Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1878-05-10
LOVELY KATE.
An Average Specimen of Washington Cos
sip about Kate Chase Sprague and
Roscoe COnkling.

An Average Specimen of Washing gton Cos
sip about Kate Chase Sprague and
Roscoe COnk1ing.
Chicago Times Letter.
1t was not this sensational interview
that has made Roscoe Conkling such a
subject for town talk, but there is a
previous reason that has made him a
toothsome subject for gossip for the
last two years, but latterly the gossips
have had him as a stock subject upon
all occasions.
The occasion of this gossip is the no
torious fact of his complete fascination
and submission to the beauty and social
charms of Mrs. Kate Chase Sprague
She is one of the most brilliant women
Washington has ever produced. Talent
ed, beautiful, and possessing the pres
tige of gigantic social success, she has
for years had a slavish retinue OF ad-
mirers.
No one has presumed ever to cast a
single slur upon her reputation. In
Washington society there is nearly the
same freedom that there is in Paris.
Married ladies have as many admirers,
if not more, than single ladies'. 1t is
not the conventional thing for hus-
band to be too devoted, or to object to
his wife's receiving or going about with
whom she pleases.
SO, although MIR. Sprague has long
ago disappeared from the Washington
social season, Mrs. Sprague reigns su-
preme at her beautiful place at Edge
worth, and turns the heads of distin-
guished men as she did when she was
known as the daughter of Salmon p.
Chase. She is ambitious, and the man
who shines in her train and hopes for
favor must possess public position,
fame, or some concomitant of notoriety,
to make him worthy of notice.
Public men have the same weakness
es and vanities as humber mortals, and
sometimes, in an enlarged degree. The
smile of beautiful woman has added
the head of many statesman. No man
who had been successful upon the stage
of life thinks any less of success with
beauty than if he had not other means
of gratifying vanity.
SO one can understand Mrs. Sprague's $
influence She has the reputation OF a
social queen. and it is the gilt edge to
ones patent Of social nobility to be a
courticr at her court. There Roscoe
Conkling has gone till the town is laugh
ing at him. For two years Mrs. Conk-
ling has never been in Washington
Two years ago, the gossips say a huge
bouquet, intended for Mrs. Spraguc, was
delivered to Mrs. Conkling. The stupid
colorcd person, instead of reading Mrs.
Sprague's address written upon the back
of printed card, only looked at the
printed side and its address. So the
bouquet went to the wrong place. Mrs.
Conkling is woman of mind ard sense.
She did not suspect any vulgar intrigue,
but she had heard so much OF her hus-
bands devotion at the Sprague court
that she was at last tired of it. The
bouquet completed her WEAKNESS. She
went home without any foolish demon
strations, where she remains, allowing
her husband to 90 his own way in Wash
ington social life.
SO absorbed has Conkling become in
the pursuit of his devotion, that, in
common with ordinary men under the
influence of similar fascination, he for
gets ordinary prudence. \ friend OF
his said: Il wish the ID fool would
not be so imprudcnt 1t is all right for
him to admire Mrs Sprague, but he ex-
hibits himself like country bum. kin
at circus every time there is crowd
to watch his every move.
There is no such swell in the Senate
as Conkling. His linen. perfume, gloves
and boots show that he has given them
all prayerful attention. His numerous
cxouisitcly fitting coats, the variety OF
his neckties and varicgated patterns of
his trowsers, all mark the man anxious
to stand well in lovely woman $ eyes.
Nobody complains of Conkling's ad-
miration of Mrs. Sprague, for she is ad-
mired by hundreds, and no one insnu-
ates aught against it's character. Mrs.
Spraguc is fond of amusing herself when
she can do so to her profit. 1t was only
the other day that the Senate, without
understanding what it did passed bill
remitting the special improvement taxes
upon her Edgeworth estate, virtually
giving Mrs. Sprague 100000. This with
out shadow of reason.
1t was only the other day that Roscoe
Conkling appeared as her attorney IN a
petty case before local justice. Fan
cy the gigantic, perfumed, curled Ros
coe, cramped and screwed down to the
level of a small justice court! 1t is
such devotion as this that makes the
society gossipers laugh. They say that
it explains Conklings singular do-noth-
ing attitude-his refusal to make speech
cs upon any of the prevailing topics
when other men talk and try to make
capital for themselves. When one S
vanity is gorged there is no need OF fur