The Washington herald., 1907-02-17

/ private stables at CTanstOn. 100 brood
mares on his stock farm there. and lee
more on another stock farm near Leav-
enworth, Kans. He spent S1,000.0 600
/ breeding trotting stock In the hope Of
! producing a world beater on the track,
| in which he failed. His three stations,
! NaTraganSett, Rhode Island. and Spra-
! CUES Abdallah. were famous all over
! the country. He never rode horseback.
/ but he was a master hand at the reins;
/ William drove only when ne had to go
about, and always badly.
When Amasa Sprague Was Licked.
Amasa was fighter, but a fair man,
and they still tell of a fist fight which
he had with a laboring man in front
/ OF the firms office at Cranston. The
man was one of gang engaged in dig
ging a ditch in which water pipes were
/ to be laid. Amasa looked into the
ditch and told the man that he wasn't
/ doing the work as he should.
You're liar" shouted back the
man: besides it's none of yer bust
ness I kin lick yer for two cents any
way"
Come out Of the ditch and try it,"
/ responded Sprasue.
Out came the man and a lively set-to
followed. in which Sprague got the worst
of it. He wasn't badly damaged, but he
was we'll whipped He retired to his
office TO wash up. put court plaster on his
cuts, and nurse his black eye. The work
man went back TO his digging. remarking
% his mates that he had taught one med
! dlesome chap a good lesson.
Yes" was the reply. but do you know
who il was you licked? II was Amasa
/ SpTaguet'
This pat a new face on the matter.
The man climbed out of the ditch a sec
Ond time and -sneaked into the office.
where he asked for his time" From his
desk in the back room Sprague saw him
at the counter
What do you want now?' called out
Sprague Aren't you satisded?"
The man stammercd out that he sup
posed he'd be discharged. anyway, and
wasn't waiting to be kicked out.
Go back to the ditch" roared Sprague.
You're the kind of man 1 want 10 keep
around here
The Sprague family's town house was
in Providence. near Brown University
Amasa's own home was at Ladd's Water
ing Trough, six miles below Cranston.
'Ladd's Watering Trough" is not fancy
name; there is there a great circular
stone. springfield trough, built so high
that horses may drink from Il without
being unchecked. Amasa Sprague's daugh-
ter still lives in the house.
Amasa Sprague seemed to grieve more
over the loss Of his horses than the loss
Of his fortune. William had bought the
famous place Canonchet. half ii mile
north of NarraganseIt Pier, two or three
IA a1~ he
Sprdgue-kate CEase-was devOting all
her energies to the Identification of the
house. 1t was understood in the neigh
oorhood that she had contracted to ex-
pend 100000 or more in that way. At all
events, a large number Of artisans inn
ported from France were at work on the
decorations at the moment the news Of
the failure reached her.
Old-umers remember very well the com
plicauOns that followed the Sprague
bankruptcy; the differences that arose be
tween husband and wife, who had been
married only eight years: the divorce.
after which the wife was legally known
as Miss Kate Chase. and her later career
in Washington. which had been the scene
Of 50 many triunphs both political and
social, during her fathers life
He was Salmon 2. Chase, Secretary of
the Treasury under Lincoln in civil war
times, although a Democrat. and he
aspired unsUccessfully TO the Presidency
in 1868 Kate Chase herself declined the
nomination for her father, in his absence.
when emissaries went TO his house TO ten
der it, on the ground that the platform
agreed upon for the conventions adop-
ton would not be satisfactory 10 him
Later. he confirmed the decIination.
Kate Chase first met William Sprague
then governor of Rhode Island, at Cleve-
land in 1861, upon the anniversary Of the
battle OF Lake Erie. After their divorce
following the failure, he took for second
wife "a Mrs. Wheatley. who had a consid-
cradle fortune of her own. part Of which
was devoted to the retention OF Canon
Chef. which Kate Chase had taken so
much delight in identifying There the
second Mrs. SpragUe and her two daugh-
ters are still living with William Sprague,
now away past seventy, who in his day
has been millionaire, soldier-he was in the
civil waT-gOvernOr Of his State. Senator
Of the United States. and chief Of d
police force numbering little more than a
dozen officers.
Kate Chase died q few years ago in
comparatively straitened circumstances,
her only support being the small estate
left by her father who died Chief Justice
of the United States Supreme Court.
Kate Chase bore William Sprague one
child daughter, Ethel who, 1t was an
nOunced some years ago, was going on
the stage, but she has never made a
reputation as an actress.
Vast Stewart Fortune Gone.
The fortune which the Belfast boy.
Alexander Turner Stewart, began to build
up in 1S2j. and to which he added notably
every year for a twelvemonth more than
a half century when he died in 1876, was
much larger than the Sprague fortune.
And while it was built up more rapidly
than the Sprague fortune its disintegra-
ton was much slower 1t IS not many
months since the latest act in the Stewart
Hilton drama was played, when Sylvia
Gerrish Hilton, the actress who became
the wife Of George Hilton, one of the
judges sons. was having her own troubles
with the Hilton creditors. They were
trying to eject her from a house in the
northern part Of Manhattan one Of the
last vestges of the once vast fortune.
A T. Stewart did not begin piIing up
his millions until John Jacob Astor had
been IN the country more than forty
years, but all through the middle Of the
last century he was as famous for his
wealth as the furrier When he died, the
year before the Centennial Exhibition,
his accumulation amounted to $40, OO00
Although born in Ireland. he was Of Scot
fish stock. as his name indicates, and he
had all the constructive qualities of that
other Scot. James Gordon Bennett. who
started his newspaper ten years after
Stewart set up in the dry goods business.
Stewart brought a little money with
him 10 New York. He began by buying
up ut a ridiculousIy low price a lot of
linen, napkins &c, so shopworn that it
n.u-l nnr h. Ill. .ola IL. IL .. -