Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1883-08-05
The MausoIeum in Which General Cotton,
the Dead Millionaire. is Buried-his
Early Home-The Scandal
.. Connected With His
Life. -
THE MYSTERY CONCERNING HIS DEATH
Ex-Governor Stanfords Quiet Home Sur
rounded by PadIocked Gates-Charles
crocker's Spacious House-His
Valuable Collection of Pic
tures-The Work Of
Old Masters.
,S1n Frcucisco correspondence.

san FTfiRctSCO correspondence.
A few years ago l happened to be
rambling in the Mountain View ceme'
terry in Oakland, just across the bay
from this city, when came suddenly
upon the mausoleum erected to the
memory OF General David ID. Cotton,
one of the old directors of the Central
Pacific road, and one whose life was
ended in a most untimely fashion.
What attracted my attention was that
workmen were busy about the tomb,
and on inquiry l learned that the body
of the dead millionaire had just been
placed in the vault that had been pre-
pared q whole year for its reception.
No one could wish for a hsndsomer
tomb, if costly work in marble, granite,
and bronze can afford any satisfaction
to one that has given up the good things
of this world and gone over 10 the ma
iority. The mausOleum is small Cor
inthian chapel of beautiful snowy-white
Ravaccioni marble, twenty feet square,
and thirty five feet high, a close imita-
ton in all its graceful, classical details
ofthe mansion on Mob hill, in which
the widow now lives. 1t stands on
the elevation, the highest ground in
the cemetery, which brings out It's noble
proportions TO great advantage.
Alright Of Eight Marble steps
leads 10 the large bronze doors, cast in
Munich; through these one enters the
interior, paved with fine mosaic and
lighted up in rich but subdued colors by
a large memorial window, the gift Of
the dt ad mans daughter. The mausOl-
cum Las a base of California granite, on
which rest ten pilasters of marble, with
Corn THAN capitals; these in their turn
suppC TT q very heavy marble roof and
cnrni'e. Over the frieZe Of the pcdi-
ment is the single word Of "CJlton,"
surrounded by four wreaths of immor-
ielles, while on panel of the entrance
are the initials I'D. ID. ST." surrounded
bv forget. and lilies. The cost
ofthis tOmb-the most beautiful of any
IN this cOast-wa $4,000. 1t was the
tribute of a wife, who, report said, was
not always treated as wife should be.
Her devotion, however, is manifest
here in enduring marble. a singular
feature of it is that the tomb is exactly
opposite the Golden Gate, and can be
seen from the widows Mob Hill man
sion. Even with the naked eye one
can make out from the tomb the out
lines Of the Stanford and Hopkins
palaces, only a block below her house.
it is said that she has a strong field
glass, and is fond Of gazing from the
cupola of her house upon the last rest
ing.place of her husband.
The Sight ofThis Tomb
recalled the curious episode Of the mil
liUnares death. Cotton made his raise
in hydraulic mining, and when the for
tunes of the Central Pacific were ut a
low ebb, he was asked by Stanford and
Croker to cast i'm his lot with them
and share all the advantages of the
original projectors. He was man of
great deal of force and ability, but he
was no match as tinanCier for the
other members of the monopoly. His
money was utilized, but il was sus-
pCCtcd that he never knew the real sc.
crcts Of the business, although he was
made the head of the contract and fl
nance company, which completed the
Central Pacific and built the Southern
Pacific. lie lived free life, and there
was some scandal about his relations
with the daughter Of Laura ID. Fair, the
notorious woman who shot down Law
yer Crittenden in the presence of his
family, and was acquitted by senti-
mental jury. In September, 1878, it
was reported that Cotton was injured by
fall from a badly broken mustang
which he had been riding, and was ly-
ing dangerously i'll at his home. The
doctors stated that the fall he'd broken
a blood vessel in the abdom. u, and that |
the discharged blood had gathered and
formed tumOr. In operating upon
this his system, already weakened by q
fast life, succumbed, and he died very
suddenly. The peculiar thing about
the case was that he was on the street
a fortnight after the accident and made
light of it. This induced many TO be-
lieve that he did not die Of natural
causes. The current rumor, which has
still many believers, is that he was
Shot in the Abdomen by Laura Fair,
in revenge for the betrayal OF her
daughter, TO whom he had shown much
attention. What lends color to this is
that Mrs. Fair at the time was having
fine house built only block away from
the Cotton mansion. 1t was on small
side street and cOntrasted strangely with
the poor dwellings around it. On Col
tons death she refused to take the house
and it reverted to the real estate asso-
ciates who built it for her. She claimed
that mining stocks had ruined her, but
gossips asserted that the death Of the
capitalist was the cause Of this change
of plan. Certainly there was mystery
about his death which not even the
post norton examination cleared up
satisfactorily.
His widow now lives in the beautiful
house on California street, directly
across the way from the big common
looking dwelling Of Charles Croker.
COltOn's house was the first of these
railroad managers palaces TO be built
on what has since been vulgarly chris
tened Mob Hill. 1t stands just over
the brow Of the hill, but commands
magnificent view Of the bay and the
amphitheater of the foot hills OF the
coast range, which sweep around from
the mouth Of the Sacramento River al
most 10 the entrance to the Golden
Gate. 1t is built like Grecian temple,
with nothing to detract from the superb
harmony and measures OF It's proper
tons. 1t is low, in comparison with
the other buildings, but its two stories
give the impression of much greater
height. The Corinthian pillars which
form the window-frames as well as the
large pillars at the main doorway add
to the look of richness and substantial
ity. 1t is always painted white, and is thus
thrown into strong relief by the rich
green of the lawn. The fence bears out
the classical motive Of the entire place;
tits higher than q mans head, the iron
pickets being in the forms ofspears, and
the posts Of the Roman fasoes. When
these are painted black with the spear
heads gilded, the effect is very beautiful.
What injuries the other houses in its
neighboIhood is the excess Of orna.
ment.
The Tendency OF California Architects
is to overload the exterior with carving
in wood. AS the material, by no de-
vice of the painter, can be given an air
,,f nliiitu auH pprmananna tho efF.acf Ia