Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-08-09
A BEAUTY in THE SURF.
The Costume of Ex-Secretary Belknap's
Wife Admired at the Oriental.


Mrs. Belknap, says the Brooklyn Eagle while
her husband was Secretary Of War, was a tall
striking brunette, with superb presence, a
handsome face and dashing manner, 1t was
said that her ball dresses startlingly decol-
lete, and some Of the ladies of the capital who
did not possess Mrs. Belknap's special charms
of figure talked SO much about her gowns that
the Washington correspondents took the mat
ter up, and the Secretary's wife found herself
a much-talked-of woman. Notwithstanding all
this, Mrs. Belknap was popular in society and
her receptions were largely attended. She
also had the reputation Of having the
most beautiful foot Of any woman
in Washington. After her husbands
political eclipse Mrs. Belknap retired with her
daughter into private life on the continent and
remained in Europe for ten years educating
her children. Last March, at the Inauguration
of President Harrison, Mrs. Belknap and her
daughter, who is a beautiful blonde of some
eighteen summers. occupied rooms at the
Arlington hotel and were to be seen every
night in the dining room arrayed in evening
dress. Old friends of Gen. Belknap regarded
remarked with pleasure that time had dealt
kindly with the elder lady, and that with the
exception of an added stoutness which was
not unbecoming, Mrs. Belknap was as hand
On the 18th of July the sleepy clerk at the
Oriental hotel, Coney Island, was shaken out
of the dreamy contemplation of his two-carat
diamond shirt pin by the news that upon that
evenings train from New York Mrs. William
Belknap, daughter and maid would arrive, and
that the best rooms in the house were to be
placed at their disposal From that day to this
Mrs. Belknap has been summering at the
Oriental, and has held her own as one of the
leading features of the place. No sooner does
she leave her room for the big bathing pavilion
between the Oriental and Manhattan Beach
hotels than there Is culver OF excitement
about the place. The male guests at both
hotels betake themselves in body to the
beach, and even the ladies. although they will
not own it, are interested. 1t is not SO much
the way Mrs. Belknap bathes that interests
these idlers of a summers day, but it is the
clothes, or rather the lack Of clothes, that
she battles in. Until Saturday last the wife
of the ex-Secretary has worn at the bath start
ling costume of white and red. 1t was a striped
affair, showing her perfect form in all its grace
full curves-a little low-necked, sleeveless bod
ice and very short skirt were all that it con-
sisted of. The lady's lower limbs were incased
in silk tights. The effect startling as she
dashed through the waves, throwing herself
upon their crests with all the wild abandon of
a water nymph. The bald-headed old gentle
men in the surf almost chuckled with delight,
and tough, weather-beaten John Keegan who
has acted as Waterman at the Manhattan bath.
ing pavilion for several years. could hardly be-
lieve his eyes. He took off his glasses, rubbed
the sea fog of them, looked at the fair bather
again and then acknowledged that he had never
seen anything to equal her before.
To an Eagle reporter Mr.. Keegan said: lyon
may talk about your Far Rockaway or Cape
May bathing costumes, but will bet that there
Is not one In the country that can match the
one worn by Mrs. Belknap. It would not take
more than one and one-quarter of yard Of
goods to make the whole affair.""
The ladies who saw Mrs. Belknap disportinp
herself in the waves did not, however, seem to
admire her costume as much as the men The
latter said that the women were jealous of her.
However this may be, the talk about the Orien-
tai hotel was started, and it has been getting
more and more critical. The male visitors all
took the part of Mrs. Belknap; the women
were all against her. Being o woman Of
| energy and great courage, Mrs. Belknap has
| continued to battle in her wonderful striped
costume with the abbreviated sleeves and the
| still more abbreviated skirt. She made
| up her mind that she would not let
| the gossips gain q victory over her, and she
almost won the fight, but Mrs. Belknap's
daughter, who Is very beautiful and accom-
plished girl, did not relish the notoriety which
her mother was attaining and persuaded her to
| throw aside the Objectionable bathing suit and
wear one less conspicuous The naughty Blue
Grass beauty did not like to give in but she at
last consented to yield to her daughters wish,
| and this morning the bald-headed old men who
paid 10 cents each for the privilege of seeing
Mrs. Belknap battle we're reduced almost to q
| state Of desperation. She appeared on the
beach in dark blue costume Of the usual sea-
side style. The women who found fault with
Mrs. Belknap's striped suit were smiling and
happy when an Eagle reporter visited the bath
ing pavilion at Manhattan Beach. This morn
ing one slight and delicately built girl Of about
forty summers and heaven knows how MANY
| hard winters said to a companion in the hear
ing of the scribe:
"Oh you just ought to have seen her other
dress; it was too horrid for anything"