The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-03-17
MRS. wINcHEsTER's MANIA.
She Fears That she VIII Die ~ She
stops House building.

domeS, turrets, cupOlas and towers, COW
ering territory enough for a castle. 1t
is now nearly ten years since the hand
some residence was considered ready for
occupancy and the owner moved in. but
still the carpenters build. The sound OF
hammer is never hushed and addition az
ter addition is always being put on. A
new one is begun whenever its predeces-
scr nears completion.
The reason for it is in Mrs. Winchester's
belief that when the house is entirely fin
ished she Will die. This superstition has
resulted in the addition of room after
room until, although no part is more than
/ two stories high, the house is large enough
to shelter an army. one can only guess at
what il will be
Mrs. Winchester's late husband was the
| inventor of the world-famed Winchester
rife. and a part of the immense fortune
he made from it has been used to cult
vate and beautify the farm on which the
ever-growing palace stands.
The farm is six miles southwest OF San
jose on the Saratoga road. 1t contains
about 100 acres Of land, and is largely set
out to fruit trees. The orchards are ex-
| tremely well kept. Around one of them
which borders on the main thorougfare.
is a cement sidewalk Inside the walk is
u
a long row Of palm trees stretching its
whole length. Between the palms and for
a foot and half on either side of them.
is soft carpet of Scotch moss.
Nothing can exceed the care with which
Mrs. Winchester has provided for the
/ well-being of the palms and moss. A
water pipe runs the entire distance, with
small boxes a few rods apart, within
which hose may be attached so that the
trees and moss shall not suffer for water
even in the dryest seasons. If by any
chance either one or the other receives
| serious injury 1t is Immediately replaced
| by new of its own kind
| The house stands in the midst Of a large
| and extremely beautiful lawn. Fountains
! throw their spray over figures that seem
| almost human. Beautiful flowers grow
everywhere - roses. lilies trees, vines.
| pampas grass, rare plants of every de-
| scription dot the soft grass and help to
make an old German castle, with its
surroundings and strongholds. There are
| many buildings besides the house, and
/ they, too, show the effects of the own
| er's odd belief Summer houses and con-
| servatories are made with the most pic
! turesque of pinnacles, and there are many
| unexpected inches where groups of stat
! uary are hidden. Even the barns and
| granaries are built in LIS and Us, which
| suggest that they were made In parts and
| are ready at any time to have the work
| continued
| The first view Of the house fills one with
surprise. You mechanically rub your eyes
! to assure yourself that the number of the
! turrets is not an illusion, they are so
| fantastic and dream-like But nearer ap-
| proach reveals others and others and
! still others. How is ii possible TO build
on an already apparently finished house
and preserve its artistic appearance
| through so many changes is a query that
/ nobody can answer, but the fact remains
! that it has been done. From every point
| of view new towers appear, and one has
| to make the circuit of the building to see
| all of them, for every addition of the
many that is made has one or more sep
arate roofs, and every roof is elongated
! into tower or rounded into a dome. Not
| every one erected is sure to remain,
! though; the main cupola was pulled down
and rebuilt sixteen times before 1t pleased
the taste of the owner and was allowed
| to stay.
AS fast as new room are fnished-and
! they are all made with the very latest and
most modern of accesories-they are fur
nished with the utmost elegance and clos
| ed, to be used hardly at all. Mrs. Win,
| chester and her niece live alone in the
| great residence, and its doors are closed
| to all but a favored few. The tap, tap,
tap of the carpenters hammers never
dsturbs them in their cozy and luxurious
| quarters, which are so far removed from
| the sound as if 1t were somebody else's
| house that was being built
The front view of the house and lawn
! is a magnificent one. All the beauties of
| both impress themselves upon you at first
glance, but it is not until You begin to ex-
anime in detail that you fully realize the
amount of work that has been done. Di-
| rectly over the main entrance is a square
| turret the highest point on the building
| In each side Of the turret is a gable There
| I- MA ant tVCf 10.
with windows and glass doors for it's Sides
| 1t opens upon a small porch which rests
| upon the roof of another porch like en-
| trance situated just below. Below this Is a
series of porches clear to the ground. Or
namental work, gables and pillars are
/ everywhere used unsparingly. No less than
ten towers of different shapes and sizes
are to be seen from the front, no two alike,
and everywhere are rooms of odd shapes
and sizes.
From the side and rear of the building
rise other and more square, round and
various shaped little rooms, big rooms
| and medium sized rooms, with all the pc
culiarities of those in front. Here is the
wealth of unique shaped eminences, their
number far exceeding those seen from the
front. The apartments al the extreme left
/ of the house were finished last, and as
/ they face the west and south their oval
! shape insures them a wealth of sunshine
!
! ers poisoning within. In fact sunshine
! is everywhere in this house. Scarcely a
nook in the entire mansion but is bathed
in it some time during the day, windows
| having been placed wherever it was pos
sible TO put Uneven tiny pane of glass
| The builders scaffolding now stands a
! little to the right of the main entrance,
near the center of the front, and at no
time during the day are the carpenters
| idle.
In appearance Mrs. Winchester is scarce
| ly beyond the prime of life. She is
| shrewd business woman and socially very
exclusive. Whether she has discovered the
secret of eternal youth and will live as
| long as building material, saws and ham
| mers last, or is doomed to a disappoint-
ment as great as Ponce de Icons in his
search for the fountain of life, is a ques-
| ton for time to solve.
A Siamese State Affair