Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1900-07-02
HOUSE WITHIN A HOUSE.
Row Wealthy Woman WIN Evsds
wItch's uoodoo.


washington Star: A palace built |
literally around a superstition is wash |
ington's newest marvel, and one may
safely say that nothing to match 1t has
ever been seen anywhere. Baroniai
castles. as we'll as edifices OF otner
kinds, often gain resident spooks or
acquire curses as incidents Of their
history, but it has not been the fashion
hitherto to provide in the architects
plans against such troubles, and the
notion of embodying hoodeo killer III
the very fabric of a mansion IS wholly
novel. The owner of this remarkable
house, which as yet is not quite half
finished is Mrs. r. H. Townsend OF
Philadelphia. Before her marriage
she was Mary Scott, daughter OF the
late Col. TON" Scott, of Pennsylvania
railroad fame. Her wealth runs into
the millions, and the mansion afore-
said will cost her about 100000 IL
will be nearly twice the size of the
famous Letter house. on Dupont circle,
being 125 feet in width and 1913 feet IN
depth Mrs Townsend is building It,
she says, for her youngest daughter,
now IT years of age, and almost ready
to enter society. 1t will be the scene
doubtless, of some of the most gor-
geous entertainments ever given at the
national capital. Now, once upoa
time-a very proper way to begin such
story as this-Mrs Townsend inter
viewed a witch. 1t was remarkably
clever witch, and, in revealing the
future to her lady patron, she predicted
number OF events since realized with
astonishing accuracy in Mrs. Town
sends life. It was a very bright and
cheerful picture she drew, on the whole
one may command good deal OF
brightness and cheerfulness If one pos
Besses millions of dollars-but there
was one unpleasant prognostieation.
This was that If Mrs. Townsend ever
occupied dwelling which had never
been lived in before she would die with
in six months after moving in. This
prophecy struck Mrs. Townsend as
greWsome, to say the least, and UP to
now she has carefully avoided all risk
of mourning the penalty suggested.
Though anxious for some time past to
move her residence to Washington
and build home here, she has been
restrained from the accomplishment OF
this desire by the witchs ominous vat
ieination. She had thought of buying
house, but could find none that was
large enough or adequate in other re-
spects for her purposes. At length,
however, she hit upon an ingenious
method of eYading the hoodoo and get
ting what she wanted at the same time.
She decided to purchase the old Hill
yer mansion on Massachusetts avenue,
and to construct palace around it.
This she IS doing in such manner that
while occupying the new mansion, she
will actually live in the old Hlllyer
house, the skeleton of which Is re-
tanned as a middle portion of the re-
Eamped structure. Her bedroom. her
dressingroom and bathroom and her
ooudoir will be In the ancient dwelling,
ehe original floor joists and framework,
as well as the roof being kept intact
Thus the hoodoo will be defeated, in
asmuch as the construction on which
the builders are now engaged comes
under the head of alterations" tech
nically speaking, and Mrs Townsend
may consider herself safe against the
fulfillment of the conditional threat re-
sor6ed against her in the book OF fata
Three Hundred Years Old.
Stem, N. j., is notable for being one
of the oldest towns IN that state. One
of its most venerable objects is a brick
dwelling ON East Broadway. once oc-
eupied as hotel, which was erected
in 1891 The building is in a fair state
of preservation and is referred to with
a pardonable pride by the people of
the little town. The court house was
built in 1885 and justice is still admin
tstered from beneath the broad arch
which spans the stage-like platforms
upon which the presiding judge sits.