The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-09-15

prise was a railroad wreck. The enter
prising Doc Abbey had come east and
started west again with a train-load Of
| fine stoock from Gebhard's stables-s30o.-
| 600 worth Of norse1esh, it IS said.
This precious train-load went over q
| ninety-foot embankment at Shohola Glen.
| Pennsylvania, in the dead of night. In
| that fearful mix-up of car debris and
horses, Gebhard's $4,000 stallion Eole, and
most of his other valuable animals were
killed outright, st. Zavier and Mrs. Lang
! try's $500 saddle horse and the brood
mare Mineral being the only survivors,
DOC" Abbey was badly broken up, but
was nursed back to health again by the
faithful Lily who came to his aid as
fast as wheels could turn, from her sum-
mer home at Long Branch After the &C
cident, came a regular run of horse luck
on the farm.
The revenue that was expected never
materialized, and as years went by with
out satisfactory returns, Gerhard and the
doctor had a falling out.
Meanwhile Mrs. Langtry also became
discouraged She refused point-blank to
lay out any more money upon the profit
less stock farm. Abbeys only course was
to refuse to work the farm, and this he
did.
For little while the broad, sunshinny
rich-soiled acres lay inthesun and the
rain and soaked and baked. They might
nave ben there Indefinitely without filling
but for the foresight of Lake county
ranchher, who knew his business. Frank
Srnythe, now supervisor and one Of the
successful few Democratic politicians in
the county sized up the land and offered
to put in a crop. Abbey disclatmed au-
thority and told Smythe to do as he
pleased. Smythe did so.
A few months later Mrs. Langtry had a
new agent on the property, blooming
young Britisher, whom many people in
San Francisco probably remember, A G.
P. McNalty. McNalty asked Smythe for
his authority for placing the crop.
Smythe confessed that he had none. Nc
Nalty inquired as to who would get the
crop Smythe laconically remarked that
probably the man who cut 1t would get
it. McNalty decided TO adjust things that
way. Smythe gave up a portion Of the
crop as rental. And thus for the first
time in five years, Mrs. Langtry's invest
ment of over 100000 yielded her a revenue
regime had come the termination Of the
horse and stock breeding. Gerhard had
already begun to sell off his best animals.
Langtry's courses went by the board also.
The big property changed from a horse
farmto grain farm. The romantic no.
tons of 1887 were metamorphosed into the
business conditions and necessities of 1894.
McNalty remained as Mrs. Langtry's
representative for a couple of seasons. He
watched the farm run on British princi-
pies. but British principles are funda-
mental financial, whereas the principles of
the Langtry farm were now required to
be economical. Reluctantly ne allowed
Mr.. Smythe to cultivate the property on
shares, and quite as gladly he absorbed
all the money that the industrious Mr..
Smythe could harvest. Mrs. Langtry got
little benefit from the change.
She had invested fully 100000 in this
paradise which might have been con-
sidered lost but for one thing. She OBJ
tanned by this means a nominal residence
in California. and was able to sue for di-
vorce from her husband. Edward Langtry
OF London. She succeeded IN this, after
many difficulties and delays, and was
awarded tho decision making her free on
May a. 1897.
1t would, perhaps, have been worth
800, 900 to be single again. had not the mad
dened and heart-broken husband of her
youth died a few months later in an Eng
lish asylum.
With no longer any need for Cali
fornia legal residence, and with the old,
sweet memories Of years ago. gone and
Nr. Gebnard's adjoining acres having
passed into other hands the famous beau
" no longer wants TO be encountered
with this western Eden.
Il is to be broken up into small fruit
farms, and nothing but tradition left
Of the grand times Of old.