The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-07-17

dent he made General Knox Secretary
OF War, and in the capital. New York
Mrs. Knox was soon in her element
again. Washington and the Knoxes
lived in adjoining houses in Broadway
and the Presidents wife and the
younger woman were like mother and
daughter.
Mrs. Knox managed the court" as
some people called it, to perfection,
| and when the capital was moved to
Philadelphia she continued her sway
there. Soon after the move to Phil
| ndelphia there was great accession
OF visitors of prominence to America.
The French Revolution had started.
| and thousands OF mobiles were hurled
! from atiiuence to poverty. To General
and Mrs Knox many OF them brought
letters of introduction from French OF
| ficers who had served with him There
| is a story of one of them. the Due dc
| Llancourt. who bewailed his fate to
Mrs. Knox.
| Alas, Madam he exclaimed. what
| accomplishments have / that may
i turn to means OF subsistence, ], who
have three dukedoms on my head and
( not one coat on my back!"
|, She got a coat OF the generals and
/ gave 1t to the duke, for 1t was liter
| ally true that he did not have coat.
/ He was more fortunate than many OF
/ his companions, for few years later
/ his possessions were restored to MIN.
and when he died he was one OF the
| richest men of France. But for three
years he lived on the bounty OF Gem
eral Knox.
Another visitor was Talleycand.
! Crafty man that he was, he sought
to make 1t appear that he knew no
English and pretended too great stu
pidity to acquire It, He really wanted
to hear Americans converse without
reserve. and perhaps he wanted TO
catch peaple off guard. But Lucy
Knox was too clever for him. She
/ laid trap for the great minister, and
4 when he fell into 1t no one could be
! more gracious than he in acknowl.
edging her skill.
i For eleven years General Knox was
at the head of the War Office. and for
those eleven years Lucy Knox held
i undisputed sway In social matters at
the capital. Then the general retired.
His private affairs demanaed a. ,.s Won
i He was not wealthy. but his wife was.
The riches that had been her fathers
came to her. She had a vast estate In
Maine. They went there, and at
Thomaston built a splendid mansion,
nalace in its dimensions. This was
furnished magnihcently, They called
the place Montpelier, and mere tney
entertained even more lavisn!y than
did the great landowners OF virginia.
II was not unusual, so great was
the number of visitors. Tor an OK anu
twenty sheep to be killed on MonuAS
to provide meat for the week. fre-
muently the servants had l00 peas 70
make IN. The general kept for his
own and his, friends use twenty SAD
4 die horses and several PAIRS OF CUT
riage horses. The hospl.ants WIZ M
bounded. Everything that couiu "
desired was provided that Woulu con.
trihute to the entertainment or COM
fort of guests. 80, l,
French emigres as visitors. Hels 1870
,ralleyrand and the Duke de Llahcour.'
trar, philadelphia, and many others
iIars roo. came tho Yiscount de Tro-
ai,,as hrother-in-law OF Lafayettei
Inrd Ashburton and many prominent
Americans, ,as ~
,,,ias ~ Maine were enllvened by the
,,ost brilliant of the society OF ths
INITIAL for Philadelphia FURNISHED
.aa,,osnt OF guests regularly for Mont
pelier. ,,on+ral,ar MI
-, Saneral Knox died In 1906 1t be-
oan,, Mace of gloom. Thereafter tht
.an,on Who had been the flrst arpltel
"a snn,etv In the republic Stunned 81
sofa, gatherings. Near the nope M
1nysa the general was buried. ana tol
~ a,ghtaen years OF her wldoWhooe
: t,,s.a naver was a day that she di1
not visit his tomb. ,,,.
IC,onyright 1910. by Richard Splllahe'l
i