The Red Cloud chief., 1901-05-03
Latz Loved Ivanhoe's
Rebecca; She Loved Irving.

AT an advanced age u retired merchant
whose life history was a romance.
strangely interviewer with Sir Walter
scott Washington Irving and the original
or RebccCa, the beautiful Jewess of Ivan.
hoe. or all the millions who have read
SCOTS wonderful story OF changing hats.
trowning castles, ambitious templars.
valiant knights. beautiful women. few
knew that Il retired merchant Of st outs
played every evening upon his violin I'm
minor strains aud dreamed of the woman
from whom Scott had drawn one OF the
lovelicst characters In all fiction. and that
this mans regard for Washington Irving
had stood between his own passionate
love and its adored object In the spl,n.
dor of the beauty aud the greatness OF
heart and intellect nf Rebecca the daugh-
ter OF Isaac of York. the cold, Colorlcss
Rowcna Of lvanhoe fades and grows dim.
No one ever laid down Sir Walter scott's
great novel but he was secretly veSrd
that lNanhoc had not married Rebecca
aud R>wcna had not been given to her
noble cousin Athclstane Thackeray felt
SO strongly about this that he wrote a
semi mum, rous sequel to IVanhoe I'm
whlch he brought the gallant knight and
'he b'auiliul JNwoss together In mar
riage To live happily ever urterwarJ.
IL was Rehecca Gratz of Philadelphia
from whom Scott drew his picture of the
daughter OF Isaac Of York, aud the man
whose haplcss love for her lasted wears
after her marvellous beauty had been
changed into dust, and until he. too
passed to the grave. was A. j. Late of St
Louis.
Adolph J. Late came to st Louis scy.
enty years ago At the age of eighteen he
was In business for himself. lie used TO
make annual trips To the East on bust
ness, and II was on one OF these trlps that
he met the Philadelphia beauty and lost
his heart to her. Al first he had every
reason to hope that hts suit would finally
be successful, and with the Idea OF ac-
cumuating u fortune that he might lay
at the feet OF his bride he toiled IN un-
ceasingly. He traded In furs and other
Western products. and boarded his money
against the day when he should win his
bride For years Latz toiled ana loved.
but he saw that he had not inspired the
affection In the beautiful Rcbccca which
he had at first thought. and nnally she
told him frankly that her heart was not
his; that her affections were nxsd upon
admiration aud friendship--n<t with love.
Rebecca Gratz had at that time attained
considerable reputation as II poetcss. and
IL was Washington Irving who had capti-
waited her maiden fancy. Irving admired
RebecCa's charms OF mind and rorson and
delighted In her company. but Late al
ways declared that the author never was
a suitor for her hand aud that she had
ingly. to the older and more cultured man
instead OF to the young Western mer-
chant who loved her 80 devotcdly.
In 1917 Washington Irving made a tour
of England and Scotland and was
guest OF Sir Walter Scott at Abbottsford.
lie told Scott of the Philadelphia beauty.
and his description OF her cdught the
fancy OF the great writer when. soon
after. he wrote Ivanhoc. irvings descrip-
ton of Rebecca Gratz was the foundat tion
for the description Of the daughter of
Isaac of York. After its publication In
1920, Late always had "A copy of Ivannoe
a.. . his room, and declared to his friends
that Scott had drawn from Irving's de-
scription wonderfully correct word por-
trait OF RebccCa GratZ
When Latz realized that his love dream
lie took no interest In pillng up more
wealth, now that the object upon which
he had hoped To lavish II could never be
his. lie was already Iich for those days
and So many years ago. he retired from
busin IS and settled down to
solitary life with his memories and his
violin.
Rebecca Gratz died many years ago at
IN advaupal nRp but avon bafot.. har
death Latz had given ,rp all hope of ever
winning her for his wife and had resigned
himself to the inevitable. lie always re-
garded Rebecca and her memory with a
tender reverence. but would seldom speak
OF his iife's long love. For the last twenty
three years he has made his home with
Max Judd Of st. Lo,is formerly United
3 lates minister to Austria. Late was a
courtly, white haired little gentleman
whose chief delight was In the company
OF children and In doing deeds of charity.
lie spent almost his entire fortune In
charity IN "A few years after he gave up
business. In 1852 he organized the Unit
ed Hebrew congregation In 81. Louis and
remained at the head OF that organiza
tion for eight years, He kept desk in
the Office of his successors In business
and until his last Illness used to visit the
establishment every day, where he was
known as "Uncle' to every man and boy
employed In the place. "Uncle," too, the
children of the Eugene Field school used
to call him. and toward the end when his
memory began to fail and he sometimes
would lose his way In the open lots OF
the West End IL was not uncommon
to see one OF his little friends leading
him home to the house of Mr.. Judd.
In the evenings, when Latz would retire
to his room with his violin, he would
play and sing old love songs, long for.
gotten OF other men. and snatches OF
operas which were popular when Re-
becca Gratz was In all her glorious
beauty. Then sometimes ne would Inn
provise songs 80 sad that they brought
tears to the eyes OF those who listened
I'm the rooms below, Thus did he sing
and play the night before ne died,
Apart from the facts that she was a
poetess OF no mean order, that she was
beloved madly by Adolph f.atz and much |
admired by Washington Irving, and that |
sha WAS the insDirat tlOn of ScOtt's Re-