Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-08-10
AMERICAS RICHEST WOMAN.
a Stewards Early Love - Long
Branch's Cuban Beauty.
Correspondence Of the Morning Nsaoa.

fallacies which seems to have gained
widespread credence is that Mrs. A. T.
Stewart is the richest woman in the world.
While Mrs. Stewart is, without ques-
ton, in the front rank of wealthy women
she must yield to Miss Catharine Wolfe
the satisfaction which accompanies the
knowledge of being the wealthiest lady in
the country. Though yet maid, Miss
Wolfe is far from being young. She is
already just trifle on the shady side of
80 years, but while neither young nor
handsome she is one of the pleasantest
ladies known to metropolitan life. She
has an income of 100000 a year and
she knows how to spend it without
wasting it. Miss Wolfe. like many of
the other substantial New Workers, has
a penchant for the trlf1e covered by the
words "real estate" In little bric-a-bracs
of this nature she has invested the neat
little sum of Sc, 900, The value of her
property is advancing so rapidly that it
win be but eight or ten years at the fur
thPSt before her income can be counted at
81, 900, 900 year. Miss Wolfe is so genial
and sprightly in her manners, so cordial
in all her relations, and withal possesses
the SdUOir Tdire of the society lady, that
when seen in drawing room few would
realize that she is on the down track of
life. Her house at Newport, which was
completed last summer, is palatial and is
the finest residence on the Atlantic coast.
1t will compare favorably with any OF the
famous country mansions in Europe; in
| fact, in many particulars it is superior to
| them, because 1t has the advantages of
all the modern improvements. 1t has
electric lights and is furnished in oriental
magnifcence. Miss Wolfe's New York
I rocr6pn0n iG a Madison and
/ Twenty-fourth street, and is an Inherit
ance from her father, who lived in it many
years. Many of the handsOmest and best
| gentlemen in New York society have tried
! to win Miss Catharine's favor, but she has
| always had the fear that the attentions
which were paid to her were not sincere,
and were dictated by an all-absOrbing de-
| sire to get possession of her wealth, and
rather than make such a marriage her
| preference has steadfastly been to remain
! single and the custodian of her vast pos
| sessions. Miss Wolfe is the daughter of
the late Peter Wolfe, who, under the firm
name of Wolfe & Bishop, did a wholesale
business in hardware, tinware and gen.
eral notions in a small shop in Chambers
street many years ago. Mr.. Wolfe was
contemporary of A. T. Stewart, and
closely followed the dry goods merchant
! in his business maXims. In early
life he married the younger sister of old
Peter Lorillard, the head of the great to-
baccO firm, and with her received for
tune of Sl,000,000. In few years Mr..
! WOlfe's wife died, and several months
later he was united in marriage to old
Peters second sister, and he received
another fortune of $1,000.000. His second
| wife, however, was also doomed to pass
away after few years, and he was again
a widower, but with the consolation of
being in control Of $2,000000. Mr.. Wolfe
did not venture on the matrimonial sea
again, and few years later died, leaving
three of his children to the guardianship
of the present heiress, Miss Catharine
| Wolfe.
SPEAKING OF MISS wOLFE'S REJECTED
sUIToRs
calls to mind a pathetic love story which
l heard the other day, the hero being no
less prominent parsonage than the late
A. I. Stewart. AS everybody knows,
Stewart came to this country from Ire
| land when mere boy, and Immediately
began building up his fortune. He left a
sweetheart behind him named Abbie Nor
row, whom he was to return to and marry
when he had made home for her. When
his mother died he returned to the Green
Isle to secure $500 which she had willed
him. 1t represented all her earthly pos
sessions, but was quite gOdsend to young
Stewart, who was working hard in his
struggles against the world. Two
brothers ana Miss Abbio We're
all that remained of his sWeetheart's
family. He renewed his engagement and
/ spoke so well of the United States that
William and David Morrow were induced
| to sell their farm, and with Abbie came
with their friend to New York. The Nor
rows had friends in Northern Ohio, and so
they went to Cleveland. They purcha sed
a farm, built comfortable house and
were soon known as substantial citizens.
This was nearly sixty years ago. A few
months after their arrival in Ohio Stewart
paid them visit. He was cordially well
coined as the promised husband of the
sister, remained a few days and then re-
| turned to New York. That was the last
Abbie Morrow ever saw of him. He was
doing well in New York, and was rapidly
making a fortune. His letters became
brief and less frequent, and finally ceased
altogether. At last the news of his mar
riage reached the brothers. They
kept the news from their sister
| as long as they could, but were
at last compelled to tell her Of her lovers
! Inconsistency. She was too high-spirited
to parade her grief among her acquaint-
! ances. and kept about her household
duties in quiet manner for thirty years.
1 Then she died and was buried on a hill
! lock in the centre of the farm. Every
! year during her life Stewart sent her a
| silk dress, but she never wore any Of
| them. AS fast as she received them they
were laid away untouched, and when
she died the brothers returned them all
to the donor. She received many offers of
marriage, but they appealed in vain. She
never again put her trust in man.
LONG BRANCH is IN A FURRY OVER
a wOndrous beauty, who claims Cuba as
her native isle. spent a couple Of days
down at the Branch in the early part of
this week, and caught a glimpse of the
little charmer several times. She was
the cynosure Of all eyes whenever she put
in AM appearance on the verandahs
or prOmenaded on the beach. She is
called the "Queen Of Cuba" Her name
is Dolores Cespedes. She is the daughter
of Gen. Cespedes, who was killed about
fourteen years ago in the Cuban rebel /
lion against Spanish rule Twins were
born to the widow few months after her
husbands death, and Dolores is one of
them. She is brunette and one Of the
most beautiful specimens of the pure
Spanish type that L have ever seen, either !
in person or picture. Her face, while |
characteristic of her nationality, is more
regular and delicate in the features than |
is usual among her countryWomen. Her |
hair is jet black, her eyes large and lus- |
trously soft, her complexion rich and |
clear, and her expression bright and ami |
able. Whenever she appears among the |
dancers in hotel parlOr or the loungers |
on a Verandah no one else is looked at. !
She dresses in a childish fashion yet, and /
not with any adherence to Cuban styles; !
nor are her juvenile manners affected by /
the coquettishness common to the girls IL /
Cuba. There is an amusing appendage |
to Miss Dolores. Her twin brother is a |
half head shorter than she and as much |
behind her in physical development. But !
he has gravely charged himself with the |
duty of protecting his sister, and his au-
thoritative way Of leading her perempto- |
rily out of a group which to his mind has /
become too masculine and admiring in its
composition, makes the spectators smile. |
THE SUNDAY CONCERTS IN CENTRAL
PARK
have been such a success that an effort !
is being made to introduce music in the /
smaller parks on Sunday afternoons. |
Two thousand working men have petit |
toned for music in TompkIns Square, on |
the East side, and one tobacco firm has /
offered to supply a band for a month, pre- /
Yided others will do the same, in case the |
city fathers think that they cannot afford |
the expense. In order to temper the /
good they have done on Sundays, our /
model Park Commissioners have removed /
the benches from the small parks, in or
der to sspite the tramps," as they say, t
I