Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1888-05-24
WASHINGTON GOSSIP.
THE FORTUNATE MAJ. BURKE AND
HIS REMARKABLE CAREER.

NE run UNA Z MAJ. 6URkE ANU
HIS REMARKABLE CAREER.
The Handsomest Hand in the United
States, and How 1t Was Secured by an
Artist-Some Information Regarding
the Post Office Department..
Especial Correspondence
WASHINGTON. May 1O-I understand
that Maj E A. Burke. of The New Or
leans Times Democrat. has made a new
strike Early last year he secured control
Of large tract of thickly timbered lands
near Birmingham. Ala. and organized a
syndicate to buy it. He laid out a town.
and on April IL. 1887. held his first auc-
tion sale of lots. The only house on the
place was little frame hut, which served
as his office, and the streets which had
been cut through the woods were filed
with fallen timber Nevertheless, the
sale of lots of that day realized $15O,OOO
The town was then called Bessemer, and
this money was used in part to improve
it. The big hotel that Maj Burke had
constructed adjoining the exposition
grounds at New Orleans. and which had
cost him an enormous sum of money, was
taken down, moved to this town and re-
constructed on an elaborate scale. Two
other big hotels were built, blocks of
brick buildings were put up, iron furnaces
were constructed. and at the present time
the amount invested in furnaces and roll
ing mills is 81 200 000 The town is in the
best iron region of the Birmingham dis
trict. four railroads have been surveyed
into the city, and three of these run trains
regularly The town has now $50 brick
buildings. and it is within five miles of
coal and near to limestone. Maj. Burke's
land has jumped from nothing to fabulous
prices. and it is said that he can sit down,
fold his arms and within few years he
will be worth $lO.OO0,OOO.
**x
Maj Burke's career reads like romance,
and he has had as many ups and downs as
any man in the country He is tall,
thin. handsome man. about so years of
age. well educated in the school of active
life, and full of energy When the war
broke out he was working on railroad IN
Texas and one of his first enterprises was
wagon factory which he established
there He failed at this. and after the
war was over went to New Orleans. and
here he first worked as stone cutter in
ydTQ. SOOu W0uL Uack 10 rail-
roading. and after short time became the
general freight agent of the Jackson rail
road He was a member of the volunteer
fire department, and it was through this
that he stepped into politics. He has
been number of times state treasurer
and state tax collector. and in the various
national conventions he has taken promi-
nent part He was at the head of the
of
which nominated Gen. Hancock. and he
was strong supporter of Cleveland at
Chicago 1t is now eight years ago since
he bought The New Orleans Democrat,
and he afterward purchased The New
Orleans Times. and made The Times
Democrat the best paper of the Gulf states.
He has run northern paper in southern
city, and he has brought the same brains
into it that he used in business.
1t was Maj Burke who organized the
New Orleans exposition. and who made it
a success in every way but financially
He worked night and day at this. and
lost, am told, nearly fortune in it. He
was bound to have good exposition if
he didn't have fortune. and he had it.
Maj. Burke lives very nicely in New Or
leans. He has a beautiful house, built
after the fashionable style of architecture
of that city. on one of the best streets,
and it's large parlors are elegantly fur
nished- He is very hospitable man, and
he is strong friend of Gen. Diaz, Of
Mexico. He has done. perhaps. as much
for New Orleans as any man connected
with that city, and he is too active man
to let his fortune rust. What he will do
with his $1O,OO0.00O it is impossible to
conjecture. but in all probability it will
form the foundation for some dazzling
scheme. and it may be that he will carry
out the idea of establishing a southern
paper in New York, of which he thought
seriously. am told. some years ago.
Perhaps the most beautiful, hand in any
of the paintings Of the United States is
that depicted in the portrait of Marcia
Washington in the East room of the
White House. It is almost angelic in it's
beauty. Plump and aristocratic, with
tapering fingers and of most delicate
flesh tint, it is remarked upon by all Wis.,
itors, and the wonder of the artists is as
to whether it is an ideal creation or
whether it was copied from life. spoke
of this hand today to Professor E. A. An
drews. the painter Of the portrait. and he
told me that it was an exact representa-
tion of the hand of Miss Austne Snead,
the lady correspondent, who died within
the last few days at Washington. Miss
Snead was not beautiful as to her feat
ures. but she had a most beautiful hand,
and when Andrews painted the picture he
got her to pose for this part of it,
and thus preserved the counterfeit pre-
sentiment of her hand forever. The
model for this Martha Washington was,
he tells me. sewing girl. who had q
beautiful figure. and who was Of about
Martha Washington's height. The CO.'S
tune was a magnificent Centennial dress
gotten up by one of the richest ladies of
New York for one of the Centennial par.
ties of 1876, and loaned to Mr.. Andrews
for use in this painting.
Mr.. Andrews portrait of Dolly Madison
is now well under way. One of the soci-
ETY. girls of Washington is acting as model |
fer it. She is a beautiful girl, with an |
exquisite form. He has had an elegant
dress. made after the style of those
which Dolly Madison wore. constructed
for the young lady to wear during the
posings, and he goes into ecstasies over
The beauty of Dolly Madison. He has had
4 good chance to study this most beauti-
full of our presidents wives of the past.
All of her portraits possessed by her fam
ly have been accessible to him, and he
las had conversations with a number Of
people who knew Mrs. Madison. He will
represent her standing, with turban cap
IN her head. and he says that she had re-
beauty of that Irish type which
sometimes crops out in blue black hair
Ind bright blue eyes. dolly Madison's
says he. twas Of the purest