Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-02-02
NEW YORK LETTER.
INTERESTING ITEMS AND PERSONAL
GOSSIP or GOTHAM
N. Cysvsssnd - = kswysr-wssS NsAi-
lassss withous Rivas-Mrs. 0rA~s-
Rev. Dr.. Dfx aud
eco. 200, o0o, 900.
prom Our Regular corespcndentl
Nxx Yosx Eehruary 1, 1880.

of New York society, and almost worm ue,
weight In gold, walked down Iwenty-sniro
rtrcet Yesterday. aud neither man, woman,
nor child recognized her or turned to look
after her. II the shop-ciris and women
who allowed her as she passed along nho
known who she was they wonrn naso
stared their eyes ont. thinking perhaps tney
might get glimpse OF the magniaccnss
diamonds about which they nave reao
- ,nuch but never seen. Mrs. Grover
Cleveland GOES along Fifth avenue, Broad
vav- Fourteenth street. ana travels liKe
ordinary mortals in horse-cars day after
dav. and is never recognized: She never
was very we'll known IN New iofk. out nor
distinguished husband, 1t might have been
tbourbt. would have escaped such rate.
Rut He has not. He walks up Broadway
every afternoon without attracting any
attention. He drops into the Fifth-Avepue
Hotel in the nest of the very busiest men
of the world without causing ripple Oh
excitement. He lunches every day In
small restaurant near his office on Lower
Broadway aud not one person out oil nun
dred recognize him.
NOT KNOWN TO HIS BARBER.
He takes his turn in the little ItaNan
barber-shop on Park Row the same as any
other man without attracting the slightest
notice. He waited fifteen minutes the
other morning to be shaved ana topK .no
place of burly 'longshoreman. IN the par
ber's chair, chatted afably with the artist
AZ his razor glided over the ex-President's
face. picked up his own bat, brushed
his own coat. paid hls fifteen cents
and walked out OF the place with
out even the barber suspecting WHO no
was. He goes 10 the theatres with MS
wife. attends concerts. lectures. and often
occupies pew in st. Bartholomew church
on Sunday morning, but he is not stared at
seldom pointed out, and has ceased to be
curiosity. 1t is not that New, Workers IN
tend any disrespect TO the ex-Chief Mays
frate. IT is simply phase of New York life.
The big men come here, mingle with
the little men, and are swallowed up
IN the vortex They soon forget their
own importance, aud probably ENJOY LIE
more for not being SO conspicuous-at least
MIR. Cleveland does, for he told newspa-
per reporter who walked along with him
down Park Row that he enjoyed doing as
he pleased at last. 1t IL n great RELIEF"
he went on. mot TO be stared at, and to
be able to 60 in any direction that ones
inclination leads without attracting atten,
ton. never knew how much valued
being left TO myself until came 10 i've
in New York"
cIKvELAND's INCOME.
II NAV be added, as o matter of interest.
that Mr.. Cleveland. while not making the
vast fortune at the practice of law that he
Is popularity supposed to be. Is possessed OF
an income which is not far short OF tne
amount received while President OF tho
United States. Most of his work Is what ls
known among LAWYERS as "ofiice-work."
He has been engaged in some big cases.
He is very often at his Office at $50 O'Clock
In the morning and remains there till after
dark. He is still q prOdigious worker. lie
seems to have little time for politicians,
but is always glad to see newspaper re-
porters. He is never so busy that he can
not be seen by reporters who know MN,
and he will discuss every subject under the
sun but politics.
WARD M'ALIIsTER HAS NO Rival.
That nothing succeeds Ike success is
shown in the case of Ward McAllister. The
New-Year bali, the echoes of which are still
reverberating in Murray Hill parlors, has
made him the most talked-about of all the
social leaders, and has given him prestige
and an influence so far above his fellows
that he has not even rival, much less an
equal McAllister's life is pretty well
known. He has had his ups and downs.
He is one of the most remarkable men
in this country. lie - q shrewd imam
cier and so good Judge OF the value
of money that he manages on an income
of perhaps 500 year to live as well
as some of his ncighbors who spend
three times that amount. He is an ex-
pert in the art of dinner-giving, and he
Is one Of the best cooks IN this country;
He can make q salad as well rs did
Sam Ward. that prince of good fellows.
in his palmiest DAYS. He is story
teller, the equal of General Horace Porter
or Chauncey Nj. Depew. and he IS more
than either of those conference.-the is a
ronnoisSe1 of Wines 1t is no secret IN
the wine trade that not one man out
of hundred knows the difference be-
tween "A fairly good sherry and one that
is worth ITS weight IN gold. You will see
men at the various clubs holding up their
glasses to the light, and proclaiming that
this Burgundy or that champagne has no
superior or equal, when, as matter OF
fact. after they have passed the dead level
of good wine, the judges are so few that 1T
is easy to impose on almost any one. Nc
Allister is not one of these. He has wine
cellar collected at great expense from all
quarters of the globe. and while ne IS not
drinking man at all. except that he likes
wine for dinner. he can tell, without see.
Ing bottle, the age, richness, and value OF
the article.
A coNSoIssEUR.
When he selected the wines for the great
New York ball supper he showed his good
Judgment, although he was severely criti-
cised for departing from the usual custom
of taking what the caterer said was the
best Since that time he has been the re-
cipient from wine merchants and dealers
all over the country of sample bottles Of
their goods, for which they hope to get
favorable word from him, for IT IL known
now that if McAllister says his wine is
good OF bad the sentence viii fly from one
club to another and from one dinlng-roon
TO another along Fifth avenue until the
fame and fortune of the wine has been
made or it has been ANONYMOUSLY turned
out of good society.
SO with the florists. They are so eager to
serve him now and through him gain trade,
that there Is hardly day on which he does
not receive sufficient assortment of cut
flowers TO keep his parlors looking like
conservatory. 1t is so IN other matters;
and those who have dined around his hos
pitable board say that he gets the best
joints. the best game, as well as the fresh
est and most delicious vegetables OF any
man in New York; not that he pays more
for them than does his neighbor, but be-
cause he is Ward McAllster, and can make
any wine merchant, florist, caterer, or
butcher independent for life by saying the
word.
MRS. GRANTS QUIET LIFE.
A well-equipped brougham dashed
through Central Park the other afternoon.
The driver was in deep mourning, and the
sole occupant of the back seat was con-
spicuous for her pale face and widows
weeds. II was Julia Dent Grant, widow of
General Grant. She was out for her after
noon airing through the park. There was
q stream Of carriages and horseback riders, |
but not one person of that fashionable |
cavalcade knew the distinguished woman. |
Mrs. Grant looked what she really is-far |
from well. She has been ailing for q long |
time, aud isvery seldom seen in society. Her |
eyesight Is very poor. She attends church |
regularly when her health permits. drives |
out because her doctor insists on 1T. and lives |
aquiet. peaceful life among her own circle |
of friends. One of her most frequent |
callers is General Sherman. He often |
dimes ut Mrs. Grants house. and is on the
most intimate terms Of friendship with
her ooier,e Of friends. When General
Grant was alive all the big and lit
tie men Of the country who visited
new York paid their respects to him,
but they have forgotten his widow.
aud now she is seldom troubled except
perhaps when some old soldier whom her
husband befriendcd comes to inquire after
her health or Some of the dead Generals
most intimate friends pay what may be