The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-09-21
WASHINGTON GOSSIP
A Lot of Chat About People of Swell Society
By. FANNIE BRIGHAM.

Washington, Sept. 1s.-Now that the
engagement of Miss May Goelet and
the Duke of Roxburghe is a settled
thing-the wedding day having at last
been fixed for Nov. Speculation is
rife as to the exact amount the future
Duchess will pay for her coronet. The
Roxburghe family solicitor will soor
come over from England to have g
hand in arranging the business details
Dukes come high, you know, but SOM
of us feel that we must have them
Pretty little May Goelet. who is MOI
own right of about $4,000. 00O-a mil
lion for every year she has lived-be-
sides her future half of her widowed
mothers vast estates, to be shared
with an only brother. The terms of the
marriage settlement will probably give
about one-third of her fortune out
right to the Roxburghe family, besides
endowing the young husband with a
generous annual income, quite indie
pendent from the remnant of her for
tune which his bride may enjoy. But
then, with $23, 10000 and no house rent
to pay one may give away three
fourths of ones income and still man.
age to rub along comfortably.
7 The marriage will doubtless take
place at Newport, in Mrs. Ogden Goe-
let's magnificent villa Ochre Court, and
will be attended by the present Ouch
ess of Roxburghe, mother of the groom,
as we'll as by the British ambassador
and Lady Herbert, the Astors and the
Vanderbilts. all of whom are closely
related to the bride. Miss Goelet made
her debut abroad, three summers ago,
and was presented at a drawing-room
in Buckingham Palace. Shortly after
wards she met the Duke of Roxburghe
in London, and he has ever since been
a persistent sutton for her hand and
fortune, despite the fact that he re-
ceived little encouragement from her
and Dame Rumor connected the young
heiress' name with a dozen different
titles from time to time. Fortune smiled
broadly upon him for the first time, in
the person of that most sensible wom-
an, Mrs. Cornileus Vanderbilt (another
influential Goelet relative), when she
invited the Duke to join her party,
early this summer. for a few weeks
Yachting in the North Star. Miss May
and her mother were also of the party,
and the trip included the famous visit
to KEEL where, you remember, they
were entertained by the Kaiser. Per-
haps that little taste of royal living
may have had something to do with
influencing Miss Mays decision to for
get a dearer romance and bask in flu
ture in the reflected radiance of a
throne. The Duke of Roxburghe is a
first cousin of the Duke Of Marlbor-
ough, and not very far removed from
the royal family of England. Though
by no means a handsome man, he is
very distinguished looking and SOL
dierly in his bearing. He served with
distinction in the Boer war with the
Household Cavalry. and was recon-
mended for the Victoria Cross for his
gallantry in bringing out from under
fire a dismounted and wounded COM
rade at the battle of Rensberg. He
is not rich, but has long been consid-
cred one of the greatest catches in
England. Perhaps that is why he is so
extremely retiring and modest i'm his
demeanor. He owns two famous old
castles. one on the Tweed in Rox-