Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-12-03
MRS. JOHN HAYS HAMMOND,
WIFE OF THE MINING ENGINEER|

who hires women to sell tape and spoois
of cotton. Mrs. Hammond has so on.en
laid emphasis on the fact that the CIVIC
League does not make the least effort 10
go into homes, that nothing Is 1urther
from its constituted duties.
The Civic League in Washington in It's
welfare department deserves well OF
those who perform hard, almost manuai
labor. and Mrs Hammond has been one
of the potent agents for success But she
works intelligently and with the aid ana
assistance of the employer, not In dneet
violation of his wishes and AFTER ha'iiie
gained his enmity ,
Mrs Hammond was born in a small
town in the delta IN Mississippi and was
Miss Natalie Harrison. Her father was
lineal descendant of the hrSt Hafri-
son who settled in Virginia, and whose
sons went to many southern and m!duie
west states after the open ng or the
country in the early half of the hlne-
teenth century. Her parents, however,
removed from Mississ pp when she was
about half grown, and settled near Fres-
no, Cal. 1t was here that she met MT
Hammond, who is native OF CantorIia.
After the marriage. which occurred AFTER
MIR. Hammond was we'll entered on ca,
reer of fame and fortune, Mrs. Hamnond
began to realize that childhood des re Oh
seeing the world and it's strangest people
She accompanied her husband to South
Africa in 1898. when he went at the So
licitation of Cecil Rhodes to become MIN
ing consulter for the firm OF barhdto
Brothers and for Mr.. Rhodes in the gov
ernmental schemes which he mad IN nahd.
Mrs Hammond had, however, LETT SCUM
Africa with her young son, John hays
Hammond. before the tragic events con-
nected with the Jameson raid.
She was in London. Always pract!cal
woman, she did not spend the time AFTER
the dreadful news had been conveyed In
fainting or weeping but she went direct
to the proper British officials, retained
the proper sort of legal counsel. went per
sonally to- the American ambassador, MI.
Bayard and passed her days cabling first
reassurjng messages to her husband
many never delivered-and to powerful
friends in California and Washington.
She has said that she has never been
young since that time, though she was
then in the early thirtieS. But she has
been self-reliant and resourceful, and the
result was a desire to aid all who are sor-
rowful and to ameliorate the CONDITIONS
of all those not so well endowed WIN
this worlds goods as herself Even 10
the day set for the execution Mrs. Ham
mond did not know whether her nus
bands life would be spared. She work
ed up to the very moment OF the time set
for the extreme penalty or the law, ana
then with a friend went to a children's
hospital where she aided the nurses FOR
several hours. When she returned home
the news of the reprieve had been cabled
her. and then only did she give way to
her feelings. All of these threads gath
cred together account for the wonderful
force directness and earnestness of pur-
pose in Mrs. Hammond's character, and
make her what she is acknowledged to be
"a dominant figure socially and in the
realm of more serious things.
Another phase of this many-sided Wom-
an is her reputation for choosing the
proper kind of gowns and of being one OF
the really well dressed women at the cap
ital. Her long residence abroad may
count for something. but her gowns are
notable and distinctive, and her jewels
are among the finest to be seen on TINS
continent She has a superb collection
of rubies. historic gems which once adorn-
ed Catherine of Russia. They were SOLD
to Mr. Hammond from the private collec-
ton of British peer who had fallen on
evil days and were entirely reset for the
coronation Mrs Hammond has glorious
diamonds from South Africa, some of
them the gift Of Mr.. Rhodes, and one
pendant of almost fabulous value pre-
scented by Barney Barnato.
She possesses a gown which is unique
since the days of ZenObia. 1t is net
made of genuine gold threads over superb
cream satin, and there are insets and
pendants of real gems, every sort OF dla-
monds, emeralds, sapphires and rubies,
which simmer like drops OF dew. she
wore this gown at the coronation, and 1t
attracted universal attention. Besides
young John Hays Hammond, jr.. just out
of Yale, there is a pretty little girl or
seven, Natalie Harrison, who is. quite
parsonage in the home and its real auto
crat Miss Elizabeth Hammond. sister
of Mr. Hammond also makes her home
permanently in Washington.