Omaha daily bee., 1888-05-03
GOSSIP AT THE GOLDEN GATE.
Crystal Polace-A Day Dream That
Never Came.
AN INSANE FlDDLER's FREAKS.
Art on the Coast-Suppression OF
Gambling-The Lick Observatory
on Mount Hamilton-A Young
Girl Gets a Fortune.
For Old Lumber.


SAN FRANCISCO, Cal, April 2S.-GCorres-
pondenoe of the BEE. AS L walked down
Sutler street to-day, and camo TO the block of
ground bounded by Sutler, Steiner, Post and
Fillmore streets-and saw a crowd of men
with axes and dericks and picks tearing away
the framework of Crystal Palace, l was
really surprised. Upon inquiry IL was
told me that the day dream OF
the original company had vanished, and
while the seven years intervening since tho
great frame structure was started, had each
returned empty handed, it was hoped that
finally the palace would be completed. The
| cost of the partly completed structure was
sos, 800 and now it is being sold for old lum-
Der.
The original intention was to erect a large
concert hall, where operas and musical en-
tertainments could be given. The capital to
be invested was subscribed by a number of
| prominent citizens and the total of $780, 900
was secured. This was to be wholly ex-
pended in building the pavilion and furnish
ing il. Thc grounds were to be laid out in
in promenades and the garden was to contain
a number of rustic houses. 1t was about SIX
years ago that Mr.. Butler, one of the direc-
tors, and owner of the block on which the
building was being erected, discovered that
there was something crooked in the business,
and demanded an investigation. This being
denied, he declared the lease void and
stopped further work from going on. To
carry his point he purchased the constructed
portion of the building from the company,
and since that time nothing has been done to
complete the palace.
According to the plans the building was to
have a frontage on Fillmore street of 1893
feet, and to be 2SS feet in depth. The facade
was to resemble somewhat that of the Gin
cinnati academy of music building. On either
end of the front was to be a pavilion two
stories high, crowned by a Mansard roof.
In the center was TO be a lofty portico, 2lx36
feet and thirty feet in height, with twin
columns in four groups, surmounted by grace
full arches. The editice was to be crowned
with a balustrade ornamented with pedestals
and statues. There were to be towers, one
| on each side of the building seven stories in
height, the the top beng 1l5 feet above the
sidewalk. The main floor of the pavilion
was to be 100X140 feet, and the stage 40X50
feet. The roof and sides were to be set with
glass, of which over 25, 900 square feet were
to be used on the building. The second
story was to be so arranged that a promenade
| twenty feet wide and 700 feet long could be
extended around the inside of the palace.
| Private boxes and recesses were to be ar
| was to be made as comfortable and cheering
as possible. But all this picture is seen
to-day in a massive pile of split and splintered
weather stained boards and timbers.
| -
Judge Lawler listened yesterday morning
to the beginning of a case which for singu-
| larity equals anything that has been re-
| vealed in the courts of this city for many a
| day. The case was that of Julia G. Cheney
against Forest Cheney, and the prayer of the
plaintiff was for annullment of marriage.
| From the testimony given, it appears that
the following is the story of the case:
The wife, q young and beautiful girl, had
| always had a passion for music. She could
sit for hours listening to the sweet straing of
| the flute, violin and bassoon." She was re-
mantle. and in her picture of the future a
very large share was given to the satisfac-
| ton of the craving for music. In September
last, only a few weeks before her marriage,
she met Forest Cheney. He was much older
than herself, and was by no means her COM
pliment in grace or attractlveness. In
fact, he was short and homely.
But he played the violin, and this to her
made up for all other deficiencies. So, after
a courtship Of two weeks, the romantic girl
and the violinist were married. She, how
ever, never lived with him, for on the very
day of the ceremony the groom was taken
very i'll and became SO bad that it was
necessary to remove him to the hospital.
There the young wife spent her honeymoon,
tending to the sick mans wants.
During this illness she discovered the APP
| palling fact that the man whom she had mar
| ried was not the same man. He was subject
to the greatest lapses of memory, and would
do and say the most ridiculous of things. He
thought himself q veritable Paganini on the
violin. If any one should criticise his
slightest mistake he would grow furious.
He would make the most unearthly
noises, scraping his bow across
the strings in imitation of Wagnarian
music, and would declare that sweet
voices from the south were whispering to
HIM. He vowed that he could produce a half
| dozen different tones from the same string,
and each one Of these had its significance to
him. To touch some notes would set him
crazy with childish delight, while the ~faintest
suggestion of others would make him start
like a man with delirium tremens Some
notes, he had, revealed human faces to him.,
beautiful and ugly; others brought before
him monsters, gargons, imps, and devils.
When the young girl realized the character
of the man to whom she was attached by
legal cords, she was almost paralyzed with
grief and overcome with chagrin. She, how
ever, refused to live with him, wien he be-
came well enough to leave the hospital, and
| she has since refused to recognize him as her
husband, because she feels assured that he
was insane when she married him, and being
so, the marriage, she claims, is void.
The art association of San Francisco open
| ed its spring exhibition this week. Up on
Pine street, where local talent is ambitious
and yearns for fame that may never come,
were exhibited several very fine paintings.
Tn evening Of the form opening a most
charming vista presented itself when the
visitor reached the vestibule of the main
hall. THO scene rivaled the walks in the
legendary gardens of the tropics. The rarest
eXotics gave fragrance and beauty to the
| view. beauteous flowers of home growth
We're in great profusion, and all was so ar
ranged that the effect given was that of a de-
lightfui conservatory, The doorways
was bound up by garlands of roses,
The entrance. 10, the three rooms
were beautited by, Persian drapery, and the
effect was exquisite. The atmosphere was
heavy withthe perfume of flowers, and from
the classroom came the pleasing strains OF
nnU and pttaptiVn music