The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-11-27
Monarch of South End
 Has Trouble With Digestion
BY WILL T. STEPHAN.


 itinr Mobile from France. knew him by reputation as an epicure and Q connoisseur of wines. We will call him Monslgnor. because that Is not his real rank. That morning the bell rang and I went to the door to meet car riage containing party of four, one of whom was the distinguished church man. He had heard of me as l had heard of him. and we were genuinely glad to meet each other. In French we exchanked the felicitations of the occasion But finally he said. Mon sieur, we will stand here and talk all day. What have you to drinkT
 "'oh! some delightful spring water replied.
 cellent for baptlzing. but on such an occasion as this. we need something more exhilarating
 Now, always keep on hand some rare old French brandy. Never less than 16 years of age. buy It by a | special arrangement and at consider able trouble. I praised the ancient vintage and assured Monsignor that it would meet his commeudation. rum maged around in its secret place and pulled forth the bottle that had con- tained the distilled sunshine. Heav- ems, 1t was empty!
 "Just behind me was another bottle labeled French brandy but 1t was deco rated by a great red and yellow label certifying that 1t had been put up by Weinstein Brothers. Think of that. weinsteln Brothers. But the occa- sion demanded instant action. I whisked the bottle around and holding 1t in such a position that Monsignor could not sec It. filled his glass. Ohl it is aetrying moment when ones rep- utation is at stake.
 'donsignor passed the glass between him and the light and he snifed its contents. Then he looked at me dis approvingly and said, It may be very fine b-r-r-andy, but 1t nevaire saw Fr-r-ance and 1t nevaire crossed the water
 'Tn the same way John L. Sullivan came to South End shortly after his fight with Corbett. As soon as the carriage containing him and his party drove up invited the great fighter to get out. He said. Oh. no, guess we won't get out.'
 "weIi. you might get out and look over the old training quarters of Jem Mace.'
 "'Did Jem Mace train hereg asked Sullivan, jumping from the carriage as spry as a boy.
 'Yes, Mace trained here for ali his fights in 1869. right over there at the old race track As a boy, I remember him running up and down this road with ten pounds of lead in his shoes.
 Sullivan spent that day with me He was a good fellow and I feel sorry for him.
 Frederic is kindly remembered by nearly every prominent spJorting man. men like 'Honeat John' Kelly, Bud Reneau and others. They send him complimentary tickets to every big prize fight.
 Henry Ward Beecher. Gen. O. O. Howard General Grant, ex-Mayor Hugh Grant, ambassadors and diplomats, have been his guests, and they have en- tertained him in Washington and New York. Goulds and VanderDilts have sat at his board. He had a sharp pas sage of words with George Vanderbilt, when he came upon the millionaire picking his winter violets in his pris vate yard. But the unpIeasantness was bFidged over and the millionaire told him that he would pay ss,00o for the big magnolia in front of Frederic's door if it could be transplanted to the famous Biltmore estate.
 Frederic is the chosen friend of more leading stage people, perhaps, than any other man upon the Southern circuit Joseph Jefferson drove to South End whenever he was playing in Mobile. Lawrence Barrett and Edwin Booth have praised its culinary triumphs. At his own board, Frederic has in French discussed with Sarah Bernhardt crab i omeiette, gunibo and Bon Secotr oys- ters. Charles Coghlan and his daugh- | ter, Gertrude. spent an entire day with Frederic when Coghlan was on his last | tour.
 Roland Reed and Isadore Rush were warm personal friends of Mine Host of South End. Those two among stage people he most esteemed.
 T wept the other day when read in the paper that Isadore was dead in Cal- ifornia," said Frederic, But then thought 1t is best after all. She had reached the zenith of her career. Age was coming upon her and the stage had no other success to give her. It was better for her Co die at the pinnacle of ] success than for her to be showed down the hill by younger and inferior | players"
 The secret of the crab -emslette Is ] guarded as closely at South End as the | ancients guarded the Promethean fire | in the temple. The composition of thIs culinary masterpiece is not to be per- mitted to go out in the world to be made common and ordinary. Thomas Jefferson wanted his epitaph to tell the world that he had written the Declaration of Independence and | had founded the University of Virginia When the rotund figure of Frederic is missing from the shade Of the masno- 1ias. when the genial rubicund coun- | tenance is no longer seen in the steam that rises in array of his masterpieces. who knows but what he would like to have 1t said of him, He invented the crab omelette"
 New Pack Virginia TOmnt0ess the