Evening star., 1909-07-17
Midas Takes Charge
at Rich Weddings

<x@ EFT married if YOU are rich," Is
T good advice for the young wom-
The custom of wedding gifts has now
reached such a point of prodgality that
among the wealthy the offerings attain
the value of a kings ransom.
Once it was considered a remarkable
thing for a man to be worth a million
dollars, to have that represent his en-
tire belongings.
Now it is crrlling uncommon for a
bride to realize that great a sum from
her wedding gifts.
A case in point is that of Mrs. John
Il Mitchell, Ill, who from her father
alone received one million and half
dollars.
He is E. T. Stotesbury, a banker of
international fame, member of the firm
of DreXel and a multi-millionaire.
A few days before his daughter Frances
Stotesbury married John kearsley Mitch
ell. III, Mr.. Stotesbury handed her a
check for one million dollars. But this
was only a part of his generosity. In
addition to that he gave her a diamond
necklace, string of pearls OF unmatch-
able beauty and diamond tiara. 1t Is
said that the value of these three pieces
of jewelry' exceeded half million dollars.
which made the receipts of the beautiful
young bride million and a half from
her father alone.
But in addition to this the fortunate
young woman received gifts from
dozens of wealthy connections of her
fathers and of the grooms to the amount
of perhaps another million dollars.
Therefore a little nest egg for the
married, life the -oung folks start OFF
with two and a half millions of dollars
in cash, jewelry, etc. Mrs. Mitchell was
the last unmarried daughter of the bank
er and was his particular favorite.
This remarkable amount of gifts puts
Mrs Mitchell fairly in a class TO rival
Mrs T. Suffern Taller, who was supposed
to have Jared better than any bride Of
1919.
King Midas took full charge of the
wedding of the noted young New Yorker
and Miss Harriet Stewart Brown, eldest
daughter of Gen. Alexander Brown of
Baltimore. In city noted for its beau
ties Miss Brown was esteemed to be the
lovelieSt of them all.
Her gifts came at her from all sections
and in all amounts. 1t would have taken
a peck measure in which TO put all the
jewels. There were checks for big
enough amount to make quite 3 diner-
ence if suddenly turned into cash and
dumped into the stock market and real
estate also figured in the offerings to the
most superbly beautiful bride of the year.
Gen. Brown, like Mr.. Stotesbury, is a
banker and his connections include men
OF OlS WeditH, WIN Wouiu I0s1i csen give
a second thought to gift that did not
involve an excursion into the five figures.
The union of the Taller and the Brown
families was deemed SO appropriate that
instantly wealthy Baltimore and New
York began race to see which city
could spend most lavishly.
There were $50 gifts in the great hall
under the Louis Quinze ballroom when the
family stopped counting, and there were
some gifts that could not be brought into
the room, as. for instance. the imposing
residence at 81 West 51st street New
York the gift of the groom to his bride
Her father gave her a check for half a
million dollars. The president of the
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company
decided that a thirteen n-thousand-dollar
automobile was about the proper caper
of gift for him to make to the lovely