New-York tribune., 1896-10-25

improvements In travelling since the time OF her
first Journey The trip which then took thirty days
now occupies haif tha, number Of hours
NEw-YORK ~ 1909
II is difficult 20 realize that the great metropolis
! has during her lifetime sprung from the siaai'
town which little Deborah Rawson first saw In lse
At that time she says. there was but one tneatre
! IN New York. the Park Theatre and IT. advertise
mont, which occupied ore column In one OF 1T"
dallies OF that time. requests gentlemen rot 10
smoke In tho theatre. al! hopes that they VIII no.
go out between the acts expecting to return. be-
cause OF the difficulty experienced by the ticket
seller IN remembering avery face.
While Mrs briggs sill. little girl the family
moved to Fron,-st.. Brooklyn then the fashionable
part OF the city. The only ferry or mode OF transit
between the cities rowboat. as this was prior
10 the hcrseboats which preceded the steamboat
Her father captain cs a Liverpool packet m"
L great friend OF the Collector OK the Port MI
Swar,hou,. who, Notwithstanding the fac; tha.
there had been three four hundred applicants
for the pace, and that Captain Rawson hac
made no request for II, appointed him keeper OF
the Princess Bay lighthouse ~ Staten Island, ard
there. ter years after. Deborah Ann Rawson and
Charles r. Briggs married. The ceremony
was performed by the Rev. Mr.. Moore, the bride
wearing 4 travelling dress OF pale lavender SIX.
trimmed with lace. The portal; of Mrs. Brgss.
made In her young womanhood by the well-known
artist Page the lifelong friend OF the family, Is
that Ct beautiful woman, ana IL sun fHucH hkr
her. An old Jarky known "a BLACK Harry. up
TO the tne OF his death a few years ago delighted
in telling how he passed the tea tray and added
for the dancing at Miss Deborahs' wedding.
Mr. Briggs was always literary. and began HIS
career by writing for the papers tle was assistant
editor O.. Tho Times with Henry J. Raymond.
taking entire charge OF the paper during the alb
sence Of that gentleman In France American
Minister 10 that country. Mr. Briggs afterward
became Editor of Tho Broadway Journal" with
Edgar Allan Poo assistant editor. With George
william Curtis he edited "Puinam's Monthly dur
Ing the entire period OF Its publication.
PERSONAL. FRIENDSHIPS OF MR.. BRIGGS.
Mr. Briggs possessed the remarkable quality Cf
drawing 10 him close personal friends many
OF tho leading men OF his time. This Is evidenced
by the great number OF letters which his wife and
daughter stil treasure. They showed Tho Tribune
reporter letters written by Louis Agassiz, John e.
whittier James Russell Lowell. Henry J. Ray
mond Thackeray. George William Curtis and many
others all In friendly and familiar vein. Mrs.
Briggss house was ior many years resort o;
artists In literature painting and music and It was
in this atmosphere tha, all her married life was
spent. and which her daughter. Miss Charlotte
Brlggs, has always lived
II may be due to the broadening influence OF
sucn surroundings that Mrs Briggs has arrived
nj her great ago without single 'old fogy" notion
SO steadily has she. In her quiet, home life kept
pace with the times through which she has passed
that she is stlll. with sight and hearing nearly
gone ready to accept new truths aud retains her
interest In the great questions OF the day.
/ or all the persons whom they have received at
their homo remembered by Mrs. Briggs
with greater pleasure than az evening visit from
tho old negro abol!,onis sojourncur Truth, who
was ushered into their parlor by Theodore Tiiton
The picture presented as they entered. OF the
tall. gaunt negress with her knitting work, and OF
tho handsome. elegant man OF the world. was one
never TO be forgotten. nor the enthusiasm Of the
great reformer IN showing new pattern for a bed
quilt.
Many are tho interesting anecdotes about famous
people In literature ana art that Mrs. Briggs re-
members. One IL especially amusing. william Page
lived. during his sojourn In Rome. with the Brown
! ngs. and their particular friend. He asked
Mrs. Browning once how she happened to call her
sonnets "Sonnets from the Portuguese" She re-
piled that she had pair OF Portuguese blankets
and named them after the blankets
Mrs. Briggs was asked what newspaper she con.
eidercd the bcst. and she replied without a mo-
ments hesitation, bringing her small fist down en-
pna'ically: The Tribune. I liked The Times
When my husband edited 1t. but The Tribune IS
atop?' ' "
oh. I'm for gold"
And do you favor woman suffrass?"
NO. I am Republican and have always talked