6 page letter on three sheets of "The Yates" hotel stationery.  From Walter Lloyd Yates (1831-93), brother of Alonzo Chester Yates, and Uncle of Alonzo Chester Yates Jr.  He is writing to his son, Frederick (1858-1913).  The elder Alonzo became a millionaire during the Civil War selling cloth to the Union Army.  His son as described in the letter, was a "Swell", driving teams of horses about Syracuse, holding grand parties, becoming an alcoholic and finally dying of the disease a pauper at age 50 on the Med.  Walter describes being invited to Renwick Castle, a castle lookalike that the Yates family finally sold to Syracuse University.  It was torn down in 1953.  The Yates hotel was owned by the family as well. Walter has a lame foot, and was looking for boarding in town, when his sister-in-law invites him for a visit.  He is divorced from Fred's mother, Charlotte Henrietta Yates.  He wants another son, Alonzo (named after his rich, dead brother) to go to Case College because he seems rather shiftless.  Alonzo Colt Yates would go on to become rich as an architect, and serve in the State Dept. as Foreign Consul in Patras, Greece, Martinique W.I. and Paris, so he got over his shiftlessness.  Walter describes the magnificent hotel and a dinner there, and describes Fred's cousin, the "Swell" Alonzo Chester Yates, and how excessively he lives.  The boy was something of a legend in Syracuse, and you can find many anecdotes about him on line.  He once ran over a small immigrant boy with his team of 4 horses.  He jumped off to pick the lad up, who was unhurt, but in the meantime the boy's mother snatched Alonzo's whip from him and struck him across the face repeatedly until she couldn't hold the whip any longer.  Alonzo stood there and took the beating.  When it was over, he took out his wallet, gave the woman $20 and told her to buy the boy something.