Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-02-16
LETTER FROM NEW YORK
The English German at the Rruu~.
wick-The Rich Eavors-The Walk.
ing Natch-The Actor RignoId-A
Millionaire Nurse-A New OtheIro-
The Montreal FestivaI-Priucess Ida
Not Popular. Etc.

Special Correspondence of THE EVENING STAR |
NEW YORK. February Is
1t is matter Of sincere regret and bitter dis
appointment to number of the upper middle
class who compose the most fashionable circle
of New York society. that all of their efforts
We're ecipsed by a german given by an English
man at the Brunswick few nights since. The
entertainment was far more interesting than
Miss Astor's recent dance. and was by far the
most expensive affair of the kind ever given in
the city Sir Meysey Thompson, who has been
guest at several New York houses and been
well taken care of here ever since last spring.
gave the entertainment prior to his departure
from the city The big dancing room at the
Brunswick was superby decorated with natural
howers, and the usual accessories of music. sup
per. etc. beautifully provided. This caused
little comment. tor ii Is the usual thing. but
when the tavOrs were given out for the german.
people began to 0nen their eyes. The utmost
pr0digality was displayed. Diamonds and prcci-
Gus gems of all sorts took the place of the usual
match. snuff and card cases. The value Of the
presents was enormous. Not only did the gem
crosby OF the English noblemap show itself in
the faYors. however. but also in a number Of
prizes which were rallied off among the guests
Just for the fun OF the thing" Among these
We're some rare vases and camel's hair shawl
Miss Langdon the belle of New York who led
the german with Sir Meysey won a set of
vases. Miss Gertrude Cheeyer the shawl. and
Miss Work. daughter of Frank Work and one
of the best horSeW omen in the country won a
lot OF prizes. 1t was said that in every lottery
in which she took chance she was successful
The dancing men got shirt studs. cuff buttons
chains and rings, all Of great value. All this
goes to show that Sir Meysey Thompson is an
extremely generous man. He does i'm America
what Mrs Mackey. wife of Bonanza Mackey. has
done In Paris, Mrs. Mackey gives dinners at
which the menu cards are OF solid gold, and in
duiges In various Arabian Nights freaks of this
sort. too well known to need recapitulation
The English papers describe her entertainments
as shoddy and vulgar in the extreme. and con-
denim the show Of wealth / wonder what they
will say about Sir Meysey Thompson's enter
tainment. That gentleman himself SAYS it Is
the proper thing to give valuable presents I'm
England and what in the eyes of the English
press Is q sin In Mrs. Mackey will probably be
virtue in Sir Meysey Thompson. H. as Sir Mey-
sey says 1t is the proper thing" to do this sort
OF thing In England the list Of failures and
bankrupts among Wall street men who enter
tain largely will Increase rapidly. 1t will take
fortune of vast proportions to stand the cost
OF entertainments modelled after Sir Meysey
ThompsOn's. Few men in the city can afford it.
There Is q magnificent chance here for Uncle
Bill vanderbilt, by the way. He needn't give
Jewelry. Stocks will go just as well. When
the market is depressed and he wants to float
lot of securities, all he will have to do is to
get up german and start the stock on the
guests dancing up and down Mr.. Vanderbt's
parlOrs with certificates of nickel Plate" In
one hand and the New York Central in the
other would be worth seeing, particularly if
Uncle Bill lead the German himself.
THE WALKING MATCH.
1-ventured to predict month ago that the
walking match that was to have taken place
this week would not be success. Worse than
that. 1t was downright fizzle. Only two men
out Of the nine who were expected to enter
paid the entrance money. The result was the
race is abandoned for time There is chance
however, that 1t will be taken up again and
pushed forward in month or so. 1t would
seem that the real reason why there was no
race Is because the majority of the pedestrians
couldn't get the $500 entrance fee together
The race is really gotten up bv Rowell, who has
taken much to heart the statement made after
his last race that he was a broken down pedes-
trian. Rowell has been beaten by HAZEL
Hughes. and Fitzgerald in different races but
nevertheless has the best record of any man on
the track, and is the holder of the Ashley belt
After he had been beaten the other men went
out OF the way to crow over him and make fun
OF his performance. WhereupOn Rowel went
back to England, devoted year to careful
training under the superintendent Of his ply
siclans. and when he got ready for work re-
turned here to find the craze for walking
matches utterly dead and only one pedestrian
in the country who could scrape together $500
for his entrance fee. This is Fitzgerald, who
has had brilliant political career since his last
race He has twice been elected alderman of
Long Island City, owns two gin mills and will
probably in the course of time get into the
House of Re representatives. at Washington If he
is not prem aturely checked.
THE ACTOR RIGNOLD.
George Rignold, who was once worshipped
simultaneously by nearly all the women Of New
York, has returned to America He devotes the
afternoons by standing in an alleged majestic at
titude at Broadway and 18th street But the
women pass him by. l wonder if any of them
recognize in the red faced blear eyed habby
and sloyeny dressed man posing herocally on
the corner the divine Henry the Fifth" who
craZed them all a few years ago at Booths. Rig
nolds clothes are marvellous. They don't fit
him anywhere He has grown fat. but he still
holds his nose in the air, purses his lips and
wears the kingley look, which has been photo
graphed so many times. The effect now is that
of man who has been taking sniff of partcu-
larly violent snuff, and who is holding his head
aloft from sensations consisting equally of dis
gust and desire to sneeze Mr.. Rignoid fell
from great height. He was once the king of
those mysterious beings known by the title of
Washers" but he is now far without their
ranks. He does not realize that he no longer
possesses the charm which once made him
famous. BY the way his hair and mustache are
the reddest on Broadway, which is or is not a
distinction Just as you choose to 10 ok at it.
MILLIONAIRE NURSE.
Considerably oVera year ago aquetly dressed
apparently self-possessed and sef-contained
young woman appeared at Bellevue hospital in
the character of a nurse. She was extremely
reserved but kindly to the sick and did many
acts OF charity without ostentat ion. She was
treated by the corps of fedgling physicians who
Offciate at Bellevue with the cOndescension and
patronage which they usually show to nurses,
but she bore it bravely and went on quietly with
her work. No one paid particular attention to
her, but it was noticed that she went on with
her duties carefully and took an interest In her
patients. She had studied medicine and in the
course of time became known as the most prof.
cient nurse in the hospital She attended to her
duties for four or five hours every day and rarely
missed over a day in a week. She was volun-
teer nurse and worked only for the experience.
1t was not until she left, snort time ago. that
it was ascertained that she was Miss VanRens-
selaer and that her private fortune aggregated
nearly million dollars. The fedgling physi-
clans at Bellevue hospital are dreaming now Of
what might have been.
NEW OTHELLO.
There is to be new "Othello." Mr.. Hurle
Bravardo who is as black as the ace Of spades,
and who claims that he is descendant of one
of the African kings, Is rehearsing at the Grand
Central theater, supported by a.troupe Of col
x~nz~ It@n