The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-05-17
dinners That
ARE FAMOUS
Review of Most FreakiSh in
New York
JIMMY BREEZE'S SUCCESS
Was in Pie, From Which
Leaped a Fairy

food is not enough for New York cpl
cureans The mutilated courses must be
served in a freakish if not barbaric man
| ner. Society has its own way of doing
things here. The music of popping cham.
payne corls is no longer enough.
The dinner given b. c. x G. Billings.
says the New York correspondent of the
Chicago Inter-Ocean, with each dineS
astride blooded nag and with the viands
served on plates anchored TO the saddle,
was the climax of all the freakish ones
which have been planned 10 tickle the
jaded appetites Of the equity $50" Mr..
Billings halls from Chicago, and, of
course, he is nothing if not original, and
it is the opinion among the set that he
has outdistanced even Henry Lehr in the
way of doing something different"
To Jimmy Breeze probably belongs
the credit for the earliest freak banquet.
He had a freak dinner long before MIR.
| Seeley dreamed of his wondrous meal
where his father was the guest of honor
Mr.. Breeze does things very cleverly at
his studio. His is a place where he takes
interesting photographs Tor the love Of
the thing.
One night, some years ago Mr.. Breeze
bid a choice company of clubmen to dine
there with him. The viands were superb,
the wines perfection. 1t came time for
dessert Four stalwart negroes bore in
an immense pie. The guests wondered.
1t was planted in the middle of the table.
Mr. Breeze beamed.
Suddenly the crust broke. Out of it
burst a year-old-girl. clad in the
filmiest of garments. Before the aston
ished gaze of the diners she did a serpen-
tine dance on the table till every one fell
victim TO her charms and graces. Mr..
Breeze was congratulated for his clever
ness and even TO this day his surprise is
talked about among those lucky enough
to be present
Harry Lehr vowed he would not be out
done. He knew monkey and ~ dinner
was given In honor of the simian. The
cream of society was present and en-
joyed itself immensely. The monkey
didn't He wasn't able to say so, but
the disgust on his almost human features
plainly told the story of his feelings. He
was dressed, as were the guests, in fault
less evening dress, and there are those in
society who are cruel enough to say that
he exhibited even as much intelligence as
the other guests.
OF Mr.. Seeey's dinner there is more on
record at police headquarters than in the
annals of the smart set Young Mr. Seeley
was about to bid farewell to his bachelor
hood and TO celebrate 1t he bid his cron-
les to Sherry's. After they had eaten and
drank to their hearts content. there was
a surprise entertainment, which was of
such a nature that Capt. Chapman was
able to make Fifth avenue raid without
getting into hot water.
Compared to this feat the dinner given
by the De Reszkes, Nordica. and Eames
sounds like a Sunday school tale. Their
surprise was a little negro baby, stark
naked. served by a husky darby on sill
yer platter.
How cute gasped the diners, and
that was all there was to It.
The Vanderbilt dinner story was never
published, or else the S. P. A. c. would
have had a good chance to take n hand.
After the formal dining and the many
tossts the young men present amused
themselves, so the walters said. by spear
ing the live GOLDFISH with their forks. Mr..
Vanderbilt protested in vain. They didn't
stop till the miniature pond in the center
of the table looked like fish market.
Mr.. ]. O'Brien's dinner was huge joke
a la Barmecide. The guests sat down with
elaborate menus in front of them The
card began: Oysters r Not Good in
May and empty plates were placed in
front of everybody. Cream of Let
tuce" proved to be jars Of complexion
lotion: Fish an Naturel" was the tiny
goldfish swimming I'm a bowl; Spring
Lamb with String Beans was a tiny
wool lamb with a string Of dried beans
about his attenuated neck; American
Punch" was a fve-ounce boxing glove.
But this ended the joke, and a superbly
chosen dinner followed.
Maurice Meyers dinner was notable for
the fact that IL lasted nearly twenty-fOur
hours il started as breakfast con-
tiuued as a luncheon. broke into for
mai dinner and wound up as supper
in the wee small hours.
The children began il. The wives Joined
in the luncheon. the men came in for din
near. and when the babies had been put
10 bed everybody sat down 10 supper 1t
IS supposed to be the longest meal on
record. and Il cost Mr. Meyer several
thousand dollars.
James Henry Smiths dinner was based
on the position that YOU can give a mid
summer night in midwinter il YOU have
money enough He proved the truth Of
hts proposition. When the guests came TO
Sherry's they found the banquet hall had
been made into a summer trellis wiki
ten thousand roses intertwined IN lattice
work over head Birds sang in hidden
cages. and the soft splash OF fountains
sounded like the twinlzlinEs OF the brooks
IN summers heat. Even the room was
heated above natural temperature 10 give
the impression q the dog DAYS. and 10
add TO the heavy scent OF the roses.
The guests enjoyed themselves i'm
mensely. The sum Mr.. Smith paid was
mere bagateIle 30 him. because his Uncle
had just left him a fortune OF 81. 1aoe 90.
Il would have given 100 poor children
two weeks in the country each
But in spending money Per capita Rar-
doiph GuS=euhsimer left NIr. Smith AZ
the post. His dinner cost Rim t1oo'e but
50 few were the guests shat the price was
80 4 plate They walked amid a garden
laid out IN the myrtle room ~ the val
aorf-AstoTia- There were growing flacs.
tulips. palms grass hyscinths and roses.
The guests plucSed grapes as big -
pluus from growing vines NerS wolf
have turned pale win rage and LucullEs
blush for envy AZ what was served
Blue raspberries from Nova Scotia Eas