New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-03-07
MRS. NJ. c. LETTER DEAD
Was Prominent in American
Society and PhiIanthropieS.
IRON The Tribune Bureau

at her home. on Du Pont Circle, In TINS
city. ut o'clock to-day Of heart disease
| following an attack of grip. Her death
was wholly unexpected. az she seemed to
have fully recovered from a recurrence OF
the more prolonged attack she suffered a
year ago.
Joseph Letter. the only child of Mrs.
| Letter now living in America returned TO
Washington a few days ago and was at
once summoned from his office by DR.. ".
! G. y. curtis. who was with Mrs Letter.
! The Earl and Countess OF Suffolk, OF
| CharIcton park. England. and Colonel and
! Mrs. colin Campbell. OF the same part OF
| England. sons-in-law and daughters Of
! Mrs. Letter. have been notified By cable.
! and no arrangements will be made FOR the
| funeral until they are heard from. The
! burial. however win take place in Rock
| Creek Cemetery. where the body OF Levi
! Ziegler Letter now lies.
Woman Of Marked Personality.
/ Mrs. Letter was siXty-nine years old.
| she was handsome woman Of marked
personality and dignihed bearing Her
! eldest daughter. the late Lady Curzon,
! last Cleveland administration. and one
OF the last hospitaliiies Of Mrs. Letter
was in compliment 10 Mrs. Cleveland. now
! Mrs. Preston. at her home, on Du Pont
! circle. Mrs. Colin Campbell is the elder
I living daughter 0f Mrs. Letter and the
Countess of suffolk tie younger. Their
estates in England are only a few miles
apart. and during Mrs. Letters visit TO
I them last fall she visited from one TO the
other Mrs. Letters eldest grandchild
Lady Mary Curzon. is just past her sew
| cntccuth year. and was 10 have been pre-
senied at court this spring.
The Letter tomb in Rock Creek Gene
| terry. where Mrs. Letter will be buried. is
q solid mass Of concrete for many feet
under the Garth. and is kept under con-
slant guard.
The Letter home IL one Of the hand
sOmcs, I'm Washington. and from the
moment the SAD news became known IN
Il, late hour tonight il was the OBJ
iective point Of distinguished people who
called 20 pay their respects and extend
. their sympthy to Joseph Letter ana lis
wife. who arc now az the Letter resi-
I dcuce
MIS-. Letters phiianthropies were never
noised about. but they We're - sub
stant!al nature. She gave freely OF her
wealth 10 those who needed il. and one
Of her latest acts was TO store 90 per
feet condition the old Letter family bury
Ing ground az LcitcFsburg. Nd
Active IN Suppression OF Vice.
She kept an aeen, IL Wash.ngton aud
other cities To help in the suppression OF
the white slave traffic. and her interest
ia that propaganda was unbounded. She
collected reports on the cvi! from al
parts Of the world. md only a few weeks
ago she received official reports from
abroad which she presented 10 President
TAFT and Attorney General Wickersnam.
who werc much interested in the sup
preston OF the trai'ic To all Washington
charities she gave freely. and though she
Ind not spent much time in Chicago IN
the last twenty years, she Kept up with
great regularity such work a she aud
Mr. Letter started there years ago
Airs. Levi Il Letter was born Mary
J Theresa Carver. the daughter Of Ben
amin Carver. Of Chicago. who was de-
scendani OF John Carver. the FIRST GOV
crnor Of Plymouth Colony. Size was mar
| ried 10 Mr.. Letter October j.. 1866. and
/ they had four children-Joscph. who III
1905 cornered tho wheat market for a
4 time and succeeded IN losing several
millions Of dollars. though Ae started an
/ era OF prosperity for the Western farmer
j - rsHn -
George Curzon. later Lord Curzon. Vice
/ roy Of India. and died some years a"o.
/ Nancy IAthrop Carver Letter. Hho mar
RED Major Collin Powys Campbell. Of III"
British army. and DAISY Letter who mar
ried tie Earl OF SUFFOLK.
Levi T. Letter amasscd fortune IN
| Chicago in the drygoods firm Of Field
Palmer & Letter. successor To Potter
Palmer and later under the firm name OF
Field. Letter & co.
Mrs. Letter was ambitious for her chill
dren. and when they became old enough
10 20 into society she became active IN
/ Chicago They soon became the leaders
/ I'm social entertainments in the Western
CITY. Then Mrs. Letter decided 10 NOV"
| To- Washington. James C. Blaine had just
built house In Washington. which he
had decided was too expensive 70 main
tain. and the Letters took IL or his hands.
Mary Letter was then twenty years old.
and during her first winter In Washing
ton she became the belle Of the capital
New Workers who visited Washington
returned with stories Of the wealth and
hospitality 81 the Letters. and soon they
were popular In New York and IN New
port The marriage Of Mary Letter 70
George Nathaniel Curzon who was later
created Lord Curzon. Of Kedleston, on Ills
appointment as Viceroy Of India. was the
| event Of the Washington season Of 1885.
With the death Of Levi T.. Letter. ~
1901. Mrs Letter went into retirement.
The death OF Mary. wife OF Lord Curzon.
| I'm 1905. was also a severe blow TO her. and
she spent much of her time abroad with
her daughters. the Countess of Suffolk
and Mrs Campbell.
| Mrs. Letter had summer home at
| Beverly. Mass, where. among other
Iuxuries, she had built n revolving glass
sun parlor. which was operated by cleo
fri .itv. and which was her own invention.