The evening times., 1898-08-15
MARY LETTER As A QUEEN
She Will Rule n Vice EmPress IL
IEdia,a COGlta

=. The first American woman to become
| real queen is the daughter of a former
dry goods clerk. She will rule more than
3oo.0Oo 600 people. She will occupy an Of
fetal position higher than any woman Of
this nation has ever attained. having
| mounted to 1t on foundation Of dry
goods and Chicago real estate, but she
| is worthy of 1t.
George Nathaniel Curzon. who mar
ried Miss Mary Letter. Of Chicago. ILL.,.
has been made viceroy of India the high
est administrative office in the gift of
the British crown. There he will be the
vice king. and his wife will be the vice
queen.
This American woman will act for
Queen Victoria and will sit on a throne.
and none will be too great to bow before
her. She is thirty-one. has S5.000,0O0 as
dowry. and her position is fixed for all
time In England she is upon the high
| est pinnacle.
Thirty years ago the father of this
American queen was selling calico and
stockings over a counter in Chicago.
When he gained wealth his wife fought
hard for social recognition. and succeed
eu Her daughter can make Mrs. Pot
ter Palmer. her mothers ancient social
enemy. knock in vain at the portal of
European courts. even after having con-
Quered the Four Hundred and Newport
Mira Curzon will sit on throne in Cal
cutta. There and a. Simla the po,itico-
social life in India will revolve about her
Levi Letter was first employed as
clerk In little country store. Then he
went to Columbus. Ohio, where he sold
calico and ribbons. He was little more
than a peddler. From there he Travelled
to Chicago, and in 1856 he entered the
dry goods house Of Cooley, Wadsworth &
co. After time the firm was reorgan-
lied. and Marshall Field became partner.
In 1865 the firm of Field. Palmer and Lei
ter was organized. Wealth rolled in 1t
Is not on record that Levi Letter was So
cially ambitious. but his wife was
She made assault after assault upon the
exclusive garrisons OF Chicago society.
and was forced to withdraw with honor
ana slight loss. She then decided to come
TO washington. The Letters first lived in
the old Blaine mansion. and afterward
built magnificent house fronting on Du-
pont Circle. 1t is one of the show place,
of the Capital
Meanwhile the children were being eiu-
cated. MISS Mary Letter and her sister
were not projected into a boarding school
school. where young women are Taught
how to enter and leave a drawing-room
and to make small conversation in a per.
! fectly polite way. The older daughter
studied seriously. She was sent abroad
to complete her schooling.
Then II was said long before her mar
| riage that Miss Mary Letter was deter
III ned to marry foreigner and usually
II was added that he mus; have a title
want title as much as she wanted
! power And her training has demon
strated that she appreciated the advan-
tages of well-trained mind.
The Letters have spent much time
| abroad. Miss Mary Letter took adyan-
taSe of her opportunities. She became
proficient in the Continental languages
The first warm friendship which Miss
Mary Letter made in Washington was
with Mrs. W. C. Whitney and through
her the young woman became an inti-
mate friend of Mrs. Cleveland. She was
an everyday visitor at the White House
when she was in this city
There is not any doubt that the eldest
daughter is the intellectual member of
the family. Young Joseph Letter went
to Harvard and became Immensely pop
uiar. He spent a deal of money and did
nothing in particular. Miss Letter met
Mr.. Curzon first abroad. They saw much
of each other in England and Mr.. Cur
ZJn frequently came TO the United States.
There is no prouder family in England
than the Curzons and never was there
harder-working OF more ambitious
young man. s .s.--,
1t is not said here that 1t was a love
match. which is a very excellent reason
for believing that It was. Undoubtedly
Miss Letter could have married a title
had she chosen. Her father was worth
SIS 0OO. 900. She is a very beautiful wo-
man. exquisitely graceful. possessing
that indefinable thing called style" and
with fine skill in gown!ng herself. Many
men fell in love with her and many more
with her prospective millions.
Mr.. Curzon fell in love with her. Pos
sibly he believed that her fathers wealth
was no drawback. And ii is very reason
able to believe that the young woman fell
in love with him. He is a good man to
look upon. He IS thorough aristocrat.
He embodied those things which Miss
Letter had come to look upon as import
ant in man. He was sch9llrly and am
bilious. He was pointed out in England
as the most prominent of the young Tor
les. He had already attracted attention
to himself In Parliament Now Levi
Letter is a shrewd judge Of men. and he
did not accept George Curzon on his
name.
saw that the time was coming when
be sure he would succeed to the title of
Lord Scarsdale some day. IL he lived. but
he was not content with that. The young
kxls,