Omaha daily bee., 1884-06-05
A GREAT LAWYERS HOME
The Family Mansion Of william M,
EVartS in Second Avenue.
A Lawn in the Heart of the CITY
The Ex-Secretary Among His
Books and Busts.
New York journal.

new YORK journal.
On the northwest corner Of Second
venue and Fourteenth street stands a
large solid mansion Of red brick with
brown-stone trimmings. 1t is built IN the
fashion of thirty years ago, and has a
comfortable, home-like air that many
more pretentious establishments lack. In
front and to one side is a green lawn,
now blooming with beds of brightly tinted
and fragrant flowers, and a wisteria vine
filings its purple wealth of blossom over
the north wall.
Here lives with his family the Hon.
William M. Evarts. Three of his daugh-
ters have been married from the house
and some of the most distinguished peo-
pie on both sides of the Atlantic have
partaken of the generous hospitality for
which the establishment is noted.
The heavy carved bell.knob is pulled
and in a few moments the visitor steps
through the marbled vestibule and into
the large square hall. The place is cool
and dark, BETTING the warm day. The
floor is covered with soft Persian rugs,
and a solid mahogany table and hat.stand
are the furnishings, with q few stiff chairs
deliberately carved, and a bust of Demos
themes on a polished wood bracket.
To the left ofthe hallway is the library,
a spacious square room with a double
| window looking out on Fourteenth street,
and two long French windows with flow
ing curtains, that the soft May wind
| blows in and out. The floor is of highly
polished wood, and Is covered with a
few Eastern rugs and O white bear-skin.
The wall is lined with bookcases, filed
with rare volumes and musty old law
books that bear evidence of much hand
ling. In the upper part of the room is q
large desk with a revolving bookcase,
and in front of it in an antique carved
chair sits the ex-Secretsry of State. his
long, thin scholarly face almost buried
in a huge volume. From the tops of the
bookcases and numerous pedestals frown
and smile down in marble Lincoln,
Goethe, Wagner, Henry Clay, Wash
ington and numerous famous Greeks.
The visitor passes slowly and softly
out of the room and crosses the hall to
the large dining room, with the pretty
parlor in front, furnished in a bright
fashion and evidently the ladies' room.
The dining-room Is massive in appear
ance. The polished wood floor is cover.
cd with a square of Administer, and in
the center is a huge mahogany table,
polished like o mirror. A large side
board at one side ia adorned with some
of the handsome family plate, and the
chairs arranged neatly against the wall
are of carved oak, with seats and backs
of stamped leather. On the walls are
hung a few choice pictures of hunting
scenes and the windows curtalned with
Persians gauze overlook the pleasant gar
den on the side of the house.
Ascending the broad shallow oaken
stairway we almost slip on the glossy
wood. Up stairs are the three drawing
rooms. They are covered with rich
white velvet carpet, sprinkled with roses
rnd furnished with satin rosewood chairs
and sofas, one set being in Marie Louise
style, with pale-blue embroidered satin
covers. A large grand piano occupies an
alcove in one of the rooms, rare paintings
! adorn the walls and statuettes and hand
some bric-a-brao collected from all over
the world are scattered about in artistic
confusion.
On the two upper floors are the bed
rooms and servants apartments. The
servants are all Africans, and most of
them have been in the family for a quar-
ter Of a century or over. a r ,.tf ra.
The country seat of the family is situa.
ted at Windsor, Vt. 1t is o spaious old
mansion and is surrounded by several
acres CT park and lawn.