The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1901-07-28

vi sBdthSDu. bIlt' AlsSlSSi
many griefs. for death was robbing him OF
his lifelong friends. as well the be-
loved of his home.
Mr.. Charles Mafftt's death was great
blow to him. for the two men loved each
other like brothers. 1t was followed last
summer by that of his beautiful daughter.
Christine. who faded like a flower before
his eyes. Just prior to her death the hope
fulness Of his nature was made evident
in brief conversation about her health in
the corridor of the Security building AL
though it was whispered among his friends
that this lovely girl was doomed to become
a victim of consumption. his father heart
could see no danger ahead. 1t the
buCyancy of his nature which made him
answer the inquiry with a CHEEKY: "Oh,
she Is all right: we are all going to Colora-
do this week.
The McCreerYs are not a long-lived fami-
ly. Death has visited them often. While
they lived down in Pine street. near Jeffer-
son avenue. a block which was inhabited
by McCreery relations on both sides of the
street. he lost In quick succession his moth
er. sister. his only brother, and then his
son Wayman, Little Wayman." as he was
called even at the age Of IL, when he died,
to distinguish him from his tall. athletic
father. Prior to that little Dabney and q
baby daughter. Dorcas, had also died.
Little Wayman'' and Christine were twins,
and there was always fear III the moth
er's heart that she would lose the daugh-
ter after her birthmate had been called
away
A terrible blow to the enfeebIed man was
the death OF his friend. Edward Walsh
Mr.. Walsh visited the stricken man on the
day before he left for the East. He was
one Of the few privileged ones admitted
to the sick chamber. The two men, one
just recovering from illness. the other
stretched upon bed of PAIN condoled with
each other. and Mr.. Walsh thanked his
friend for having allowed him to come to
his bedside. The shock of Mr., Walsh's
death was terrible to Mr. McCreery, and he
cried like child when the news was brok-
en- to him.
Mr.. McCreery played his last game Of
golf on the Glen Echo links on Fair
Grounds Inaugural Day From the Fair
Grounds he went direct to the Glen Echo
Club In carriage. Many of his friends
l were there. One OF them, athlete, ex-
uberantly carried him from the carriage
| to tho clubhouse. He played an excellent
game with his friend. Julius Koehler. who
] is an expert on the links.
| Afterwards he took a shower bath and the
l next day the grim reaper struck him the
l first blow.
| Mr.. McCreery's personal magnetism, his
Il
cheer as an ideal host. and. above all, his
| kindly heart and generous nature, made
him beloved by all who knew him. One
| story which illustrates the devotion Of his
friends to him is this:
| Shortly after he had been appointed TO
| the Office of Collector of Internal Revenue
by President Cleveland in his second term
I the writer met him in the st. Nicholas
I Hotel and congratulated him upon his sue
cess. With him were his two boon COM
panions, Charles Maffitt and Rolla Wells.
| Mr.. Wells turned to the writer:
HE wanted it, he said. land so we got
| it for him."
| 1t was literally true. Mr.. McCrcery had.
without serious meaning. said one evening
| that he would like the collectorshp. The
| next day Messrs. Maffitt and Wells were on
| their way to Washington to obtain for him
| the coveted plum.
Mr.. McCreery's social career In this city
may be said to have commenced in the
early seventies when he was young man
and had just returned from a trip to Eu-
rope. He became active in the work of the
Home Circle, then the most aristocratic or
| Sanization in st. Louis. and some of the
| balls at which he assisted were known
| the most successful given by the body.
Members of the Home Circle consisted Of
nearly 100 prominent young men of the city,
| including Julius 8. Walsh T. c. Maffitt,
! Francis, c. Bent Carr, Lee Wickham.
| Charles w. Knapp, Edward Walsh. Edward
| Malllnckrodt and Allan Pendleton. Pa
| tronesses were chosen by the committees
| in charge of the affairs, the ladies selected
/ keing invariably from the most prominent
| families In the city.
| Balls were given at the Southern Hotel
| five times each year, the entire lower fioor
| of the hotel being opened for the occasion.
| Mr.. Mccreery was always prominent In the
H.. rxx ~
| their affairs that he made his first social
| appearance in this city after his trip abroad
This was in 1872, and for the next six
years he figured prominently in social af
fairs of st. Louis. and in the various enter
tainments OF the year.
The running of the late C. c. Mafn:ts
horses one of which was named after Way
man Mccreery will be remembered. Three
yearlingo purchased by Mr.. Maftitt were
named. respectively. Sir Waymar. Sir Rol-
la and Sir Wann, after Wayman McCreery.
| Rolla Wells and Fred Wann.
The day when Sir Waynan started for
| the fist time was great event for Way
! man G. McCreery and his friends, and a
= large party gathered on the porch of the
: clubhouse to watch the race. Sir Wayn.an
was enthusiastically applauded as he passed
! in the parade from the paddock, his jockey
| wearing the well-known black and white
I colors of the Maffitt stable, and his name
! sake the clubhouse porch proudly ex-
hibitsd ticket from a bookmaker, which.
he said. he was certain to cash after the
race.
/ Mr.. McCreery could never be prevailed on
I to give detailed description of the race,
| but when friend asked him that evening
! II he had won on Sir Wayman he re-
| sponded:
! mo. but If the horses had been running
the other way Sir Wayman would have
| won by fifty yards"
Tho party 5ourneyed ont the next day to