The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1897-06-27
AMERICANS IN RUSSIA.
Gossip Growing Out of the Logan
McCook Controversy.
A PLAIN OBSERVERS SPICY TALE
rbr scrumblcs and Jcnloustes OF n
Cotcric who We're fiHS'"S '"'
places mt Cara Coronnu"n'

Anropos Ia the controversy which has
arisen between John a. Logan 'r' anu
The fighting McCooks" touching the eriu-
c,sms by the McCooks OF Mr.. Logans mill
tarv dress and pretensions OF the czars
and MIR. Logans recent demand
for a retraction OF the stories from inc Me-
Cooks, an American business man VINO was
In Moscow during tho great event throws
this side light through the New YORK jour
nal on the incidents leading UP to inc
charges and the controversy. 1t Is interest
ing reading aud shows how ridiculous
Americans can make themselves at times.
and especially in Europe:
Il read Johnny Logan's letter to General
Alexander Mcdowell Mccook in this morn
iuEs Journal. 1t was the moro Interesting
because / happen 10 know Hoou wa,
il resulted In l was In Russia with my
wifo early In 1896 and because she wished
Il we remained there and went TO MOSCOW
to see the car crowned We We're theie
us plain American citizens. unoiticially'
mark YOU But there-and since my re-
turn here-I learned some queer things
about Johnny Logan, the McCooks, Crelgh-
ton Webb. of whom Mrs, Logan says this
morning that he was busy with every ones
affairs but his own. and about other Amer
leans more or less distinguished.
Some time before the date fixed for the
coronation the Russian munster at Wash
incton informed Secretary olney that II
would be agreeable to his government II
the United States would send to the ear s
coronation some sort OF an envoy, mil.
itary envoy personal representative OF
the president. Secretary of War Lamont
Was then in New York. and President
Cleveland wrote to him telling him the
government had no money TO pay FOR the
fun of special ENJOYS. and suggesting that
he select some one who could pay his own
way Secretary Lamont WAS in the army
building on Whitehall street every day.
Casting about for an envoy, IL was sug-
gested to him that General Alexander NC
Doweli McCook, his wife and daughter
were then somewhere in Europe. and that
Mcdowell would make fine envoy La
mont sent to Alexander & Green's law OF
flee asking where McCook was, and telling
why he wanted to know. In a precious few
hours Lamont learned that General Nc
Cook was in Rome, that he would be de-
lighted to go to Moscow as military envoy,
aud that Captain John j. McCook would 80
along his brothers aide.
Creighton Webb became interested.
Webb you know. is a brother OF Or. Sew
ard Webb. Cornelius Vanderhilts brother
! in-law, and Of William Waiter Webb OF
the Central railway Webb was secretary
OF the United States legation In st. Peters
| burg when Andrew d. White was minister
to Russia Webb was secretary from Janu-
airy 1898. / think until the winter oi
1891. and he wanted 10 he In Moscow dur
ing the coronation. Webb went to Wash
ington. and MIR. Oney told him very po-
| liteiy that he could not go officially that
he was persona non grata TO the Russians
/ As a matter of fact, White and the state
! department would have turned down Webb
very hard when he was secretary had i
not been for the influence of the Wander
bits and Chauncey NJ. Dcpew.
Then Mrs Charles Alexander. younf
Alexander's wife. became Interested in tht
coronation. Mrs Charles Alexander wa
Miss Croker, daughter OF the California
banker and railroad builder. who left hei
an immense fortune. She is worth s2o0'
a day, they say. 1t was fine oppor-
tunity for Mrs Alexander, a family party
of the McCooks and Creighton Webb IL
shine in Imperial society, more particularly
as Mrs. Alexander was perfectly willing
II need be. to pay the freight Creighton
| Webb went on ahead to Moscow, and h'
| went unoffcally Mrs. Alexander John j
McCook and daughter followed and stopped
in Paris Mrs Alexander went TO Worth s
Virots, Doucet's. pequet's. Louso's. the
| Maison Ncu TO half the dressmaskcrs II
Paris. and ordered court costumes. Sh'
didn't ask the price of anything, but sait
| Make me a dress of this or Make me I
mantle Of that The dressmakers really
thought of erecting shrines in honor o
Mrs. Alexander.
she arrived In Moscow with forll
trunks maids, servants and McCooks
I Everything Was prepared Tor their comma
Creighton webb had rented for them IN
banker Zenka's palace. on the RojeStvensh,
Bulyar the swell street in Moscow. tn
rent was 5000 for 0 few weeks. Clifioi
n Br.ckiurldge the American minister
Secretary OF Legation Pierce and the le
CATION were installed In the Widow Mat
terms house next door TO Mrs AlcNande
and the McCooks The good Lord an
MIR Breckenridge alone know now the le
cation paid for the Widows fine house tn
state department allowed Mr.. Brcckin
ridge $4,000 for the legations expense
during the coronation festivities IN
French ambassador. the Due de Monte
bello. had half million dollars to spent
But then you must remember the Freuc
were coddling tho Russians.
"Well. Mr. Breckenridge received MIS-
Alexander and the MoCooks with ope
arms. He was al the railroad station I
meet them. The Zenka palace was 500
filled with liveriod servants, rented an
the stables were filled with horses and ear
riages. servant IN imperial livery wa
assigned TO each legation. and crei3h'o
Webb drove around Moscow with this sol
eaous servant on his carriage box, leayin
cards of his and Mrs. Alexanier's and III
McCooks for Crank Duke This and Print
That. Why, confound IL. sir, We5o's ooarl
, man drove so hard around MOSCOW that
killed a horse. When the horses own'
threatened suit. Webb retorted that b
o was one OF the legation and couldn't !
arrested or sued. He called ainsef u
i assistant secretary OF legation.
i "other Americans arrived Mr., and Mr
4 Potter Palmer were there. And Miss Edi
Collins, chauncey M. Dcpew's ward.
whom he was SO often reported 10 be Ell
q gagged and Who married a Russian, vi
d was in the service Of the sultan; and Mr.
n Logan and Johnny Logan arrived, WI
q them were two or three young women. Il
= daughters OF very wealthy Western me