Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-07-01
NEW YORK LETTER.
an INTERESTING BUDGET MADE Up IN
GOTHAM
Margaret Msther and Her Eanagsr-About
piamosds--How to Write Play
Clara Norris.
IconespoOdssce Of tho R'camond pIsps,ch.l

IL IN inc Ola rory OF tne lbcttioue
celebrity turning on her maker. Miss
Masher il the 0alatea OF Pygmalion
Hill. lie took her out Of the
quarry Of obscurity and carved her
into theatrical fame. lie made a spe-
cifc contract with the block OF marble
20 do il, and as soon rs the block be-
gan TO take on form and attract atten-
ton. II found voice enough 10 say that
IL would have grown into beauty and elo-
quence in spite of MIR. Hlll il was the
Inherent quality OF all blocks OF marble
TO develop into Psrian statues without
eculptors. Mr.. Manager Hill has been
trying 10 prove in court that this is not
true. But Mather looks over the top Of
her fan, acts, winks, and smiles, and
there is q general tendency to believe in
the block.
suppose tho professional success OF
Nsnther during the past five years is one
of the most glazing examples on record
81 the modern theatrical methods of
manufacturing popular success. | saw
Miss Mather when Mr.. Hill made her
contract FIVE years ago. She already Ind
2 contract with an actor named George
Edgar. She told MIR. Hill that she was
free and broke her contract with Edgar
b. sign with Hill.
At that time she was as ignorant as
Any woman ever encountered who
wanted TO play Shakespearian roles.
She could not read the lines of Juliet
without inverting the sense and violating
the commonest rules Of grammar. she
struck me a. woman without breeding
or art association. She was coarse in
delivery and reckless in action. She
could not carry on conversation about
acting but she palpitated from thead
20 foot with animal passion; certain
impotuous consciousness cOlored all sho
did, and Mr.. Hill thought she could be
educated and shaped. At all events he
undertook 10 educate and shape her, and
70 awaken public curiosity in her.
In one respect he Was remarkably sue
cessiul. lie made the public believe in
her. He bullelined her from Penobscot
- Pensacola. j watched the rising tide
Of enthusiasm with interest. All that
Mather did was to sit still when she WIGS
not acting aud see the world move
"Whcn she is famous and great how
viii YOU lold her ?" / asked Mr.. Hill
one day. 81 depend on her loyalty"
eaid he.
Managers all over the country are
watching the trial with interest. to see If
"A cast-iron contract with an actress Is
worth anything but the paper it is written
On.
ron TIE GENIAL
Apyop0s OF this subject great deal Of
Cood-humored badinage has been ex-
pended in town on what is called the
" descent Of Bob InRersoll in Chicago.
1t is pretty well understood here that
q certain shallow following Of his eX-
pccted him TO repeat ms Blaine triumph
iu favor of Gresham, and the ogotism of
tine genial pagan led him to believe he
could The consequences were sudden
and disastrous enough TO be funny.
Democrats aud Republlcans-disaereed
Ia everything else-unitcd in laughing
80 Fob. Free trade and projection
huwlcl unanimously and scoilngly. In
idcls aud Christians compromised in
remuneration of II. I understood that
The genial has stated TO several of his
private friends that he intends 10 confine
himself to Gladstone and let politics
alone after tins.
10 will he good thing for politics.
10th tine nominees now before the
American people are worthy, reputable.
representative citizens, and the system
OF defamation and vltuporation applied
60 either ought to have the heel OF re-
probation planted on IL at once.
THE PRICE or DIAMONDS.
"Wheu | was in London a short time
ago, sand diGmond.cutter Of Maiden
aue, =" / was allowed rs a special favor
20 see the great diamond that was found
1T wear in South Africa. | think they
ale gong 10 cali it the Jubilee diamond.
ont 1 believe 1t is not yet named. Ii Is
the whltost stone in the word, end one
ul the largest. and is owned by eight
persons on shares, the value being greater
fhan any one even Of the enormously
rich diamond dealers could afford.
" When found it was Of al irregular
shspe, being somewhat like an egg with
the small end somewhat elongated. The
owners, in order to reduce it to u regular
rhnue. split off this end. and after cut
ting the fragment found they had a forty
carat brilliant. which they sold to the
biug Of Portugal for 100000. The
value Of the remainder was not impaired
bv the subtraction of this trifle, but
rather enhanced since the split was sue
cessiul, and the shape OF the stone is i'm
proved 1t is valued by the owners at
million and half sterling, and any gen.
tlemau who wishes to invest in a rather
costly tribe. cannot do better than to ex-
anime II.
"Jhe owners intend TO keep it until the
Prince Of Wales shall succeed TO the
throne OF England, aud then try 10 sell
II TO him. Failing this sale. II Is hard to
tel what they can do with it.
"Who are the owners nOw?"
81 do not think I'd better mention
be replied with that caution
which dealer IN diamonds must needs
have. There is considerable mystery
about it, and 1t would not
perhaps be safe TO toll all the facts, even
II knew them, about when the stone
was found, who bought IT, and what they
pad. know that there is such a stone,
however, for have seen it, and | know
il is owned in eight shares, for the gen.
tleinan who showed il to me owns one
eighth.
ENORMOUS WEALTH.
at is difficult for people outside the
business 10 realize the enormous wealth
OF the diGmond-dealers in London, he
continued. "As an indication, | may
say that the same gentleman showed me
one package of stones aggregating 5000
carats, which lac valued at five guineas
o carat This was by no means his stock
in trade. II was ono of 8 number OF
packages.
"He is one OF the shareholders in the
two great companies which practically
control the diamond market of the
world. They are the Central Diamond
Mining Company and the Kimberly
Diamond Mining Company. Between
the two they own or control every in |
portant claim in the world in which dia-
monds are found. These are in Africa, |
for, as ia well known, the supply from
the old mines has entirely ceased. The I
a A l.. #