The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-12-22

Thursday next, December 28thsmarkH
the ninety-sixth Anniversary Of tho
burning f4tie Richmond Theatre, and
tho daygo the week upon wllicli the
disaster occurred.
Ligl1t-hearteu Richmond. tier, ns
now, was In the midst of the Clit'st-.
mas festivities. and out -of town guests,
who, witt, their entertainers, thropgeds
the building. gave TO the calamity an
import reaching far beyond the States
Borders.
Among t,ose who escaped WIS a
Young girl. Caroline Homnssel, n ma
tive OF Philadelphia. whose unpuh-
5lislied Diary now owned by her grand.
children, gives ltirid interior view OF
clio lame wrapped structure and reads
like n romance. fs
Miss Homasscl was daughter OF
Charles Marcel Honlassel. of Abbevilie,
near parls whose fniller--n ipai, OF
position and wealtb.3a portraitysof whom
hangs In tile Richmond home of his
cnt-granddaighter, Mrs Iio !.
mnsscl Marye--was imprisoned during.
tlie Reign of Terror in tile Dastile,
and three times sentenced to the gull.
lotine, when interpretation prevailed.
His son emigrated to Philadelphia with
An English friend John II chard. where
tl1c two were associated in business.
and where Hotnasscl married Richards
sister, the ceremony being performed
August, 1884, In old st. Peters Church
With Richard as member of the
fsmlly the couple took house OH
Front Street. then a desirable locality
and having good taste, with means to
crafty 1t. surrounded themselves with
beautiful objects, many of which are
scattered among their descendants.
Here their three children were born.
Soon after the birth. In 179a, OF
Caroline. the youngest, however. the
firm sustained such losses through, a
Cuban agent as led to it's discontinue
ance. Richard took a Virginia agency
under the eminent fInancIer, Robert
Morris and married Mary Dixon. OF
Hanover county, establish rig her III
Philadelphia in an elegant home on
Ninth and Chestnut Streets.st the
grounds OF which covered a. squares.
The work OF settling upstte sbusl pess
devolved upon Homasse1, and white
returning from Cuba, to hich 1t called
him. his wife and two Oldest children
were seized with yellow fever. from
which they died. being buried near the
entrance of st. Peters Church. where
their tombs may stiil be seen. Crushed
by the blow, Homasse could not enter
his home and, confding his only child.
GGafl,oline his brother law John
Soon after the arriva OF Iomnssel
and Richard In Philadelphia there cams
to the city Spaniard, Joseph Gallego.
between whom and themselves n friend,
ship spranS up, Caroline calling him
.Uncle" Gallego. Gallego married in
Philadelphia. but with his wife and
adopted daughter, sallie Conyers, OF
that city. drifted to Richmond. and.
urging Richard to join him. he removed
there in 1901. where they established
the milling factory Of Gallego & Rich
ard, said to be the largest In the world.
and the flour from which commanded
the highest prices in foreign and do
mestic ma -kets.
Before leaving Philadelphia Caroline
developed a remarkable talent for
music. gift inherited by her grand:
daughter, Mrs. Mary Dashiell. OF Ger.
nlantown, who. as the wife of the late
Church. Annapolis. was ong prominent
In the musical circles there.
Thought too young TO receive In
struction, Caroline absorbed that given
to an older companion. and. as she au-
tobiographicaliy tells U.s. could play
The Battle OF Prague before she was
six years old, standing In order to
command the Instrument" There
being then no music teacher in Rich
phia for her instruction Professor Pett-
colas, who. bringing his family with
him. settled permanently there, where
his descendants still live.
In time Caroline WAS sent to the
Haller!an Academy, on Eighth and
Cary Streets. OF which Louis Girardtn'
was principal, the first large school
established In Richmond. In 1t was q
male department, the boys and girls.
while under the same instructors be-
ing kept apart. Among the former the
star pupil was Alfred Madison. a me-.
phew of James Madison, then Presi-
dent of the United States, and when
the commencement exercises were held
In the Capitol he delivered the vale
dictory.
On this occasion he met Caroline
Holnassel. then tfteen years old and
an attachment sDrans up between
them. resulting in an engagement OF
marriage. In the autumn young .Madi-
son entered William and Mary; College.
where brilliant career was cut short
by the development of consumption,
and. putting himself In Philadelphia
under the care OF Drs. Rush and Ply,
sic, he died there at the age of twenty.
one. his grave being, in St. Peters
Church-yard, not far from that of,
CaroIine's mother
Frustrated with; grief the. young
girls own health gave way. and she
fell into melancholy from which 1t
willing to leave her alone with her
sorrow. her parents arranged for her u
beautiful canoi1ied bed in their own.
chamber. Mr.. Gallego, who at his!
death left her his large fortune. united
his efforts with theirs and every ex-
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