The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1889-07-28
THE MILLIoNAIRE BRIDE.
Interesting Gossip About Miss Caldwell. Who
Ii to Marry Prince Murat.
Washington Letter in Philadelphia Press

Interesting Gossip About Miss Caldwell, Who
Is to Marry Prince Mur.t
Washington Letter in Philadelphia Press
The letters announcing the details OF
Miss Mary g. Caldwells betrothal to Prince
Joachim Murat have been read here with
equal interest and amusement by those
who knew the young lady in her one win
ter of Washington life. She left a vivid
and picturesque impression here, but hard
ly All endearing one, Notwithstanding she
came heralded by her munifcent donation
of $500, 900 to the proposed Roman Catholic
Divinity School. and Notwithstanding she
received while here at the laying of its cor
ner-stone at medal from the Holy Father Of
Rome By this benefaction she secured
worldwide celebrity, not only as an heiress,
but as devOut daughter of the church,
ana 1t is nnquestionably to be believed
that these facts have operated strongly in
her favor with her princely sutton
In personal appearance Miss Caldwell IS
. rather ordinary, above medium height,
slender, dark-haired. with alert and shrewd
came to Washington three years ago last
spring. and stopped quietly at the Airing
ton with her chaperone, while looking over
the ground. as 1T were. and deciding wheth-'
named. Before she went away her gift was
announced lii the public prints. and at the
opening of the next season she and her
younger sister Lena, who is much the hand
somer OF the two, came on as winter resi-
dents. accompanied by their aunt, Mrs.
Donnelly, who was at that time a good
deal of an invalid, and they leased the
house belonging to- the family of the
ties), at the corner of / street and Con.
necticut avenue. All the prominent Catho-
lie element in society and many others
called promptly to see the well.advertised
Sunday evening dinner In honor of the
younger sisters twenty-first birthday, at
which his Eminence, Cardinal Gibbons.
who had just been invested with his new
Of1ce, was guest and on which occasion
Miss Lena celebrated her coming into
the disposal of her fortune by adding $780,
OOO to her sisters larger donation to the
founding of the school above named. This
was brilliant opening of their winter. and
for while they rode on the topmost wave,
being constantly invited to the most FASH
ionable gatherings and holding large Tues<
day afternoon receptions.
General Hazen, whose wife and youna
son were in Europe. was CALAMITY DESTROYS
that the sisters should attend the diplo-
matte reception at the White House. and
invited them on his own card. taking them
was obliged to wait long time down nsm
for the elder sister to be ready, and il was q
cold and eleety night, and he was in uni<
form, without his Overc0at. Again, on re-
turning from the presidential drawing
rooms he again waited for his charges
nearly an hour, it is said, in the cold and
draughty vestibule, before they could find
their wraps In the dressing-room. The two
waits were too much for his strength,
although he was a rugged-looking soldier a
hero of many battles. Pneumonia marked
him for it's prey, and in forty Eight hours
from that fatal night ne was a corpse in his
Frstreet lodgings. IL was said that the
Misses Caldwell gave dinner the evening
that be died, but it was altogether improb-
able that they had been informed how lie,
contracted the cold that caused his death.
Later in the season the young ladies gave
rfx ir,h of he Rschn -
Peoria, who had come on here to solemniZa
marriage in prominent circles. 1t wa3
told me, with laughing criticism. by one Of
the guests that. although the dinner hour
was named on the cards of invitation as 8
o'clock, it was exactly half-past s when
Miss Mary, the hostess of the evening,
came down from her dressing-room to the
parlor. and the Reverend Father and all
the other guests were waiting there in sus-
pense at the unusual proceeding. By this
time her proximity for keeping people
waiting was very generally gossiped about
In society; and she was called unconyen-
tional and self-wiiled. Very probably
some of the storis" told of Miss Caldwell in.
illustration of these facts were apochryphal.
One of them was to the effect that at grand
ball the sisters gave toward the close of the
winter the later coDers looked in vain for
a hostess to salute on entering and the
early gOers " ore equally perplexed for one
to whom they aOuio make their adieus. One
of them, keeDer eyed than the rest discov~
tete-a-tete with society man, she having
said audaciously in abandoning her post OF
duty as hostess that she wasn't going to
stand there ard be bored all the evening.
None Of tho above bits of gossip or
any other OF he niyraid in circulation at
the time, bore hard upon her as woman of
integrity. bur only upon certain iodiosyn-
crasies that causod her to be denominated.
queer The very ones who talked them
over with tie most ominous lifting of the.
eyebrows would. doubtless, be foremost to-
congratulate her as the Princess Murae,
should sic attain this historic name and
eminence.
1t is not absolutely necessary to have
been regarded gopc folat' in Washington;
society in ORDER 70 achieve a brilliant career
elsewhere. Sne was young enough to en-
able her to correct many mistakes in her
after life. But this precipitating of ante
nuptial details upon the American public
through the publication of her own and her
chaperone's letters to her solicitor has n
Look of feverish impatience, that those
whom she may think had snubbed her here
should be promptly informed of the big
game she has bsgged across the sea. 49,.