Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1892-06-12
FOSTER AND SMITH.
The Sscretary's Practical Joke on
the Big Oil Millionaire.
FISK, GOULD, And An OPERA-HOUSE.
poxertx Of tho Formers Widow-Rains-
ford's Church-Annex saioon-ino
EiysIum-sons OF Rich Men.

Nyw York, June 1l.-While Secretary
Foster was abroad recently he had Win
him az guest Mr. l.. II. Smith. one OF the
rich oil producers. formerly OF Pennsyi-
xania Mr.. Smith is himself very much
given to practical jokes, and notwithstand-
mo the warm weather and his two hun
dred and thirty-odd pounds he Will go iar
ont of mis- way TO see something to laugh
at. and particularly fit is joke at another
mans expense. While Foster and smith
were in London one Of the lackeys ID tue
hotel accepted from some one IRON inc
limited States a counterfeit American haii-
dollar ne a TIM When the lackey ascer-
famed that the half dollar was counterieit
he was in deep distress. smith klndly
sugeested TO him that his friend. MT. fos-
ter. across the hall. was high, oncer .,
the American government, ana ne snvui1
amply TO him for relief. The iacEey cai,su
on the Secretary and stated MS case. nI.
Foster heard his story ana tooh PaI. .eI 90
note of the fact that he was indebted 70
MIR. Smith for the confidence which tue
leckev reposed in him. AscertelnIng, 700:
flat he did not know from whom ne had
received the coin, Sir. Foster informed
him copfideptIally that the queer" had
been showed upon him by no otheI
than the man Smith himself and
advised him to mag" the oig hmeri-
can by day and by night until ne pro-
duced another coin IN place OF tue coui i
terfelt This advice was religiously i9i-
lowed aud Mr. Smith never got out OF the
hotel nor came into ii without reminder
that he was expected to make good"
The lackey, acting under tho advice or the
Secretary OF the United States treasury,
even followed Mr.. Smith upon the street
and demanded tina. the wrong be maze
rlpht. Smith threatened to Kill the lacksy
IN cold blood, and also to complain TO the
hotel clerk, but was dIssuaded from potn
Inv Mr.. Foster. Finally tho day OF their
denarture from the hotel arrived. Smith
had not vet made good, and the villain stu
pursued him. Foster had final interview
with the lackey and instructed HIM that
in the event of his being unable 10 get
satisfactory settlement out OF Smith he
shoHld have an officer at the door at o Ger
tain hour. and when the American coun-
terfeiter attempted 10 get into a CAP ne
was TO have HIM arrested. The lackey iol.
lowed these instructions implicitly. ana
when Mr.. Smith placed MS bag IN the CAP
and attempted to follow Mr.. Foster into
the vehicle the shadow of his Nemesis.
accompanied by that of British booDie, ,
fell across his path. With q roar OF
rage Mr.. Smith declared by the seven
GODS of war that he would execute his
threat OF homicide: but Mr.. Foster ADVISED
calmless and settlement. As the matter
had resolved itself into settlement or q
detention which might mean the missing
of q ship. Mr.. Smith reluctantly made goou
for some other fellows counterfeit half
dollar. And now il is understood in tnan-
cial circles that if the Treasury should re-
ouire a few millions to tide over strin-
eenoy Secretary Foster would be unable 10
secure the needful from l.. ii. Smlth, the
millionaire oil-producer.
THE STORY OF MARBLE PILE.
The new theatre which L. Henry French
is erecting in Eighth avenue near Forty
second street will be intended as the sue.
cessor in popular affections on the west
eide here OF the famous old Grand
Opera House at Twenty third street
and Eighth avenue-a pile OF white
marble in which every block has
a story to tell. Real-estate men say
that JAY Gould or his son George. to whom
he gave the Grand Opera-House for q
birthday present on the young mans
attaining his majority. will not MAN.
tain II as a house of amusement AZ
ter Mr.. French's present lease, which
was recently renewed for short
time at tho enormous rental or
$4,000 shall have expired. ire
mendous chapter in the history of New
York will be closed when the Grand Opera
House is sold at auction, as it Is SAID 1t
NAV be or ceases TO be theatre. IL was
in that white marble pile that FISK and
Gould planned their great operations IN
Erie which convulsed the finances and
Judiciary alike OF New York, led TO their
own romantic exodus to Jersey City, and
the awful panic OF Black Friday. 1t was
thither that the new Erie directors marched
from Sam Barlow's house when they
passed violently through the uniformed
guards and took possession OF the all
night directors meeting which the FISK
Gould contingent was holding. and finally
voted both Fisk and Gould out OF the Erie
control. 1t was there that Jim FISK hrst In
troduced the uniform suit and brass but
tons into the railway and steamboat ser
vice of this country and established bar
whose magnificence was In those DAYS un-
paralleed from Boston TO San Francisco.
II was there that he entertained the ladies
of the ballet" aud the queens OF song y
between the acts, access from his own box.
in his own theatre, TO his own parlors and
his own bar being passing easy, and 1t was
over that bar that be took his last
drink-a big glass of lemonade. Fisk's
widow. by the wav,. who. joined
with tJOulQ III u uttl VI ir'tieu-
ton" which conveyed this Grand Central
House block back to the Erie Railway
Company, IL now living in poverty IN
South Boston. Her husbands estate was
at one time inventoried at a little less than
So ,O0O, 000 That was Just twenty years
ago, and the childless widow Is not what
is called an old woman now. But she
hasn't any OF the Fisk money left, and
when Mr.. Gould was enabled to buy the
Grand Operations back from the Erie
Railway Company, few years after the
Mrs. Fisk joined him. she didn't
figure in the transaction at all.
Mrs. Fisk saws, what Is more. that
she would be rich woman to-day If she
had her rights. This may be so. If the
world owes US a living, as somebody said
once, 1t must owe riches by the same
token to some of US. That's curious
contrast, though, growing out OF the
theatre glut in New York-Jay Gould, one
of the richest and most powerful factor,
in our national life, literally the owner OF
many millions, the wizard whose touch on
the electric button can send thrill OF
pain or OF gladness to thousands OF homes,
and the widow of his old partner, jim
Fisk, lonely and penniless in Boston!
THE RAISsFoRD SALOON.
DttCuuS DiODhOiN bObh oi tAtto NUN
bv way of CONTEMPLATING himself wher
DR.. Rainsford preached that sermon IL
which he came out against soft drinks ,
and IN favor OF making the saloon an an
mex 10 the church. The devil may have
chuckled softly to himself at the same
time. DIR. Rainsford's plan of establishing
saloons with church capital and under
the auspices of the churches has tsmporari
| ly at least extinguished the blazing ligh!
of DR.. Parkhurst. whose theory OF Crap
! ping with vice is to grapple with 1t and
have j. done. DIR. Rainsford would ele-
vate vice, lift il 40. and license it. As foi
| the saloons he would evsngeliZs them,
and make them dispense a quality OF
| LIQUOR that would not make such differ
| nee IN the morning. Defoe said:
"Whereyer the Lord erects house OF prayer
The devil always builds chapel there
He seems to have expressed the Rains
| ford idea as to how it should be done. DR.
| Rainsford believes the house of prayer
and the drinking place should go together
| but he would have the church either builC
| the latter OF lease il from his Satanic Ma
| iesty, provided he had already built 1T
| A visit to some of the drinking saloons il
| the lower part Of the city Will convinc,
| any one that they ought to be elevated
l and compelled TO sell better LIQUOR, bu