The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-04-07
NOT IN POVERTY.
A Deuisl Of the Report Concerning Cara
Lou q. X, Hog.


doys ago Tipping from the star or tnat
city, which had been copied from TIE
Philadelphia Times. The headlines over
the extract read: Wealth to Poverty. "A
once Gifted Songstress with Barely
Enough to Sustain Life" and TINS waJ
the opening paragraph:
I'm that stony region given over 20
boarding houses, near Fifteenth street
and Third avenue. In the city OF New
York, there lives in a small ballroom
a gray. withered woman, whose gifts once
made her famous. Her face IL pallid 1ni
drawn, and around her 4unl<en, black
eyes are dark circles. She speaks TO no
one. and only goes out in the evening TO
gee meal at some cheap restaurant on
the East Side. And this woman rs Mrs.
Strakosch, nee Clara Louise Kellogg.
There IS hardly a music-loving Phiadel-
phian who VIII fail TO recall her"
Now, this was Startling news TO mo.
Mrs. Strakosch and have been intimate
friends for some twenty-five years, so
you can imagine that such statement
as this gave me something of { shock
a. well as a surprise. | was particularly
surprised, as only Tn Sunday last | had
II nched with her at ner apartment in
the Westmoreland, at Seventeenth street
and Union Square-a very good luncheon,
too. for her cook Is an admirable one, and
| had not suspected the approaching
change I'm her condition. IL must have
been terribly sudden change. indeed, for
while her dark-brown hair was not I'M
mixed with gray. there were no signs OF
whitening about her. In fact | should
have called her decidedly plump. Her
face may have been "pailid," for she
never at any time had much color, but
her eyes were not "sunken," neither were
there dark circles under them. she
speaks TO no one" says this paragraph,
which is not very flattering TO my vanity,
for she talked a good deal 10 me. espe-
earlier than usual this spring and prom
Used ME long drives behind her team OF
hays II | would pay her longer visit
than | usually do. after the laurels had
begun 10 blossom. l remember now that
she did say something about going out
at night: she had bought seats TO see
Rejane tat $3.50 each). and IL was for an
evening performance, not a matinee.
OF course, after reading this statement,
| went at once to the Westmoreland 70
see what had caused so sudden a change,
not only In Mrs. StrakoSch's personal ap-
pearance. but I'm her financial condition
as well, and TO offer what small assist
a>ce l might to my old friend. The
apartment looked just the same. There
were the Turkish rugs on the floors, the
costly paintings on the walls, the cabl-
nets allied with silver gimcracks, the silk
embrOiderles, the Venetian glass, the fine
old Mountaineering had happened to
them, at least. The prima donna's voice
called me into the library, where, spread
on lounge and chairs we're lot OF newly
imported gowns she had just bought and
wished me to admire. She had not with
cred a bit-I never saw her looking bet
ter. | looked at her bright eyes. but
could see no dark circles. She was in the
best Of spirits, and seemed very pleased
with her purchases ! could not under
stand It. There were no signs of pow
erty here. and yet the newspaper had
been very explicit, and newspapers are so
careful TO be correct when making state
ments about people. | made some excuse
to get into the MUSHROOM, and there,
a. 4 h. aUFcI a anr "a
ping from my pocket and read the clos
ing paragraph:
'She now had an estate amounting to
half a million. and took good cara of IL
until 1881, when she met an Englishman
named Durfee. a plausible fellow. who
wanted TO establish In England a big
publishing-house like Norman Munro &
Co.'S, turn out the same class OF litera-
Her returns were 50 per cent, paid out
OF her money, as It was afterwards dis
covered. About 100000 was obtained from
her, and then the smash came. There
was still moderate competency left, but
this went into bucket-shops and mining
shares. and with this came the end"
Now. here was something Ike truth
at last. This statement had some foun-
datiOn, and here IL is; At the time that
Mr.. o. ~ Durham bought out the Amerl-
ne organized a stock company, and Mrs.
Strakosch bought $500 worth OF stock.
For one or two years she got 10 per cent.
interest Then came the crash. Mr. Dun
ham fled, and she was out Just the
$500 she had put into the business She
did think OF buying more stock when
the company was reorganized. but decided
that she had better not sell any OF her
railroad stocks and bonds at that time.
for they were all paying a fair rate OF
interest The "Englishman named Dur
fee" is probably the American named
Durham. and the 10000 should be $500.
No reporter would spoil a good story for
such slight differences. ! only wonder
that, while he was at It, he did not make
II just a little more picturesque by say
ing that the old crone sitting on the
curb-sfone at Fourteenth street and
Fourth avenue. grinding her hurdy-gurdy
for pennies with the other, was none
other than the once famous prima donna.
Clara Louise kellogg.-Jeannett l.. Gil
der.