National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1882-06-24
GOTHAM GOSSIP.
A WEEKLY RESUME OF THE NEWS.
George Francis Train-Tho Fast aud Present Life
of q Wonderfully Erratic Nan-The Guther.
muth AurdCr--Stcrarrs Body
The Nathan Murdcr.
INF Correspondence ofTur RrrumrcAx.

eccentric American, George Francis Train. Ho
was conspicuous character when seen at all,
and his career though short aud erratio, was ccr-
tainly brilliant. Especially was this true of him
in tho West, where he was perhaps more gcncr.
ally known and admired than in the East His
projects were always undertaken upon amacnih.
cont scale and carried along with flourish Of
trumpcta, which is very taking to the people.
particularly Western people. Things doomed
while they wore under any impetus whatever, and
when the crash camo, II was like n thunder.bot,
or better, Western cyclone, carrying Widespread
destruction in its wake. Even the coll
lapse was grand in its proportions, and on
par with the gigantic, nature of the
undertaking. The lnmen,cd and gifted Richard
son in his delightful book, Beyond the Mssis.
slppi," thus speaks OF MIR. Train, whom he met in
his travels while Mt omaha: Here was George
Francis Train at the head Of n great company
called the Credit FOnccr organized for dealing
in lands und stocks--fOr building cities along tho
railroad from the Missouri River to Salt Lake
This corporation had been clothed by the Ne.
brnska legislature with nearly every power imng-
Unable save that Of rcconstrucing the late rebel
States 1t was erecting neat cottages in Omaha
and other points west. Mr.. Train owned per:
sonally about 500 acres in Omaha, which he had
bought very cheap, and which bid fair to be
most promising investment
HE Is 4 NOTICEABLE ORIGINAL AMERICAN,
who has crowded wonderful and varied expert.
onccs into his short life. An orphan boy employed
TO sweep tho counting room, he rose TO the head
OF n great Boston shipping house. lie established
q branch in Liverpool next organized u heavy
commission business in Australia and astonishcd
his ncighbors, in that era oc fabulous prices with
Brussels carpets aud marble counters and free
ehaml agne lunch every day in his business office.
Afterwnid he made the circuit Of the world, wrote
books OF travel, fought (and cOnquercd) British
prejudice against street railways, occupying his
leisure by fiery and audacous war speeches to our
ISLAND cousins, until he spent fortune and en-
joyed the delights OF a month In an English prison.
Thence he returned to America, lcctured every
where and now he is trying to build belt Of cities
across the ccontlnent-nt least magnificent project.
Curously combining keen sagacity with Wild en-
thusiasm, n man who might have built the pyra-
mids or been confined in straight Jacket for ecccn-
tricties according TO the age he lived in, he OBJ
serves dryly that since lie began to make money
people no longer pronounce him crazy. He
drinks no Spirits uses no tobacco. talks on the
stump like an embodied Nnghu, cOmpOSes songs
to order by the hour as fast as hc can sins them
droll story from Joe Miller to Artcmus Ward, Is u
born actor. is intensely in earnest and has the
most absolute and oqtspoken faith IN himself and
able man, painted by Mr. Richardson fifteen years
ago when the former was at the height OF his
prosperity aud fame
PASSING THROUGH MADISON SQUARE ON
my way up town one evening last week my at
tUntion attracted by little knot OF bystanders
gathered about park bench, upon which was
thercabous. Ills rugged face, bronzed by expos
ure to the tint of an Italian pcnsant cOntrasted
strongly with his snow white hair and beard. His
head was uncovered, his clothing old, ill fitting,
aud shabby, and his whole appearance that of
battered and weather beaten wreck of other days
. A group of children was about him. playing with
ont fear or restraint; sitting upon his knees
iondlng and kissing him with every evidence of
childish affection, and the edge of the circle was
made upofH half dozen more men and women,
whom curiosity had drawn thithcr. TO one OF
the latter who was asking him questions he occa.
sionally wrote his replies on paper aud handed
them back for the inspection Of The crowd. "What
& + SG mater Srr WIZ him. S some 9eSSd one asked
answer. why docs he not talk" one
inquired. Because he is afraid Of being
there is some methud in his madness, - quoth an
other. Where does he stay nights!" asked the
"8a the ashland "so e Then e M mnss ,s Save sTS
some money" was the audible commentary. =" Oh,
you bet Just loads of it," interposcd a&trcet
tion the crowd separates and departs, leaving the
old man alone with one or two of his children
rounded BY another group of passcrs by, aud a
scene similar to the above is re-enactcd. Who is
this old man, do you usk? Have you not already
surmised? Ills
GEORGE FRANCIS TRAIN,
or all that remains of him to-day. Ihavo not
drawn II fanciful sketch, but true pen picture
an etching III black and white and without culors
ofan every day scene familiar TO every frcquentcr
Of Madison Square. Mr.. Richardsun wrote i'll
1867; write III 1SS2-that is all. Look upon his
changed result 10 fifteen years of busy toll and
care and trouble, not TO me Thus we have an
For tile past few years Mr. Truin has in u
measure fallen out of public sight, and
islencc. With hisudvamclng years he has become
more errltc, but lie has made his cCccntrcllies
less conspicuous than formerly. For eight years
past ho has spent the greater portion of his time
in New York, living quietly nt the Ashland House,
on Fourth avenue. He still has considerable prop
Crty, real and personal, included in which Is his
fine villa at Newport, tor which Handsome rental
~ realized. The property Is entirely in the con-
though ample stipend for his support. lie laconi.
cnlly says "What do ! want OF money? have
all tlat need. If wanted more would deliver
lecture IN Cooper Union and fiji the hall AT n
dollar II head" and 50 lie would lie has com
Portable apartments ut tho Ashland. During the
day he sits in Madison square from early morn
to dewy eve" surrounded by children, who aro
his special pet, and with whom he is special
iayorite. lie carriesa
LARGE SUPPLY OF JUMPING. ROPES,
hoop and roller-skates to the park every day TO
loan to the youngsters, gathering up the fragments
Mt night when he returns to the hotel. His stock
VI plaything he replenshcs every few days. as the
following copy of II postal card order given TO me
by The clerk Of the Ashland will show:
tAddress.l
city, G o D. Cltlzen, Macy S Co., Please send G. o.
u; 10 Ashland House OH ave. and 2ith STU
tn,r tdn' q, rollerskates.
&C. u. ID. with this posta)
GEO FRANCIS TRAIN, Madison Square
His refusal TO speak to adults)is in accordance
with vow made II year ago, when The law was
walks. Unul this ban is withdrawn from the
liberties of his proteGes his lips are sealed ire
Yocably; but he viii write TO all who wish to
communicate with him. lie is brilliant conver.
sationalist, great reader, aud a man ofdecded
genius. He sent papers from all over the Union,
from which he makes copious excerpts. Such is
my sketch, and the last scene IN This "strange
cyentful history" The inquest ON the Guther-
muih murder is now going on, and is attracting
much comment. The case is shrouded In mys-
terry, ana bids fair 10 rival those other metrOp0li-
tan cngmaS-the Stewart grave robbery and the
Nathan murder. As to the former many New
Workers are confident that the
BODY HAS BEEN FOUND,
and now lies cntombed in the Garden City Cathe-
lral, which Mrs. Stewart erected as memorial to
her husband. IL is uAsurlpu Tint She mid
deserted, abandoned life this poor woman lives,
nHd what an existence she has had since her hus-
bGnds death. Shut up in that pnlatial prison on
FiNh avenue, surrounded by her small COterle Of
servants and her house guarded by special
wutchWun. II Is n jail IN TACT, II not Ia name and
no lady In New York euvies her her lot. AS to the
Nathan murder, the prevailing opinion in New
York now seems to be that
WASHINGTON NATHAN, THE son OF THE VICTIM,
Is the guilty party, and certainly the conduct
Of the latter since the tragedy would seem TO
confirm that Hypothesis. The young man has
plunged Into Awhirlpool of dissipation, and has
tried TO drown remembrance in drink. He has
fed from one country and city to another, always
demon. Ills associations have all bcen low and
debasiug lie bears the mark of Cain upon his
forehead. Michael DaYltt, the Irish ngitatOr,
landed In the city Saturday and held meeting In
Cooper Institute the following day, when ho ad-
dressed large assembly Of his countrymen. The
audience were very cnth uastiC but doubt IL the
enthusiasm will blossom into the pGcuuary re-
suits 80 much hoped Tor The closing OF Castle
Garden has been indefinitely postponed. Most of
the steamship companies have acceded to the
small hvUd-tnN Of fifty cents that the necessity
for such an event hus happily been done away
with. We have a revival VI " East Lynne" ut the
fnh Avenue Theater, Miss Ada Gray taking the
leading role in most charming manner The
piece is well set, ably supported, aud Is doing n