The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-11-11
AMERICAN GIRLS RISE.
Daughter OF Poor Tailor, Became q
Real Queen.
Boston Special n, Y. JournaI)

(BOstOn Special n. Y. JournaI)
Miss Anna Perkins Slade, a niece of
the dowager queen of Portugal, was
married in Brookline a few days ago in
a beautiful dress given to her by her
aunt, the only American woman who
ever became a crowned queen, and who
now lives in luxurious privacy on the
beautiful Pena estate at the mouth of
the Tagus, in Portugal.
The bride, whose aunt's career was
almost as romantic and magic as that
Of Cinderella, has no royal ambitions.
She has married plain American. He
is all the king I want she says.
The dowager queen, who gave Miss
Slade her wedding dress and wished
that she might be happy, was Elise
HenSleT. She was born sixty-fOur years
ago in Boston Her father was a poor
Jewish tailor, who lived in a back
street. often the girl VINO was to be
queen and her sister Louise delivered
clothes at the homes of their fathers
patrons. They carried to its destina-
ton raiment that they had collected
for treatment in accordance with the
sign in the window of their fathers
shop: Pants neatly pressed
Elise, who was to be queen, had a
natural talent for singing. So had her
younger sister. When the elder was 10
years old she gave d concert in Spring
field, this state, where the family were
then living, and it was her intrOduc-
ton to the musical world.
The old tailor, eager for the success
of his daughter, took her TO Europe
soon after she was IS years old. She
sang at La Scala and then in New
York.
The turning point in her career was
when she sang in the opera house Of
San Carlos in Lisbon. The opening
night Of the opera was on the birthday
Of Don Fernando, the king, and he sat
/ in the royal box with his eyes fastened
upon the fair American on the stage.
It was a night of triumph for the
t2iIor's daughter The king, who had
/ married his first wife in the year OF
Elise's birth. was himself a musician.
{ He became attracted by the voice and
manner of the girl from over the ocean.
They met at the palace of the kings
aunt, the Infanta Isabella. Don Fer
nando threw himself at the feet of the
Boston girl.
! In Europe they keep up their oId-time
( theories that blue blood runs in the
veins of kings of a hue deeper than
that in those of ordinary folk. To
make their social levels more equal Don
Fernando induced his brother, the
Duke of Saxe-Coburg, to make her
I Countess of Edla.
Don Fernando was first cousin to
Prince Albert, the husband of Queen
Victoria. The queen dowager and
tailor's daughter is, therefore, a con-
nection by marriage of the Prince of
: Wales, the German emperor, the car
of Russia and a handful of other kings
and mobiles.
Don Fernando, like Prince Albert,
might be termed a "squaw man." since
he obtains all his honOrs by marriage.
He had welded POrtUgaIs queen, but
. instead of remaining prince cOnsort, as
Albert did, the title of king was be-
/ slowed upon him. When his son sue
. ceeded to the throne he became a sort
! of dowager king of Portugal
To marry the American, Don Fernan-
do had to obtain the consent of his son.
The American queen was not regarded
as royal by the royal family, and al
though she was the stepmother of the
king, held an inferior social position at
the court.
1t was a happy marriage, however
as Don Fernando was a man with a
charm of manner and temper and of a
temperament exactly suited to that OF
his Boston bride.
For his wife he fitted up the old con-
vent Of Pena, built on a mountain at
Cintra. fifteen miles from Lisbon, amid
grand and picturesque surroundings.
! In the chapel of the convent the mar
rage was solemniZed. Don Fernando
and his wife led an idyliic life, free
from every care, domestic or political
The king devoted himself to gardening
and study. Their life at Cintra was Sc
happy that in 1859 Don Fernando said
that he preferred it 10 the throne OF
Spain. which was offered to him.
The Prince of Wales visited the pal
ace in 1876. and two years later Gen
eral and Mrs. Grant were there on
their wav around the world.
In the last month of 1885 Don Fernan-
do died. He left to his American queen
the Pena castle and one-third of his
other property. He expressed in his
last words the hope that she would
keep up the palace according to his
ways in memory of their love The
only sister of the dowager queen, Lou
Use. married DR. Slade of Brooklne, q
well known physician and writer, and
il was their daughter who walked tc
the altar in the dress sent 30 her by her
royal aunt.
Mr.. Reesley's stock Of sheet music
and musical instruments were dam
aged slightly by smoke. and he pro-
poses to close out his entire stock al
prices that viii astOuish buyers. Al