Omaha daily bee., 1885-02-20
THE MACKAYS.
The History Of 'bG Princess
COlOnl1,
Her Father a Mining Camp Doc
tor; Grandfather a Barber,
THE MACKAYS.
The Story of n Family's Rise From
Poverty to Ahiuence.

1 NASS 1900 ~
many accounts, romantic and otherWis e,
published respecting Mrs. Ma?kay's early
trials, that the subject has become al
most nsuseating, and especial y to Call.
fornisns, who know the true history CT
the American BARRIERS daughter, who has
become mothsr-in-law to the heir of the
mightiest house in Europe.
The Prince Co!onna, direct scion of a
family OF piircess which date their ances
try back ID Saladin-a fami y which num-
bered In its members LepAnt1, the Su-
perb Cardinal. pattern OF Mlchacl Angelo
"A family which stand at the very head
of the Italian nobility, greater in rank by
far, richer in Lineage and more famed in
history, art, and literature than even
Italy's eldest line of lings-this young
man of 81 is going to marry the grand.
daughter of old John Hungerford, who
in 1867, kept a little barbershop in
Downieville, Sierra county, California,
and who even failed to mike a living at
that.
The father, 1t is said, came with the
frs gold crush, and followed the mining
camps about with varying success.
HE VAS A BARBER
by trade, and was originally, it Is sail,
from near Binehamton, N. Y. He had
two little daughters sent fcom their east.
eru home to friends of his In San Fran.
circo. Transportation was high in those
days, and it took nearly all his savings to
bring them out, but they came. The
eldest, Mary, the present Mrs. Mackay,
was then about twelve year, old. The
youngest, Lizzie, the pretent Countess
Telfener, of Italy, was four y!arl
younger.
There was then in San Francisco, and
Is now for that matter, a family of
italian Jews named Ciprico. George
Ciprico, the father, now deceased, was a
barber and hair dresser, and kept a noted
place on Montgomery street, known as
the 'Mcntgomtry Baths." 1t is still in
existence, and Is the same in appearanc
now as it was thirty years ago. When
Hungerford wa, not in the noun.
tains senching for gold he worked
as a journeymsn barber in Ciprico's shop.
Ciprlco had four daughters about the age
of Hungcrford's daughters. They we
even in girlhocd r.m.rkable fer their
beauty. Three CT them have long been
teachers in the public schools. The Clip,
rico family, though lowly In origin, have
always been consld cred respectable. They
were natural lipgulsts, spoke ~ltalisn, their
native tongue, fueut)y, French well and
Spanish like natives.
1t was while these girls were growing
up, Hungerford, their fathers journey.
man, br. ught his orphaned daughters &c
San Francisco. 1t was quite natural that
they should make their home with the
Cipricos, and they did 30. Like them
the Hungerford girls were very intelli
gent. The elder-now Mrs. Mackay-
res lived to fit herself for teaching. Frencl
and Italian she. learned from her associ
ates before che was 1G, md soon spok'
them like a native. While
=. H HUNGERFoRD GIRLS
were b Sing thus educated the fathsr wa
Having a hard time, and was getting yer!
poor. For months at a time he coult
send the girls no money, and they had t'
depend on the Cipr.co family for suts!st
ence.
Finally he opened a barber shop II
3 Do wnie>Ille. After a while he sent fol
, his eldest daughter TO come up into III
mountaias. At Nevada City thers was
l young physician of somewhat dispat II
, habits nam cd Bryant, who kept a little
3 drug store. With him Miss Hurgtr'ort
fell i'll love, and about 1859 married him
Not long afte, his daughters marriage
> thu little shop closed one day and thu
l prophet, r took his kit, vent to the Bay
and resumed business at the old stand
a chair In Clp,ico's shop. The marriage
did not turn out very well TIE dec o
. drank a good deal and epeut his money
and it is feared reglectei his young wife
= Eva, the future Princess Colonns, wa
1 born in 1860 In the rear Of the lutte flab
3 sized drug store st4ndine in a cluster o
pines in Nevada City. The doctor wen
Q to the dogs 30 fast inat in 1864 he died
L, The widow set In to earn her own lv
ing. She was energetic and willing t.
. support herself aud child. She first tool
t charge as a soft of upper chambermaiC
of a miners locglpg-house. This was, o
f course, beneath hsr, and she sough
Il somtthing else, Finally, Johl
w. Walker, brother of ex.Congresamal
Gilbert G.. Walker CT Virginia, gu
perintendant Of the Bullion mine, CAV
o her emplo ynent ss a kind of governes
a and ses INST -ess In his family. This wa
In 1865. Working in the Bnllicn min
at that time a, @ common miner at 81 pc
n day was the gr'at millionaire Ct today
John w. Mackay was a warm'hearted
impulsive young Irishmsn and an Indus
i trious miner. Soon after Mrs. Bryan
!, went TO live In the superintendent fan
ilY, Msckay was promct sdIto beforeman
the mi e, and In that way came to sc
uore or less of his employers family.
l., MACKAY WAS o RICH
then, nor was he more than ressonabl
" prosperous for six years after. He mad
a great deal of money IN the Crown Poil
n excitement In 1872, by which Senate
IL Jones grew so rich, but the great mass
~ his wealth did not come until 1875, whe
rs the great Bonanza, In which he hada tw
ffths interes S, was uncovered
@; Msckay was fond of his inte
ngent and ambitious wife, an
very indulgent. Her family 81
provided for among TIT frat things. 81
burned up her faith er's kit OF % ola, boug
a him some good clothes, gave him m,ne
go to buy the rosy cup, of which the old GO
ID tlemsn had grown a little fond, and pa
Il: his board in San Francisco. Last fl
n she csused him to bs dubbed by the tit
Id of Colonel, based upon some vsg
he tradition that In the dim pas he had be-
he something or other in the Mexican wa
e. Mrs. Macksy also took her sis'er to IL
with her, and the two were t>gsth
Until a faw VISA ara later in tho dizzp VIII