The Washington critic., 1886-04-29
'ASHINGTON CRITIC
TOPICS OF THE DAY.

DUttV ntWo suy ~ pliNuIc iO'tOi
received to-day from Mr.. s. A. Curtis
of Strotford, Conn, contains au inter
csting "reminiscences Of Lady Sterling,
one Of the ancestors of Miss Folsom,
whom 1t Is said the President will
marry. "a few years prior to the
Revolutionary War" writes Mr.. Cur
tis, Lord Sterling, an English noble
man, while journeying from New York
to Boston, stopped n few days in
Stratford, where he became enamored
Of a beautiful girl, Miss Folsom by
name, whose father was the village
blacksmith. Upon his return from
Boston few weeks later the two were
married. Shortly after this Lord Ster.
ling sailed for Europe to apprise his
family of his marriage and to make
preparations for removing his wife
thither. AS the story goes, Miss Fol
SONS family regarded Lord Sterling as
an adventurer, and the village beauty
married him against their wishes. When
year passed and no tidings reached
America of the absent lord the tongues
of the village gossips were loosed, and
between the upbraidings of her parents
and the gibes of the townspeoplc the
young wife's life became a burden to
her. One day livcricd servant put in
an appearance at Stratford. He an.
nounced himself as the messenger of
Lord Sterling aud said ship, then
lying In New York harbor, was wait.
ing to convey her ladyship to England.
She was told by the busybodies in
GtratcarI hot uha xv.,,11 ha ra
ceived in England rs Lord Stering's
wife, but she went nevertheless. Lord
Sterling's family gave the young
woman n cordial greeting and she
speedily became general favorite.
The marriage proved an unusually
happy one. Some of the descendants
Of the Folsom family still reside in
Stratford, and 1t is from this stock the
Presidents fiancee has sprung. Upon
the site of the old 'Smithy' now
stands the mansion erected In colonial
days by DR.. Samuel johnson, one of
the early regents Of Yale College,"
~
Passing by Senator Stanfords
house on the day the Seventh Regi
ment paradod, says the Washington
correspondent of the World, l saw the
Senator standing in the bow window of
the first floor Of the large gray-stone
house upon the corner of X and Seven
teenth streets, in which he lives. The
Senator was carelessly dressed in
black. He had on short sack coat
and stood with his hands in his pock.
cts. In every other window and door
of the house there was very correct
English servant in full evening dress.
This imposing array of servants made
his house look as though it were fitted
up for o reception. The Senator ap-
peared quite common and ordinary
standing in the foreground of so much
elaborate responsibility and decorum.
The English servants never smiled or
moved as the procession passed. The
Senator has staff of eleven of these
men. He uses the greater number of
them as guards between him and the
relentless beggars who are constantly
ringing his dOor-bell seeking the aid OF
this many times millionaire. Stan
English style. He himself is very plain
and when about the Capitol is one of
the most npproachablc men there.
Once fortified in his house behind his
array of English servants, he is one of
the most unapproachable. If the Sena
tor hopes to be the Pacific Coast candi
date for the Presidency in 1888 he viii
find that the campaign orators will
make much of his staff of Englisl
servants. Mr.. Stanford walks but very
little. He has a very tall, powerful
figure and should need good deal o.
exercise to keep from getting too stout
He generally drives to the Capitol in ,
closed landaulet drawn by pair o
very large, powerful black horses, per
fectly matched in color form and &C
tion. The livery of his men on tn
box is also black. The carriage 1
dark in color. The entire outfit is il
keeping with the mourning which til,
family is still wearing for young Stan
ford. The Senator is now devoting
good q 'al of attention to his stables
There is to be sale Of horses brough
on from his breeding farm within
few weeks. All of the horses to be pu
on the market in this sale are trotters
He expects that they will bring a
average of 81 900 each. If this sale |
successful he will bring on an addi
tional, and possibly better, lot for til
second sale.
W.
Since Dame Rumor has been linkin
the name of the President as q believe
in spiritualism, it has been discovcre
that he is by no means alone anon
prominent public men. There are ,
least half dozen men in the Sena
chamber and many more In the Hous
who are classed as believers. Or
Senator, who represents soutl
western State, is outspoken in his col
victions. Seances are regularly hel
at his house, which some of the mo
prominent people of the country hay
attended. He says that no one ca
shake his belief in that which he know
to be the truth. He is firmly convince
that he is in direct communication wit
the spirit of his dead wife, and tells c
many strange and startling thing
which have happened in his houl
since he became believer. With
the past week, says correspondent,
pProoklyn photographer has been NAL
great deal Of money here by pr,
lg spirit pictures. He has ha
at run of customers, and his plat
Orreet is crowded daily with thos
wlsire specimens of his work. II
maa picture and sells the negati,
all 81, which is not very hie
price q portrait of one or MOI
ghost your dead relatives. 1t
said several extraordinary ph
a..
dencf number of society peopl
and, gether, spiritualism has b
come only the sensation, but u
scare he town.
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