Wichita eagle., 1890-01-09

Gner, over whose DOdy tae olcQucuG DaITlSuer
delivered that famous Grafton. CLARK In
gersou," said Mr. Raum, ''once owned nice
lot of real estate in Washington. 1t was q
tract of twelve acres, if my memory serves
me right, in the northwestern part of the
town, around what is now Dupont circle. 1
believe the Chinese legation, the Blaine house
now occupied by Mr.. Letter, Senator Saw
yer,s new house and Senator Hearst's palace
are all on the ground which Clark Ingersoll
once owned Clark was hardly able to carry
the land. which he was convinced would be q
good thing if held long enough, and In order
to keep up the taxes and other expenses he
found it necessary to borrow some money.
Just at that time he knew Mr. Conkling had
q little money to put out, and he went TO
Conkling for it. OF course the loan was
made, and it ran along for some time. In
gersoll was finally forced to dispose Of a part
of the property, which he did short time
before his death.
'sWhen Senator Conkling heard Ingersoll
was in financial straits he took the mortgage
which had been given him to secure his loan
and started for his friends Office to make him
present of the paper. On his way he heard
that Clark Ingersoll had fallen dead in court
He presented the whole sum to IngersoHs
widow, however, and on account of this gem
erosity she was enabled to save part of the
land in this city from forced SALE What she
saved out of the wreck has since made her
independent. If Ingersoll had lived and been
able to save the whole tract he would now be
q very wealthy man. Those twelve acres are
worth million dollars at the very least"
Some people cannot understand why Wash
ingtou real estate should have such rapid
rise in values. Perhaps they forget that
wealthy families are continually coming to
Washington in search of homes. Retired
merchants and manufacturers, and men who
have gone out of public life, look upon the
capital as an ideal place in which to spend
the evening of life. There is nowhere else in
the country such market for fine homes In
no other city of the size Of Washington is
such large number Of handsome and costly
houses built every year.
A rather curious outgrowth Of this populari-
ty of Washington as place of residence for
wealthy and indolent people is the colony Of
rich widows. Washington is full of rich
widows, and if there is not an influx Of
fortune hunters as soon as the social season
shall have gotten fairly under way I'll miss
nv guess. It seems that in almost every
chusetts or Pennsylvania avenues one dis
covers a lady more or less mature and more
or less comely, attired in black The widows
find here comfortable climate, pleasant So
ciety and various attractions dear to the
feminine heart, whether wife, maid or
widow. In some cases that l know of the
widows had such lowly origin in the COM
munities wherein their late husbands grew
rich that they are glad to get away from
childhood's scenes and to pastures In which
their pedigree is not known to every one they
meet There is now a greater number of
widows than ever before, and society lady
said to me, probably in jest, that a PROPOSE
tioD had been made to set apart Saturday as
the widows day for receiving callers that
being the only day left unappropriated by
the various classes Of official society.
The official society of Washington is very
easy one to make headway in. Almost any
body can rub noses with cabinet ministers
and senators by simply trying. No such bar
riers are thrown up i'll front of society here
as are to be found protecting, like Chinese
walls the swell circles of Boston and New
York In Washington, the official society
has political basis, and of course that Is
equality for all Thus many persons ambl-
tious for social distinction are attracted t.,
Washington by the very ease with which ths
entree may be secured.
A very good story told by an Illinois meka-
ber of congress clearly illustrates the meth
dds of some Of these socially aspiring persons.
A few years ago a gentleman, who had
grown rich as a dry goods merchant in Chi
cago, came down to Washington as a retired
millionaire bent upon social conquests. He
knew nobody of Importance here, and hence
thought it would be good idea to advertise
himself So he prepared big dinner and
invited all the members Of congress from his
state to attend.
II had very good reason for not wishing
to accept the invitation" said the member
who was telling the story, 'but by misuu-
derstanding my wife wrote and mailed an
acceptance while | was at congress. On my
return she told me what she had done, and SO
l concluded would make the best of it and
attend the dinner. AT the appointed hour
was there The host was very gracious,
and the menu was gorgeous. and there were
flowers and music and everything one could
wish for. But during the evening my next
neighbor one of my colleagues in the house,
and myself got TO talking rather oonfiden
italy and told him that | had not intended
accepting the invitation He asked why,
and l told him that previous to that evening
our host and myself had never had the pleas
ure of meeting. Then he said that he was in
the same predicament, and had come out of
sheer curiosity. By some sort of Free Ma
sonry we managed to pass the inquiry along
the table, and it did not take us long to dis
cover that with one or two exceptions all the
guests were as sadly deficient in previous
personal acquaintance with the host as our
selves. think that was the queerest dinner
ever attended in Washington"
ROBERT GRAvEa