The morning call., 1895-02-10
AT MBNLO. PARK.
The selby Family One of the Most Prominent
Of the Neighborhood.

Of the Neighborhood.
Special to THE CALL.
REDWOOD CITY, Feb. 9.-The shadow cast
by Ralph SeIby's death fell on some of the
statehest homes in Menlo Park. The fam
lily is among the wealthiest and most ex-
elusive of those that dwell at the pretty
suburb. The home is a beautiful edifice
surrounded by trees, and reached by a long
avenue where moss-covered and majestic
live oaks cast their wavering shadows. 1t
was the home of Ralph Selby's father,
who was Mayor of San Francisco about
twenty years ago. The ex-Mayor's widow,
Mrs. Elena Selby, lives there, and the chill
dren, of whom there are several, have al
ways regarded it as their home.
Adjoining the homestead is the resi-
dence of Percy Selby, the younger brother
Of the deceased. Opposite is the dwelling
of Colonel Eyre, also a relative of the
Selby family A few hundred feet from
Percy Selby's mansion is the old-fashioned
residence of Faxon Afherton, who married
one of the Selby girls. On one side of
Mrs. Selby's lawn is a public avenue,
named i'll honor of the family.
The ex-Mayor was married twice, and
Percy and Ralph and Mrs. Faxon Ather-
ton were the result of the second union.
Ralph, whose untimely death has dark
ened the later days OF his mothers life,
was born in Geneva, Switzerland, thirty
three years ago. He was educated at an
Eastern university, and early in life began
to seek the society of artists. He had a
cabin some distance from the family man.
sion and passed many of the happiest
hours of his existence under its s1oping
roof. He was a painter of no mean ability,
and in the old cabin he dreamed the
dreams that took form on the canvas
Ralph married the daughter of W. ].
Adams, a well-known lumber merchant of
San Francisco, about eight years ago. She
was bride of rare beauty and the wedding
was an event that society long remem-
beredA They lived happily together for
five years and then the wife died, leaving
no children. Since her death the widower
spent little of his time at Menlo Park. He
had an olive ranch at Santa Barbara and
was also the owner of a ranch near Mon
terey, and had a share in his brother s
business at San Francisco.
His brother owns the steamer Tia
Jnana, which was recently put IN COMPETE
ton with the Southern Pacific on the Red
wood route.
The management of the traffic between
Redwood City and San Francisco occupied
much of Ralph's time, and little was seen
OF him at Menlo Park.
People at the Park are at a loss to explain
his death. He was talented, wealthy and
temperate, and to those who were his in
Inmates, displayed a genial disposition.
There may be woman in the case, yet no
one here knows anything about his
amours, if he had any.
As soon as the news of his death reached
Menlo Park, all the members of the family
and near relatives took the first train for
San Francisco. Percy Selby, it will
be remembered, had caused some
thing of sensation by marrying the
wealthy widow of the late J. Macondray.
She was many years his senior and
married her first husband on the day her
second husband was born. Through his
wife Selby obtained an interest in the we'll
known firm of Macondray q Co.
The Selbys have residence in San
Francisco, where they usually spend the
winter A few days ago they made ar
rangements to return TO the Park. But
their plans were somewhat disconnected
by the arrest of their coachman, who had
been left in charge of the place, for rob-
harry