The morning call., 1893-04-02

era, afterward appointing him United States
Judge as successor to Roscoe Conkling's
fathar. Nearly ali subsequent members OF
the firms descending in direct line from o.
II: Marshall have held some Important Of
fee from District Attorney up. One of
them, Hon. Lyman II. Bass. was not only a
District Attorney, but member OF Con-
gress, and his widow is now the wife of
Senator Edward WolcOtt of Colorado. Mr.
Bass was Bssell's first partner, and Grover
Cleveland Joined the firm in 1874 after his
term OF Sheriff had expired. Bass with
drew or account of ill-healtb In 1881, and
left the firm name Cleveland & Bissel The
two men did very large business as conf
dentlaI ADVISERS and counsel to corporations
and In year they were obliged to take in
another partner. Mr. Cleveland remained
member OF the firm throughout his term
as Mayor OF Buffalo, but retired upon his
election as Governor of New York, leaving
Mr.. Bissell at the head of the firm, which is
now styled Bissell. Sicard, Brundage & Bis
SELL
am told here that notwithstanding the
fact that the new Postmaster-G General has
been making from $4,000 to $4,000 year
at the law, he has never had case IN
court in his life. Still he has been
member Of the bar for twenty-five years
and has made fortune of something more
than half million dollars. He has Won
derful executive ability and has made his
40 SOuboCi III DiS COlppIdbiOH NuoCas
lie Is great man on contracts, and his
quiekness to form asound Judgment on i'm
portant matters has caused his advice to be
sought in many of the largest railroad
transactions of recent years. He mas
been president of two railroads and
is still at the head of the Buffalo
and Southwestern, which he organ
lied, for which he obtained the right Of way
and for which he conducted the appraisal
by which the road was leased to the Erie
and lis stock brought up to par. He organ
iZed the Buffalo and Geneva road, now
branch of the Reading system, procured its
charter and was its first president. He also
organized the New York corporation of the
Lehigh Valley Railroad. His present con-
nection with the Reading system would be
hard TO discover, but, without exception, his
railroad management has been remarkably
successful. He has a faculty for getting
quickly to the bottom of big matters, and IS
a famous negotiatOr. Hence by tact and
training he seems to be far better man for
Postmaster-Generalt than most persons have
supposed. l am told that the Postoffice De-
partnent was the portfolio hs wanted, and
that he said to the President he would like
either that or to be Secretary of the In
terror. though he didn't care much which.
Mr.. Bissell. with all his greatness, Is
devotee OF the cigarette. He smokes iDces-
sanity, and uses the Russian and Turkish
varieties, and with his big head as back
ground these little cigarettes grow smaller
and smaller till IL looks as though he was
smoking the end OF a taper rather than
smoking. He smokes while he talks, and
he is a good conversationalist. He is sim
pie and unaffected in his manner and Is, 1
find, very popular with those who know him
well. He has been club man for years.
He was president Of the Buffalo Club, the
most important institution of the kind in
Buffalo. for longer term than any one else,
and they tell of seeing him engaged IN
three-legged race up there with Buffalo
bank president He never was member
of the fast set. however, and now that he is
married be is so devoted husband that he
is the subject of much good-natured TESTING.
Mrs. Bissell has been living in Buffalo Tor
only few years, but she has made herself
very popular here and l find that she has
many admirers and friends. She is both
pretty and accomplished and she promises
TO be one of the leading social figures OF this
admins alton. Let me tell you how she
looks. Mrs. Bissell is tail and well rounded.
Her dark brown hair is worn combed straight
back without a crinp or curl. She has
beautiful teeth and handsome blue eyes.
She has good tailor, but in dress she fol-
lows Mrs. CleVelsnds taste for simplicity.
She carries her head high in the air ard
gives one the I'm IMPRESSION of strong self-reli-
ance and great energy, determination and
ambition.
There is as much of a romance connected
with the Postmaster Generals marriage as
with that of President Cleveland. Mrs.
Blssell's maiden name was Louise Sturgis,
and she comes from an old family which is
well known in different parts of the Union.
One branch of it lives at Mansfield, Ohio,
and one of Mrs. BiSselPs relatives there has
a big brick house in the most fashionable
part OF the town. Another branch moved
from Mansfield to New York City. and
Stephen SturgiS Is one OF the unknown we'll
TODD men OF the metropolis. He would be
called rich outside of New York. The
branch TO which Mrs. Bisseu belongs comes
from Geneva, n. Y, and Mrs. BIssell first
came to Buffalo to teach music in the
Buffalo Seminary. She had early shown
a great taste for music, and 1t was
here that she had in part earned the
money which took her to Germany and
France. where her beautiful contralto voice
had been trained by Stockhansen and La
Grange. Since he time she and Mrs. CIeve-
land had been schoOmates at Wells College
she had planned and worked and studied
with the idea of becoming q professional
singer. When at last she was fitted to ap-
pear in public as a professional, one of her
first engagements was as a sOloist alta Buffalo
orchestra concert While in that city she
was the guest of Mrs. George Sicard. wife
of one of the members of the Bissell firm.
Mr.. Bissell met her there, and 1t was case
of love at first sight" on both sides, and
thu arrows of Cupid drove the Goddess of
Music off the field, and Louise Sturgis, the
music-teacher. became Mrs, Wilson 5. Bis
sell, the wife Of the rich Buffalo lawyer and
the future PostmasteT-GeDeTah
Mrs. Blssell. of course. gave up her teach
ing upon her marriage, but at her home
here she has always had a musical circle
round her, and at the capital she will form
feature of Its musical as well as of its
official society. She has fine voice and
she has sung at q numbef of entertainments
for charity. Her home here is fine old
fashioned brick residence OF two stories
and a mansard roof. There is a tower in
the middle of the front and this forms the
entrance on the ground-fnor. 1t is situated
on Delaware avenue, surrounded by beguti-
full gF Iehc aud is the house in which
James NJ efattheWs, the famous editor of
the Buffalo Express, lived and died. Post
mas ter General Bissell bought it a couple of
years ago, and he has furnished it in a solid