The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-10-19
KATE cHAsE-spRAeuE,s MARRIAGE.

Kate Chase-Sprague was only twenty
tour when she was married, but her life
had been such that she knew more of men
and things than the grayest-haired lady
among her guests on that occasion. She
was her fathers confidential secretary.
She had presided over her home in Column
bus while he was governor of Ohio and she
was his chief lieutenant and most ardent
worker in his campaign for the Presidency
of the United States. 1t may be that her
ambition to have her father in the White
House made her marry Governor Sprague,
for Chase, though he had been Senator of
the United States and had had a long pub
lie career, was far from wealthy, and he
had no money ''to put where it would do
the most good" Sprague was the richest
man in Rhode Island and he was thought
to be several times a millionaire. He met
Kate Chase when her father was governor
of Ohio and when he was governor
of Rhode Island. 1t was at Cleve-
land where Kate Chase was visit
ing. The wedding took place here
in Washington while Salmon P. Chase was
secretary of the treasury. His house was
on Sixth street, near the patent Office, a
place that is now far out in the fashionable
part of the city. 1t was in the days of
President Lincoln one Of the finest houses
here, and the bridal chamber, the library
and parlor which the young couple were to
occupy were furnished with every luxury
which wealth and good taste could supply
Marble mantelS were imported from Italy,
oriental rugs covered the floors, and the
parlor was luxuriously furnished. The
wedding was a grand one and President
Lincoln was among the guests. He reached
the house Just after the ceremony had been
performed and he gave the bride hearty
kiss when he came in. He was told that
the wedding was over and replied that he
regretted it, but if it was so he had to sub
nit and added, 81 suppose you can't burn
that gunpowder twice for even a Presi-
dent"
HOW KATE CHASE FIXED THE CoACHMAN.
Mrs. Chase is now living on her farm,
Edgewood, near Washington. 1t was the
country home of her father during his last
days and the city has gradually crawled up
to it until it is now worth a fortune 1t
contains fifty acres, and Mrs. Chase farms
it so that she makes money out of it and
that is doing more than most farmers do
about Washington. She manages every
thing and sometimes even follows the
ploughman to see that he does his work
properly. She buys everything that goes
into the farm and is good tinancier and a
good manager. 1t was the same when
she was the wife of Governor Sprague
She controlled her household and
her servants with an iron hand
encased in gloves of velvet She
had big retinue of servants and her
French cook got hundred dollars month.
In her use of servants she would not toler-
ate impudence or disobodience and as an
instance of her methods of dealing with
them, she once asked one of her coachmen
to do something in the house. The man
objected and said that he had been hired
to attend to the horses and that his only
place of duty was on the box of the carri
age and in the stable. 'All right" said
Mrs. Spague. And she thereupon ordered
out the carriage and kept the coachmen
sitting on the box all night And his place
was good one he submitted rather than
throw up his job, but he never refused to
do anything that Mrs. Sprague asked
thereafter.
KATE CHASE'S LITERARY WORK.
Kate Chase is still a very fine looking
woman. She looks ten years younger than
she really is and she works as hard as any
woman in Washington. She is writing q
lie OF her father and her work will be full
OF unwritten history. In addition to her
wonderful "reminiscences gathered during
PERIOD covering quarter of century III
winch she was in the closest confidential re-
latlou with the greatest statesmen and gen
erals of her day, she has bushels of letters
made up OF the private correspondence of
public men and she has her fathers diary
and letters. Not long ago she said that she