The National tribune., 1884-03-27
GOTHAM CHAT.
Abont sien and Things.

NEW YORK. March %.
Henry Willard is off for Europe to-day for rest
and to recuperate his strength for fresh battle
with the world. / met an intimate friend of the
family yesterday and asked him if he knew what
was the truth about the conflicting rumoTs with
reference to Mr.. Wizards present possessions
Said he: He has probably about $500 900 left out
of the great fortune he possessed at the time be
undertook to carry through to completion the
Northern Pacific Railroad. That is nothing for
him now, of course. Mrs. Willard gave up every
thing, their Fifth Avenue place among the rest,
and they have only the modest home at Dobbs
Ferry. That story about the half million
bonds put in Mrs. Wizards name and kept at
the failure of her husband, had no founda-
ton. To begin with, Mrs Willard never had
the bonds in her name. Ar. Willard owns
81 200, 900 in Oregon and Pullman stock, worth
say about 600, but over half Of it has been
pledged for money borrowed before he gave up
trying to prevent the collapse of the Northern
Pacific Company. Then he received $4,000
from the Northern Pacific Company when he
retired for services as president, and ne still
gets $4,000 year as president of the Central
California Road. He goes to Europe to rest,
and what he viii do in the future is not known
YETI
Do you know anything about the inside
history of the collapse of the Willard party ~ I
asked
Yes; it started first, y he replied, "two years
ago nearly. Willard had the money to pay
dividend on the preferred stock, and finally
used it for another purpose, which not only hurt
the property with stockholders, but was be-
lieved by those interested with him generally
to have been extravaganza. / think he was
extravagant in this matter, and used more for
the purpose than was needful. However that
may be. the money-a vast sun-went that
way-enough to have paid the dividend upon
the preferred stock, which would have given
confidence to the public and made it impossi-
bic, probably, for a hostile clique TO have sue
eessfuliy attacked the property in Wall Street
last fall"
For what purpose was this money used y"
asked.
g 1t was used in Washington to prevent the
forfeiture of the land granted by the Forty
seventh Congress" lie replied.
" Do you know this to be true?" / queried,
doubtingly. :" / was at the Capitol during that
Congress, and never heard of the presence of a
lobby in that interest"
81 do know it to be So he replied, solemnly
e 1t came to Mr.. Wizards knowledge that the
scheme was all set up to forfeit the grants
The road was still unfinished; Mr. Willard was
straining every nerve to complete IL to the Pa
cfic Ocean, by bonding it at the rate of S25. 600
d mile as fast as the sections were accepted
The forfeiture would have stopped the issue of
the bonds. 1t had to be defeated. 1t took a
vast sum of money to upset the scheme, and
all that money set. apart for the payment of
the dividend in 1882 was sent to Washington
and spent TO block the threatened legislation
in Congress. 1t was successful, so far as saw
ing the grant was concerned, but it was one of
the things in Wizards management which first
gave dissatisfaction, because it was thought to
be extravaganza"
ssx
Adam Forepaugh, not to be outdone by Bar
mum, quietly proccred white elephant some
time ago, and it arrived this week and has
gone to Philadelphia A large number of show
men went down to the dock to see him landed
and it was greeted with derision. Forepaugh's
agent stated positively TO all who viewed the
creature within its pine box, that he had Sc
cured it at great cost from Bangkok mer-
chant, who snuggled ii out of Siam, where the
death penalty is visited upon the head of an
mails. The elephant is a little fellow, weigh
ing only a ton, about four feet in height, with
out tusks of o light gray color, pinkish ears,
and white toe-nails. The sailors gave away
the secret of the latter feature, however. say
ing that just before they reached port his toe
nails were scraped, and he had been rubbed all
| over every day during the passage with pun
ice-stone to whiten him up. A circus agent,
who was present when he landed, said he knew
the little beast 1t had Seen in Liverpool
some time awaiting purchaser, and that it
came from Calcutta, where an animal dealer
traded it to an Englishman for three American
bnaasees; that it was common Indian ele-
phant and never say Siam, and was no more
sacred than short horn bull. The evidence
seems very suggestive OF fraud. but the Ameri-
can public will pay more for frauds any time
than for merit. whether it is shown to them in
the sawGust arena, from the lecture-stand !;
so the punlice-stoned elephant will probably
pay for himself thousand times before the
snow flies.
So
Jr this connection l am reminded by the
landing of the pink-eared pachyd OF a So
eisty rage III vogue just now. 1t is the circus
party. Half II dozen young ladies SIRE invited
By some discreet cs,apcronc. by whom the bust