The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-10-07
PALACE OF 4 RICH PVON.
TIE HOUSE or PEDRO ALVARADO
AT PARRAL.

Mexican Millionaire whs Has Not Forgotten
His Old Friends -Gaudy Furnishings
% His mig H0use-His Private Chapel
n Drawing ROOm-Tho Man Himself.
The name Of Don Pedro Alvarado, the
peon millionaire Of Parral, IL q to conJure
with, and many have already found In II
basis for legend and Little 10
really known of this interesting character,
writes a correspondents Of the MeItcdH
Herald from Parral, except that, although
a man OF unbounded wealth, he 10 still q
friend OF tho poems who were his friends
in the old days. and they are now his de-
voted admirers.
The house Of Don Pedro stands Just above
the banks OF the Parral River, and far from
being the gaudy, overdone palace which
IL is generally supposed to be Is, on the
outside, a well balanced house, OF con-
siderable proportions OF course. but carved
richly and artistically with little OF the
gingerbread which one would expect
from the reports Of it. 1t Is elegant to q
considerable degree, and the carvings OF
the white native stone. on which 500 OF Don
Pedro's friends worked for many months,
are very handsome.
It was while standing watching the house
and the crowd OF workmen and beggars
waiting about it for their pay n aims
that an old gentleman, dressed in store
clothes and walking with an imposing
them, with all the cordially possible, to
come and see the house. He hobbled
along in front, garrulously pointing out
the bits Of the exterior which were OF in
! terest, and I'D the way into the main patio
of the house. Here, he said, was as far
M he no,,ll NaEa ma hut hA afOnd for n
quarter OF an hour pointing out the beauties
OF the patio, the really handsomely carved
pillars and Corinthian capitals, the figures
on the keystone OF every fairy arch and
the paintings which lined the walls. Inc
patio corridors were full OF material Tor
the furnishing OF the new hotel which Don
Pedro ia building on one OF the plazas OF
the town, which, when II If finished, Will
be one Of the handsomeSt in the re public.
An onyx stairway led 70 the upper floors
rippled on garrulously with his wonderful
tales of the beauties above. Then he
suddenly turned, and in the midst OF us
stood a little smiling man, not much over
5 feet 5inches tall, little black eyes sparkling
out Of a white face, OF which grew a little
beard and mustache. He greeted us with
a certain gentle dignity, and invited us to
come upstairs and see the house, at the
solicitation, indeed. OF our guide.
So up the onyx stairway we climbed,
7 DtfhJ a a HNOAhF win WOl hCa RIM
scrubbed to make It shine as the day, and
rose respectfully as we passed. The upper
corridor was a repetition OF the lower,
with the windows of the rooms opening
on it finished in more OF the beautifully
car ed stone, and very evidently planned
by a master hand, and executed by much
labor, we'll paid.
Next we were led to the famous chapel
Of the house, which rumor has il is hung
in cloth of gold and where incense burns
| -s-Ak - L.. 10 -Aa mob ~ Ill -. IL
was advertised, but the effort to make it
superbly elegant was apparent. 1t was
not built in chapel form, as might have
been expected, but was merely one OF the
rooms OF the house fitted up for the pur-
pose. Don Pedro is a devout Catholic,
and he has lavished here all that he could
well do in orowding his chapel full OF all
that could please him.
The altar occupied the middle OF the out
side wall Of the room, and a window on
gaudy and wonderful in gold and silver
and silks and velvets. and not unlike the
expensive affairs to BE- found in favored
brine OF almost any OF the churches OF
this country. In the centre Of the room
was a great pyramid Of black velvet and
dead now some years This was hung
with cloth Of silver, which draped its base
on all sides, and the silver ornaments are
costly and numerous. On one sid OF the
room Mas n LQTOu0 WncI0 Ito DlBDOD SlLS
when he comes to say mass for this devout
son Of the church, and on the other walls
were paintings Of religious scenes and the
tiny stations OF the cross. In one corner
was an automatic parlor organ, covered
with a gaudy velvet curtain.
We passed to the drawing room; which
occupied nearly the whole OF the front of
the house on the second floor. This was q
room that, but for its overfurnishing,
might have belonged to a really beautiful
house. But, along with the heavy curtains
Of dark red velvet and the really handsome
furniture, also from San Luis Potosi; and
beautifully carved and finished in dull
gray silver and gold. were many mirrors,
great silver vases OF rich workmanship,
but filed with artificial flowers, bronze
sand ~knickknacks OF every sort, from ore
from the mine to cigar holders OF copper
and silver. The room, like the rest, was
crowded full Of superb furnishings, and
hung with heavy draperies until it was OPP
pressive.
When we left this room, we were still not
quite sure our host was Don Pedro him
self, and asked our guide, Jesus Jose Pri-
nero, as 10 his exact identity. He referred
us to our host, who, evidently made az happy
as a child by our admiration Of the rich
ness Of his home, cried out that in very
truth he was Dol Pedro Alvarado, and en-
braced us each in turn on the spot.
Then we went out past some OF the ten
thousand or more birds which I'LL the house
and line all the corridors, with a word to the
two deer and the turtle which occupy the
back patio, and through a low opening
into the bodega, half under the ground,
with rafters touching our heads. Here
Don Pedro turned on an electric light, call
ing our attention to 1t, and sat down COM
fortably on a box. Here he was happy,
and here, and not in the dining room or
parlorss above, he served US with the GUS
tomary refresco. II was all right, that up
stairs, to show OF, but here he was COM
Portable, and here we sat and talked, ex-
changed cards and asked questions.
Pedro Alvarado may ave a piano in
every room-and that legend Is very nearly
true-and he may always be making bids
for popularity, but he Is withal a gentle,
kindly man, a boy in thought and deed, and
a rather charming boy at that. He is in the
prime Of his life. barely 80 years old, and is
still as thoroughly youthful and happy as
a man can be under n circumstances.
Don Pedro is a new character in the annals
Of the newly rich.