Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-07-06
BY MARGARET B. DOWNING.

BY MARGARET B. DOWNING.
President-elect Prestes, the most I'm
bortant visitor from that vast Republic
Of Brazil since the Emperor Dom Pedro
visited President Grant In 1875, took
away few little secrets of his own re-
garding his perfect health and unas-
eatlable energy. Quite unobserved in
the retinue Of attendants, military
aides, secretaries and utility officers was
Q tall, dark Brazilian, a marvellous chef,
who has personally attended to the
gastronomic needs of Senior Prestes
since he attained political dominance.
In the spacious culinary apartment Of
the Henry White home, now leased by
Mr. Eugene Meyer, this food specialist
made ready the prescribed dishes. For
breakfast several kinds of fruit begin
ming with lukewarm orange Juice,
chilled grapes and maybe a ripe peach
or two and then one small roll and
cup Of Brazilian coffee. Partaking sat-
1Sfactorily of this, the exalted visitor
accepted breakfast invitations galore,
toyed with griddle cakes, grilled kid
neys and other things not good for
him, and was a most charming guest.
His luncheon and dinner also were pre-
pared by his own man, and again ne
went through the ordeal Of elaborate
functions Of state with his digestion
unasSaulted. For one thing, formal
banquets in Washington, as everywhere,
rush through their prescribed courses
and even the most vigilant host or
hostess can never accurately tell wheth-
er the guest of honor enjoys the menu
or not. Such routine did the Earl
Grey follow when he was here soon
after the signing of the armistice and
also Lord Balfour, who occupied the
Henry White mansion the Spring of
1s17 as guest of the Nation.
When Mr. John Pell and his associ-
ate on the editorial staff of the North
American Review a few days ago Of
fered reward of $3.50 for an authentic
portrait or sketch of Vermont's re-
doubtable hero, Ethan Allen, Washing
tonians naturally asked. what about the
statue of the Green Mountain hero in
Statuary Hall of the Capitol? Mr..
Pell. member of family which for
more than a century owned Fort Tlcon-
deroga. declares that no actual likeness
had ever been discovered of the bold
Continental trooper who compelled the
surrender of Capt. Delaplace with his
garrison and 100 cannon and much val
liable ammunition by what would now
be described as bluff alone. Mr.. Pell
says. and he has the evidence, that
when Vermont decided to place the
bluff conqueror of Ticonderoga in the
national hall of fame, and no picture
was forthcoming, the nephew and
namesake of the hero posed for it. But
Mr.. Pen and his associates hope by
their reward and their going through
New England archives most vigilantly
to find some of the pictures for which
It Is known the Green Mountain man
posed. 1t is proposed to place an
Ethan Allen statue on the ramparts OF
l.. i ys1lf 70
although the British recaptured 1t
shortly afterward. Every schoolboy
knows the resounding command Of the
Continental officer to the red coat, de-
nanding his surrender In the name
of the Great Jehovah and the Cont
mental Congress-" and the British COM
mander, in his night garments and half
asleep, was convinced a vast army was
upon him instead of few partially
armed Green Mountain boys.
* x
The Spanish Ambassador. Senior
Padilla, recently figured in the amiable
role of honoring two distinguished
daughters of this Republic. Mrs. Harry
Payne Whitney and Mrs. Charles Gary
Rumsey, in behalf of his sovereign.
Alfonso XIII. Mrs. Whitney received
the Spanish decoration OF the Grand
Cross in her home, Wheatley Hills, on
Long Island, where she was hostess at
a sumptuous banquet. The former
Ambassador to Madrid, Mr.. Ogden
Hammond, made the principal address
and gave an outline of the Columbus
memorial set in the harbor of the
ancient port of Huelva, near Palos, from
which the discoverer set forth. The
Ambassador in congratulating the
sculptures on her splendid work gave
tribute to American women in the ag-
gregate and said that never before has
Spain so honored an artist of the
gentler sex. Besides the decoration,
Mrs Whitney was informed by the
Ambassador that when she next visits
Huelva she may ride in triumph up a
broad avenue leading from the harbor
bearing the name of Gale Mistress
Whitney" Mrs. Rumsey, who is the
daughter Of the late E. H. Hartman,
received from the Ambassador the grand
insignia of the Order of Isabella, the
Catholic. in her mothers home, on
East Sixty-ninth street in New York
bronze statue of Francisco Pizarro.
erected recently in the natal city of
Peru's conquistadore, Trujillo. The
statue is the work of the late Charles
Cary Rumsey, who died just as it was
completed.
Mrs. George Custer, widow of the |
Horn, when Gen. Custer and 207 COM |
rades were massacred by the Indians,
has lived through So anniversaries of
this tragic event. She spends her days |
in a quiet routine, reading, doing a |
little fancy work and much writing in
pleasant home on Park avenue in New
York City, with her niece, Mrs. May
Custer Elmer, as companion. When the |
day of commemoration draws near Mrs. |
Custer renews her energy, gets her cor
respondence up to date, and because |
she cannot bear the words of coincidence |
whispered as she passes she seldom |
takes her daily walk during few days
before the anniversary of the slaughter |
nor until several days afterward But
her home is mass of flowers, and |
letters and kilograms. pile up on her
salver. but she rarely opens the mes
eages until she is ready to reply. Until |
10 years ago Mrs. Custer spent the |
Winter months in Washington, going
over files in the War Department and |
becoming an expert aid to those who
were writing the story of the memorable
events which led to the fatal encounter.