Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-08-15
ON MOUNT McGREGOR.
The Place Made Sadly Memorable BY
General Grants Death.

| The Place Made Sadly Memorable BY
| General Grants Death.
THE DRExEL COTTAGE AND THE OLD mn
MRS. GRANT AND HER MISUNDERSTANDING
PERSONAL GOSSIP AND REMINISCENSES
Correspondence of THE EVENING STAR
MOUNT MCGREGoR, N. Y,
August 18th, 1888.
1 first visited this mountain in September,
| 1882. the day after the adjournment Of the
memorable Saratoga convention that nomi-
mated Secretary Folger for governor. Senator
Warner Miller and Mr.. and Mrs. John w. VroO
man were the others Of the party invited to
make the trip by Mr.. William ]. Arkell, the
young and energetic vice president of the syn.
dlcate, then newly owning the mountain and
| its narrow-gauge railroad which they had just
built from Saratoga. The only house on the
! summit was the old-fashioned rambling cot
McGregOr, the former owner of the mountain
| a brother, by the way, of the McGregor who
used to treat Saratoga 9" Visitors Who came up
| the winding carriage-road of twelve miles to
| a dinner OF genuine country fare, OF which
specialties. McGregor received $4,000 for his
| mountain and its little inn and retired to u
small house at its base, where he still resides:
! The purchasing syndicate embraced several
| men OF large wealth, who can afford to wait for
years and pour money in all the time for i'm
ment.. Among these were Joseph w. Drexel, of
New York; Representative West of Balston;
John Kellogg, a millionaire manniaeturer of
Amsterdam, and Mr.. Douw H. Fonda, of AL
| bany.
| During the season have named, and the sue
ceeding season, the inn was leased to New
York restaurateur. and afterwards it was moved
down the mountain slope to a romantic loca-
ton n little nearer to the depot, and fitted up
| by Mr.. Drexel as the "DreXel cottage, now
| known to fame as the depot where Gen. Grant
proportions and modern architecture sprung
up on It's former site on the mountains crest.
| spent several weeks of the warm weather here,
and as their guest for a fortnight your cores
pendent had Il writing tent on the spot where
the Drexel cottage now stands, and the same
chamber in the cottage-inn which has this season
been Mrs. Grants private room. The enterprise
has prospered SO veil from tue opening OF the
| hotel that it early incurred the hostility of
Saratoga. which has now increased to formid-
able proportions. since the death Of the General
| upon the mountain and the unavoidable reten-
ton of his remains here until the temporary
tomb. could be constructed, have interfered
with the the seasons gayety. This feeling, how
the interests Of the two places are not neces-
sarily antasonistic, but quite the reverse. The
mountain Is great place for children to thrive
| in, and last year there was an average of fifty
In total average OF one hundred and forty
guests; but the piazzas and outdoor environ
| way In sunshiny weather.
Mrs. Grant is much attached to this spot, and
shcck of her widowhood with the same APP
| proach to cOmposure. She has left the cottage
gu, Gmce ws Since his death s the On the
now historic point in American eyes. She
sits out on the piazza daily. during the sun
her children. Once or twice a day she likes to
have DIR. Douglas come in and prescribe tor her.
He has great deal Of professional dsicacy,
and never goes to her unless sent for. He and
his family are established ut the Belmont
hotel. His excellent wife was formerly Mrs.
| girl-lood and early widoWhood, was esteemed
the best singer Of psalmody that the City. of
or JESSIE hs eP n w
her at the mountain and is said by friends of
the late airs. Chester A. Arthur, to bear strik-
complished pianist. Or. Douglas was 4 bach
eior OF 80 at his marriage. and OF bis two little
girls, Josie aud "Jippie," the elder is but II.
a Santa Claus. They are both included i'll the
iull-page front picture in Harpers Weekly,
Fred they are laying wreath of oak leaves on
the generals silent breast.
Little Julia Grant is by the way , Washing,
during the Centennial summer, and baptized,
together with Marshal sharpe youngest child,
water he had i brought from the rver Jordan
The following winter you and perhaps remem-
6er seepE her IL her nurses arms brought
baby toilet formed the subject Of q very taking
paragraph in The STARS account OF that cere-
ington correspondents OF nearly all the news
| papers in the country. She now has Il four
year-old brother, the same for whom General
| be President when he arrives ut suitable age.
asking for his appointment to West Point. His
Brother,'' as il that were his Sc only name anne
Both children have long, fair brown hair
oer he sh'0a deep In 1S
ing they run to and fro between the
cottage and the hotel, objects of Interest to the
tain, pilgrims to the shrine Of the departed
hero. The little fellow. In his black kicker
both are well hammered. They play with the
little Douglases and with James Ariell junior,
Miss Margherita Arkell, a 1O-months old yong
| lady, i'll the arms OF her nurse, whose birthday
i ard ana e9anPments , Were sent me 1T WasI,
| Biaine's sensational journey through New York
state last september, and had she been boy
christened "Biaine'' Fortunately She was q
lasste and was permitted to inherit the sweet
old-fas i name: Of her two grandmothers.
| main dining-rOOm for their meals. They have
quiet corner-tabIe, looking out upon the val
| ley at one OF its loveliest points of view. Col.
Fred. sits at the head of the table, with his wife
ut his left and Airs. SnrtOris opposite. Both the
! ladies preserve their girfhood beauty in a good
! degree, ana are even more rosy-chceked than
remember them In their earlier youth. Ulysses,
J the second son of the general, sits at the right
! her left. Ulysses was the victimized partner of
Ward. and he locks depressed. All three of
| the young men, IN l0Ct. wear Il cn3Stcne0 look,
| which disarms much OF the criticism that light
naturally spring to ones lips in remembering
| the opportunities in life they have fooled away
| and tue fortunes they have squandered. Col.
| Fred. Is really hneloOking, with the size and
stature OF his mothers family united to some-
| thing OF his fathecs features. He wears not
only q very. brOud weed on his tall black hat
but sash of Grape tied on his left ARM which Is
the only point In his appearance open to criti-
cism. If he were an army officer it might be
assumed that he wore 1t for his commander;
but in civilian con 1t looks like an affectation.
Mrs Sharpe told me before leaving with her
husband yesterday for the latter's post at Yank-
ton, Dakota, that she supposed the three boys
and their families would live with their mother
at her Goth street house in New York for the
present. after leaving Mount McGregor early
| In September.
| 1t is also tacitly understood that Mrs. Sarto-
| ris may remain for some time. Her husbands
absence from the entire closing scene was noted
| by many. Her three children are also left be-
hind in England. The eldest son, named for his
maternal grandfather, died; the other Is called
Algernon, for his father, and the two little girls
are Vivian (who was given boys name for the
sake OF her fathers elder brother, who was
killed by accident a few years since, and who
bore that as one of several names,) and Rose
mary, the youngest. They have excellent care
from paternal aunt in the absence OF their
mother and have several nurses assigned them
DeStdes, III the extensive establishment OF their
grandparents Mr. and Mrs. Algernon Sartoris,
when at home, live in an artistic cottage on the
grounds of the family estate. Mrs. Sartoris at
/ &~-lk.- 81 Isr1N