The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-04-21

into cash at once. A price of $23,OO0 was fixed on as representing it's value. Two or three weeks elapsed before anyone made an offer for the stone that even approximated its worth. On Saturday last Mrs. Wallace entered the shop and | as Is her custom, summoned the pro- prietor to attend her wants. After | being shown various less princely gems, | the big diamond was brought out for her inspection.
 By long experience a thorough con- noisseur in precious stones Mrs. Wal l lace recognized the worth of the jewel | Almost instantly upon taking the stone ] in her hand she launched an inquiry as |, to it's price. On being told that it was held at $2S,000, she examined it more l closely, and, after some moments of | thought, she offered $20,O00, saying that | was her estimate of it's value. Realiz- | ing that purchaser was found for the | diamond, the proprietor called in the | owners agent. A nasty conference en- | sued, the jeweler insisting that it | would bring no more, and the agent re- | plying that his instructions forbade his parting with his trust for less than the | price asked.
 | Mrs. Wallace listened with apparent | indifference to the consultation, trying the effect of the light on the gem. | When the utimatum of the agent was l pronounced, she told him she would split the difference with him. That set | tied the transaction. The bargain was | struck, a check filled out, and the sec ond largest diamond in this country was the property of Mrs. Wallace. l Less than 15 minutes was required to consummate the sale of this magniti- cent bit of carbon, something unprece- | dented in diamond seeling, which usu- | ally requires hours, and even days, to arrive at a satisfactory conclusion.
 Mrs. Wallace's latest acquisition is in the shape known to jewellers as the "table cut,' familiar to lovers of preci- | ous stones as the most common form, as well as the best to show off the light | reproducing powers of the stone. It is 1 "A caratS and fraction in weight l without the slightest flaw.
 When offered for sale the stone was set into the case of large, oldfash
 toned watch; it is now being mounted in brooch of plain gold, simplicity be- ing the effect desired.
 Mrs. Celia A. Wallace comes from a | New England family of Revolutionary fame-the Whipples of Wentworth, N. H. Her father Dr. Whipple, was a mo- table man of his day, and his brothers J held high political and social rank. An l uncle of Mrs. Wallace's was a lifelong friend of President Franklin Pierce and on the death of the latter he willed Dr. | WhippIe his valuable collection of his- ! fn, rI
 Mrs. Wallace is now a woman of ma- ture years. In the early 70's Miss Celia l A. Whipple, then a beautiful woman, in the prime of life, came to Chicago
 Here she met J. s. Wallace. wealthy lumberman. It was love match, and marriage soon followed One son was | born to them. In 1873 the husband died, leaving large fortune. Some years later the son, then a stalwart boy of 16, passed away.
 Since then Mrs. Wallace has given her time solely to the management of her business affairs, and to works of 1 charity. She was great admirer of David Swing, and at his death contrib | uted $50,000, as nucleus, for the per- manent fund to keep up the work of the Central church. The model school | for boys, which shelters and educates 500 street urchins a year at Glenwood, | H., is one of her most notable public | donations.
 All the year round Mrs Wallace | maintains a luxurious suite of rooms at the Auditorium. At St Augustine,
 Fla, she has winter home, and her
 cottage at Lake Geneva is one of the most unique summer houses at that re-
 sort. It was the Idaho building at the ! worlds fair, and was built from logs
 cut on the Snake river. Attracted by
 the quaint features of the building.
 Mrs. Wallace bought 1t at the close of
 the fair. It was taken apart and re- moved to it's present site and rebuilt
 after the original plans. Another fla
 nous worlds fair exhibit purchased
 by her was the Tiffany chapel, a mag
 nificent production of marble, stained
 glass fine guilt and topaz This she
 presented to Bishop Potter for the new
 cathedral in New York, with the pro-
 vision that it was to be used as a rnor-
 tuary chapel for herself and son.
 Mrs. Wallace is known to her friends
 as one of the most charitable of wo-
 men; she has made many silent and
 unostenatious beouests. To those who
 do not know her intimately she appears
 eccentric. Her rooms at the Auditorium
 are protected by three sets of locks,
 which fact set many of the hotel gos-
 sips to wondering. To Mrs. Wallace $
 friends the reasons for her precautions
 is plain; she is the owner of countless
 costly gowns and wraps, and her jew
 els are worth large fortune. On | nFoa ne.ssR C., s,In
 bought $100,000 worth of diamonds in
 one lot, partly because she liked the
 stones, and partly because they were
 cheap. All these valuables are kept in
 her rooms, and her precautions against
 the temptation of theft have made
 many unknowingly call her queer.
 1