The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1883-11-30
Edrsw,ops Envy Halls.

Ed"ewO"h." rs ii is called, is ten
ntleSS. while its owner rOams in Eu-
rope. She left here little over month
ago, with her children. for five years
tour abroad. The grounds are kept in
tolcrable order by the faithful servant
in whose charge they were left BY her.
But the great house. with its rich fur
nishin"s. stands precisely rs she left 1t,
and the broad acres Of the magnificent
estate lie uncultivated. II is a charac-
t.ristic southern mansion, set in the
magnificent forest which enriches the
hills north of the city. From the broad
yerandahs which grace the front Of the
luilding the visitor looks through al
opening in the woods down upon the
city Of Washington, with the white
dome Of the capitol cleaning in the
sunshine or the mellow moonlight, as
the case may be. all making beautiful
picture.
GLOW is it," was asked of this friend
Of the fair prOprietrcss, ..that this fine
estate was left idle?' That" was the
reply. lis what no one knows. Ger
tsyed. Mrs. Chase ne Leot so we'll Of Ii.
: nant.aily as to be able TO throw away
such y place. Size is. however. very
peculiar woman, and If she can't get
What she wants she is not likely to let il
90 mt all. She has been offered $3.50 q
month for. the house. and she won't
take it. She wants 5000 month, and
unless she gets that, prefers to let it
stand idle. Queer? well. it il about on
= par with most of her performances.
Now, here is an estate worth $50. 600
she has been offered that for it-and
yet she will not make any use of it.
Why, she wouldn't allow it titled when
she lived here. Size kept two or three
men employed keeping it in order, but
wouldn't allow the ground titled.
But suggested the correspondent,
Iii has been stated that congress has
relieved the estate from taxation"
That" continued the gentleman re-
f''rred to. sis like many other things
that have been said about this family.
IL is only partly true. Congress did
relieve it from certain. taxes but those
were back taxes altogether. The place.
you know, belonged to her father. He
bought it long before the war. After
his death it was found that there were
some 100000 taxes due and unpaid on
IL. VSii, AhuoO piOSIS Ou0
knew her power. aud how to make use
OF it 10 adran.asr. She proposed to
the other heirs that she would take the
estate just as it stood, providing for the
taxes herself, giving up to them, sup
pose, certain of the other property.
They agreed TO that. The property
was transferred to her, in her own
name. and after awhile little bill made
its appearance in congress remitting
TIE taxes then due. That. however,
does not affect il now"
The Old servant now in charge tells
many stories illustrating the peculiari-
ties of his mistress! She wouldn't let
him plant cabbage anywhere near the
house, because she could ''smell EN-"
Last spring she engaged . man at =
very high price and set him to blowing
up the fields. She said she was going
TO make the land of some use to her.
But, bless you, he hadn't got it plowed
before she called him in one day and
told him to stop all work on it, that she
was going to Europe. to be absent five
years. Washington Letter,in Baltimore
american.