The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-06-30
WAS CLEvELAND'S FRIEND
Aitcr a Row With Havemeyer He
Agreed 10 Build Gymnasium.
CAUSE OF PRESENT TROUBLE.

M
Cieveland's second administration. 18th
presidents friend, as he was known 70
some years has now como 70 the from
again, however, by reason of his falling I.
build and ht up . gymnasium for tn,
public school at Greenwich, Conn, accord
ang to promise made some five years ago.
That promise was the result of a row
widely exploited at that time in print, be-
tween Benedict and Henry o. Havemeyer,
the ohief monster Of the awful Sugar
trust. Havemeyer was spending thousands
OF bis own money putting up tho school
house for the beneit of the town, and
Benedict was as we'll pleased with it as
anybody there till 10 was seen that the
STRUCTURE, built as planned, would shut OF
tho beautifuIyiew Of Long Island sound
from his piazza. Then no kicked hard
ana the two millionaires had o PERFECTLY
lovely row. This resu1ted in modiflca-
ton Of the schoolhouse plans, by which
the upper part, or perhaps the whole of
tho top story, IN which the gymnasium
was originally to have been placed, was
1oft o6 and the before mentioned promise
OF Benedict 70 build separate gymnasium
was made.
The present row was started by men,
bcr OF the Greenwich common council
who once kept a saloon which no was
Obliged to shut up because Benedict dlidn't
approve Of its location.
A Splendid Connectiout Palace.
Mr.. Bcnedict's present residence Is not
the one from which the schoolhouse built
with Sugar trust profits shuts OH the
view ~ was . large, not overpretentious
frame house, which stood good fraction
OF mile from the railroad station and
still farther from the shore. Il was quito
comfortable, not to say luxurious, in it's
furnishings, but by no means splendid.
His present homo ia real palace, standing
ncar the waters edge not far from Green.
wich, on tho site once occupied by william
M. Twoed's notorious Amcricus club, and
later by the Indian Head hotel
1t Is said that Mr., Benedict q decision IN |
buy tho site and erect a dwelling thereon
was prompted almost wholly by the cir
cumstanco that, though he had preserved |
tho view from his former residence when |
the Havcmcycr schoolhouse threatened. IL |
could not be preserved against later build
crs. All sorts Of persons, attracted to
Greenwich By its natural beauties and the
residence there Of somc scor ss of very rich
mon, bought property between tho Grcen-
wfch house and tho shore and, curiously
anough persisted In building to suit their
own convenience and not that of sstbe
presidents friend" They wcro willing
,pough to admit that he owned tho air
|'ear to tho zenith directly above his own
~ estate holdings, but they refused
Doint blank to concede his right to saw
What they should do with the space above
heir own. He might have settled eyery-
ming to his own satisfaction by buying
ome hundrods OF acres Of land and level
ng all the buildings standing thereon, but
nas plan Jailed to appeal to his imagina-
lon.
Bssides It would have been costly even
2 ms purse, though doubtless less expen-
ve than hts palace 1t Indian Head. Just
ow much money Mr.. Benedict laid out
, that structure has never been made
nown 70 tho hoi polloi but 1t was q .
hole lot sure enough. Persons who
I'VE sen most Of the swell country seats
tho United States say IL lays over them =
1, with tho possible exception of bride
,oom George vanderbilt's chateau in the :.
lls Of North Carolina. =,
Mf. RenediCt's house Is an exceedip0lv !"
rge one on the ground, extending over :.
qraae spocc - to make its height seem "
uoh'less than tho So feet its three stories a..
ally aggpe&at4.A II is built OF white :"
~, but the roofs arc OF red tile, which
% bF11Iiapcc to It's appearance, and the
aQie forme one Of the most beautiful su
'eures on the Connections shore Of the VIC
nnq In ADDITION TO tho money spent
me house, Mr.. Benedict has poured out col
lieg With layish hand In bcautifyinr sr'
narpQr, bosides deepening the waters
tnft MS beloved yacht can ride lazily st ser
cPor not fqr from his own front door. Ito
One who should come TO New York aft j
viewing 4r. Bepcdict's palatial sum- no
z home would naturally expect TO find ici
omoe housed IN one of the modern s
'ltiple aQofSd, onyx trimmed, steel franz nor
palaces Of business s
a Shabby Once In New York. dru
3ut the Benedict Office, where the money pet
build the house at Indian Head was
de, is quite the reverse of what would
expected. Not to put too fine n point
n IT. tho Benedict Office Is positivelv Uc
bby. 1t stands away down town. cor.
Ing on . narrow alleyliko thorouehfarc
Broad street, whore the Dutch of New II
stcrdam digged q canal when America Rai
rally new. The building, of which son,
ONCE occupies the ground floor, Is old. In Il
At and dingy. SO much for its outside cou
ct. Within all is quite in keeping. Holl
desks have seen long service. The beer
n are well worn. There "a little som. wnl
Ice of business, mono at all of hurry. Sou
r. Benedict himself is anything IN hn-
onal appearance but a money king -
can 50 manipulate the market In Ger. -.
stocks as to make fortune for an oc-
ntnncc most any day II ne so desires.
ngurc is OF medium height, his fnce
evidently seen much exposure and his III
Is ns musical as crosscuf saw that III
> to be set and filed. But ne rs not A -
man TO reach or a difficult one 10
70. The visitor TO his Office Is stopped
no way 10 tho inner sanctum by no
n buttoDs. nor .s it necessary 90 send
Iaru stating business" There u ar Ma
danf at linnd to receive callers. OF crna
e, but this attendant has no red tatc vori.
nd and offers no obstruction. Se,. sess'
-; he's here" Is his reply 20 the terat
'typci Inquiry, II Justified by tho scher
walk right In and talk to him. FRI