The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-01-16
PASSING of Mrs. Aver.

The death of Mrs. James c. Aver IN
Paris. the ether day. removed one of the
most picturesque characters from the
American colony OF the French capital
The eecentTicities OF this many-sided wo-
man have furnished much food for the
gossips on both sides OF the Atlantic. She
was laughed at by those who accepted her
lavish hospitality and was maIigned by
those who were objects OF her charity.
Although an old woman-she was over
seventy-she assumed the manners and
dress of extreme youth The ravages of
time constituted her greatest dread She
would not admit even to herself that she
was getting old. And with one foot IN
the grave she bleachsd her hair and pow
dered her face and resorted to all the lit
tie tricks of which she was master. But
il was OF no use.
Great wealth and kindness OF heart were
| both hers. She was extravagant alike in
her folHes and her charities The world
knew of the follies and ridiculed them.
| The charities were not so well known.
| Among her benehciaries were no less than
| forty women all OF whom had once been
/ in comfortable circumstances and 10
/ whom she gave regular incomes ranging
/ from 500 to $40 month each.
The Aver millions were made in patent
| medicines. and that fact did not make il
| any the easier for Mrs. Aver. A woman
! OF intense social aspirations. she submit
/ ted TO snuhs and persevered In this couE-
/ try she never secured any recognition. de-
/ spite her villa ~ Newport and her cot
/ tage at Bar Harbor. So she went 10 Paris
and found what had been denied her in
/ her native country.
| Her maiden name was Southwick-Jose-
| phine Mellin Southwick. Her father was
\ a Quaker, one of Lowells pioneer manu-
/ facturers. She and James c. Aver grew
/ up together as boy and girl. He was a
| clerk in a drug store, who had saved a HI
/ tie money and who started in business fc-
| himself He manufactured a cough mix
| ture and advertised 1t in the local news
/ papers. He was the pioneer in the patent
| medicine business. and II grew rapidly.
/ Before long the Aver preparations were
! known the country over. When James {.
Aver died, in 1873. he left fortune OF
| S15OOO.lJ0.
| Two years later his widow went 10 Paris
| and with the exception of two or three
| summers spent in this country. had lived
! there ever since. She was a godsend TO
more persons and more different kinds Of
| persons than any other woman in Paris
/ Young American art students were taken
| under her wing by the score. She paid
enormous sums for pictures.
| Tradespeople and professional men ben
| Gifted extensively by her lavish geuerosi-
| ~. She employed a dentist who visited
| her daily. Her physC were numerous
| She had specialists every ache ,..:i
! pain, and her fees W. NOUS For
| gears she had large SUI, .. ..,,trtments
! in the Hotel Continental and kept a
| perfect retinue of servants She esJab-
! lished salon--a typical Bohemian gath
| ering-to which many came out of curl
! osity. For a long time she was Obliged
/ to content herself with this
Finally, by degrees, she forced her way
| into the most exclusive circles. and then
| she rented the house of the Due dc Non
| chy. one of the finest in all Paris. Her
/ social functions became the talk of the
! city. No other woman entertained with
/ such disregard for expense. Her affairs,
/ however, were seldom given in her house
/ There was no room
And thereby hangs a tale Of one of the
| strange wOman's strangest eCcentrici-
/ ties. Every apartment was filled with
! gowns placed upon dressmakers' dunn
mics. She never disposed of them. as do
| other women. Every article Of wearing
| apparel which she owned was carefully
| preserved. as though she fully expected to
| wear il at some future time Nobody knows
/ how many costumes Mrs Aver wore ev-
| cry year-more than any other woman IN
I Paris. il was said. At any rate her
/ grand establishment was full Of them.
She had passion for jewels. and in
| vested IN them very extensively. She de-
! lighted TO wear her gems even going 20
the extent of wearing decoIlette gown
/ and ii diamond necklace in the morning.
| She made a sensation in this country on
| one or two occasions by appearing at en-
| tertainments in a Directoire costume in
! Guiding the long. flower decked STAFF.
! Mrs. Ayers crowning social success was
! the dinner she gave i'm honor Of Mrs.
| William Astor in Paris in 1897 Nearly cv-
/ cry guest bore title and they We're all
| distinguished Mrs. Astor wore al her IA
| nous jewels. and she was outshoue bv
! her hostess. Melbd sang al this entertain
| ment.
OF course, there was deal of talk abou;
| her getting married again. At one time no
| less than three princes were aspirauts for
| her hand. Princes IN Paris are almost as
! common as colonies IN Kentucky and Mrs.
/ Aver would have none ~ them.
| Last June she gave "a dinner and a cotH-
on. which were both remarkable for their
/ splendor. At the dinner were Prince and
Princess d'Iscnburs Prince De Solofa. the
/ Marquis Sierra. the Comtez Jean SeEonzae
and bertrand Paul d'Aramon. the Nicom-
/ ties Pierre de Chezelles and Rene de Cham
| guests were Potter Palmer. General and
| Mrs WinslCw. General Horace Porter and
Griswold Cray