The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1918-12-10
President and Mrs. Wilson
To Occupy Home of Prince M,rat


prince and Princess Joachim Mural
o,aced at the disposal Of Presiden
and Mrs. Wilson during their stay il
paris at the request of the govern
nant, will soon be completely reno
vated and ready to receive the Ameri
can chief executive and his wife.
The Rue de Monceau, in which tn
bouse is located while one of the mos
fashionable neighborhoods of Paris
contains all sorts of houses. Adjoin
ing the Murat house on the right il
the Ste. Marie institution, large
school for children, consisting ol
many buildings and a playground
Across the street lives woman artist
and a doctor and there are a group
Of offices and a butcher store, On the
corner there is the familiar little
French cafe with a few iron tables
and chairs on the sidewalk in front
where signs announce that wine and
beer are for sale.
Although the Nitrate mansion is
rapidly becoming known as La Mai
son Blanche de Paris, it is not white,
but a dull brown tint. The house
itself is hidden from the street by a
stone wall ten feet high in which there
are two narrow wooden gates and, in
the center, a big double door 1cr We
hicles.
Enclosed by High Wall
Inside the gates is large gravelled
space. Here the guard of honor will
be stationed. A low ornamental iron
fence on the side away from the
school separates the court from the
specious grounds and garden stretch
ing away for half block and en-
closed by a stone wall giving com
plete privacy.
Broad gravelled walks wind through
green lawns under trees of great size
A stroll around the gardens gives
view of elaborate Conservatives at
the rear of the house. At the rear
also are the servant quarters, the ga
rage and other outbuildings, which
are reached by passageway under
the house at the side nearest the
school.
In the house itself an army of work
men and servants were busy today
cleaning and replacing furniture,
paintings, portraits and beautiful
marble statuary. The carpets and
rugs were rolled up in the great hall
which is considered one of the most
elaborate iii Paris. There was smell
of fresh paint and soap everywhere
American soldiers were doing all
sorts of things in the mansion. Great
lorries rolled up and unloaded switch
boards, telephone instruments end big
reels of lead-covered cables. The
President and his suite will have
their own private telephone exchange
as well as private telephone wires
Priceless Antique Collection
On the lower floor of the mansion
in addition to salon, ballroom, dining
and breakfast rooms, there are prl-
vate study, which the President Will
use, and Offices for his personal star
The upper floors contain great high
ceilinged sleeping chambers and other
rooms wonderfully decorated wiIh
priceless collections of antiques
In the sleeping chambers are enor
nous four-poster beds, some OF WHICH
require little steps to enable the oc
cupants to climb in. Stern OLD gentle
men, some in the uniform OF the days
that are past, and many beautliui
women in the costumes of the times
in which they lived, look down lronl
nearly every wall. Golden cneruOs
peep from above the handsome tapes
tries in one chamber.
There is a profusion of ivory min
iatures and all manner OF vases anp
ornaments gathered from the world
four corners. Every room contains al
least three long French windows DEL
,catelv curtained Princess Murat ex-
nectad that her home would be IN
readiness to receive the na'ioH
guests by Dec. 10.