was much
embittered because he could not get
all he wanted! For years he con
tributed large sums of money toward
the political campaigns of both par
ties. hoping to be made Minister to
Austria-Hungary, but he never got
his wish.
After Carley Havemeyer’s death
and his widow's marriage, Mrs.
Havemeyer devoted herself to her
older children and lived in great re
tirement. Two years after the trag
edy her oldest daughter, Nathalie,
who had married John Mayer, shot
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Mrs. Frederic O. Beach,
Whose First Husband Was
“Carley” Havemeyer, Who
Killed Himself.
New
T ragedies
That
Mark
the
Ever-
Broadening
Trail
of the
First
Sugar
King’s
111-Gotten
Wealth
“Mrs. Beach Stabbed at the Gate."
herself, dying almost instantly. The
Mayers lived in the magnificent
Havemeyer estate near Mahwah. N. .1.
Mrs. Havemeyer, Sr., and the tw r o
children of Carley Havemeyer were
in the house at the time of the shoot
ing. Two hours after the shooting
Mrs. Cameron Winslow. Mrs. Have
meyer’s youngest daughter, gave
birth to a child. These events oc
curred on the day that Mrs. Have
meyer’s youngest son, Henry 0.. was
married to Miss Charlotte Whiting
in Newport.
Mrs Havemeyer. widowed, with
the children of her dead son and
her dead daughter to care for, could
no longer live in this country. She
exiled herself and with these chil
dren has lived ever since in Austria.
But other miseries have afflicted
this daughter of the Hapsburgs. One
of her daughters. Marie, married the
very gay Perry Tiffany. They were
most unhappy, and finally Mrs. Tif
fany secured a divorce. This branch
of the Havemeyers are devout Cath
olics. They do not recognize divorce
or remarriages. Shortly after her
divorce Mrs. Tiffany married Harry
Godfreye. thus lacerating her moth
er's heart most terribly.
In 1906 Newport and New York
society was literally staggered to
hear that Mrs. William Travers,
born a Harriman, had secured a di
vorce from the popular Billy. At
once it was whispered that now Mrs.
Travers would marry Freddie Have
meyer, the youngest son of Theo
dore Havemeyer, several years
younger than the divorcee. And al
most at once Billy Travers commit
ted suicide! A few weeks later Mrs.
Travers married young Havemeyer'
She has never been received by her
husband’s heartbroken mother-
Thomas Havemeyer, the youngest
brother of Henry 0., married very
much beneath him.
John Craig Havemeyer, another
cousin and sugar associate, lives a
hermit’s life in Yonkers while his
wife travels constantly.
Mrs. Beeckman Lorillard. con
nected by marriage with the Have
meyer family, hanged herself last
year. She was a beautiful woman,
twenty-five years of age. The
wealth of the Havemeyers and their
connections, the Lorillards, failed to
give her what the poorest woman
may have—happiness.
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