The Portland daily press., 1900-12-15
HUNTINGTON's WEDDING
FEE.
The Use which Henry ward Bsseh.,
Made Of NJ.

Once, in 1884, Henry Ward Beecher re-
quested me to POSTPONE lecture engage
ment on account OF an important we'd
ding which he had on hand. He de-
clined to tell me- who was to be married,
and asked me 70 say nothing about it. In
fact, he said, he knsw little about 1t him
self. He invited me 20 his house that
evening, and 1 was sitting with Mrs.
Beecher In the library when the doorbeil
rang end the parties were escorted to
the parlor.
He called Mrs. Bescher 70 join the
party, hut was not invited. They must
have remained an hour, chatting. after
the ceremony, and then MIR. Beecher, In
his cheerful, delightful manner, escorted
them to the door and they drove of. Mr.
and Mrs Beecher then returned to the
library. exercising great wonder, and, 1
think, great satisfaction ut the event.
Then he told me that he had just mar
ried O. p. Huntington TO Mrs. A. d..
warsham, who was quite prominent
woman in New York. He believed she
would make MIR. Huntington an excellent
wife. She was just the woman for him.
Several weeks after this incident MIR.
Heecher and were together on the oars,
and he was having what he called
general houseclssning of his pockets =
not an uncommon occurrence. His pook-
cts would often get loaded up with letters
and papers, and II he happened TO be sit
ting by an open car window.he would
cltar out his pockets, tear up old letters
and throw them away.
On this occasion he happened to put his
hand In the watch pocket OF his panta-
looms, and found theirs little envelope,
whioh he opened. When he saw Its con-
tents, he called me to sit beside him, and
remarked:
"You remember the evening married
q. =. Huntington, l was 50 much In
terested IN the subject that L forgot he
handed me little envelope as he went
out OF the door. put IL In the watch
pocket of my pantaloons and never
thought OF 1t again until just now. ana
here It is--four one thousand dollar bills.
Now" he said, don't tell any one
about IL and we will have good time
and make good deal of happiness with
this money. We VIII Joss consider that
wa found 1t. +"
A few days later he called and asked
me TO go with him downtown TO look at
a cargo OF rugs which had Just arrived.
think we went to place somewhere In
Pearl street, below Fulton, and we had
to go up two or three flights of stairs.
The place was packed with rugs, and
people were handling them and marking
them. Many were brought out and
shown TO Mr.. Beecher, who seemed TO be
quite an expert In rugs as well as In all
other lines OF art. lie picked out quite a
nun ber-some Of them very valuable
ones-and left instructions to have them
sent TO various friends of his in accord
apce with a list which he had made out.
There was one beautiful prayer rng
which he sent to friend In Peekskill a
member of his church, and think he
sent one to each OF his children and to his
sons wives. He also purchased quite
number for his own house. For ons
small prayer rug ne paid $40. asked
him to let me pay for that one and keep
IL for myself. He said;
mo; that's the finest rug here. pro-
pose to keep that one for myself" saw
IL sold for $50 at.Mr Beeoher's collection
sale All of those rugs would bring high
or prices than MIR. Beecher paid for them.
Later we were at store in Philadelphia
where he purchased a beautiful coin sill
yer lamp, and paid 500 for 1t, remarking
pond, this is some of the money that
we found" lie sent tine lamp to his own
home and / afsrward saw 1t sold in his
COLLECTION at the American art galleries
think 1t sold for only SOS. tried to get
60 the auctioneer 70 tell him that 1t was q
coin silver lamp, and what Mr.. Beeoher
had paid Tor 1t, but 1t was too late.
lie fought pair of andirons in Gin
cinnati and ssnt them to his little friend
Violet Beach in Peekskill. Her mother
had lately built beautiful house ad-
joining MIR. Beecher's farm. In his let
ter toy iolet's mother he said: ~ send
a present to Violet and If she doesnt
Ike 1t let her pnt 1t In the fireplace.
He spurchased great many unmount-
Cd gems, some of which he subsequently
had mounted, aud gave them To friends
Many were mounted in very pretty rings
/ think he really did absorb the entire
81, ono in making happiness among thoss
whom he loved.
After Mr.. Beeoher death C. p. Hunt
ingtoH was very kind to Mrs. Beecher.
He always furnished the transporta-
tlon for trsnscontinental trips to visit
her son on Puget Sound ana 1t WAS my
TO call upon Mr.. huntington
with Mrs. Beecher's messages, as Mr..
Beechsr dead was MIR. Beechsr living TO
me and took pleasure in going on these
ezra nds.
One day related to MIR. Huntington
the incident of Mr.. Beec hers discovery
of the four one thousand dollar bills, and
he replied:
az should never have given them to
him. 1t WAS all wrong. / made a mis-
tnke. Money never did him any good. "
Since THAI tine l have visited IN any
OF MIR. Beeoher S old friends, and have
seen in their HOUSES some of the rugs and
other presents purchased VITA that money
that call up FIND memories
Of the dearest friendship one could posi-
bly, possess. l oftsn wonder whether hap
piness made In kthat way Is not more
effective than when money is invest ID in
some public library or othsr charitable
where it never seems to Rrouss
any deep feeling OF personal graf tude on
the paIt or the benetciaries. Ma jor
RnndIs Rarni scan mag