Evening star., 1937-05-23


refers. were associated with the dis
tinguished private banking firm of
Corcoran & Riggs, lately moved to the
present site at Fifteenth street and
Pennsylvania avenue, of its ultimate
successor, the Riggs National Bank.
1t was the firm Of Corcoran & Riggs
which, in l848, took $l2,0O0,OOO of
Government debt for the Mexican
War when the country at large was
unwilling to take on any portion of
the issue except at a heavy discount
Mr.. Corcoran later sold $4,000, 900
worth of this transaction to six Lon
don bankers at a price above par.
ms, OF course, brought international
fame to the banking firm and so
firmly established the Governments
credit In the eyes OF its own citizenry
that the issue finally brought as high
as 1872 on our own exchanges.
Attended Evening Party"
The letter runs: We all went last
week to an evening party at Mrs.
Whlthers'. Mrs. Elisha Riggs was
there and looked remarkably well.
| ~A'
always been particularly attentive and
KIND. l dined with her last week
quite en- famllle. She sent to the con-
fectloner for ice cream and every
dellcacy that she heard I was fond Of
l went with her to the theater to see
the celebrated Belgian giant that has
lately come over. He is over 6 feet
6 inches high and the handsomest
man besides that we had ever seen.
We were all quite struck with his ap-
| pearance"
Ice cream she capitalizes, possibly
because Of its being set apart in her
MIND as particularly delectable
American specially
| Sophie goes on to say that Mrs,
Riggs sent her yesterday a beau
tiful little cap to wear at sea-" and
comments on the fact that Mrs. Riggs
is gong this morning of April to
Philadelphia, under the escort of
George Riggs, attended by the baby
and nurse"
Ihese quite casual references to
members Of the Riggs family, who
| ~N>> AASAA sway oNSt s
financial destinies in the banking and
business world. recall that, perhaps
nowhere in the United States has
more history been enacted in a So
ciety sense than on the site of what
is now parking lot.
Adjoining the Army and Navy Club
on 1 street northwest once stood the
50-room Riggs mansion. Where
parking lot attendants now hand out
checks, the great of Washington and
other lands once strolled about its
walled garden as guests of the Riggs
family. Indeed. the name of this
family still is linked with business
and banking eminence In the Riggs
National Bank, with the art treas
ures recently purchased from the last
survivors of the estate by Andrew
Mellon as portion of the exhibit he
is giving to the Nation, and with
succor to the needy in the ward
named for and given by the family in
the Georgetown University Hospital.
Misses Riggs Recalled.
1t seems appropriate, too. with a
coronation in the background and
wedding of a one time Prince of
Wales as the worlds first page news,
that this letter from an English belle
regrettlng that she must so soon ter
inmate her American visit, should
call to mind the Misses Alice and
jamie Riggs. last occupants Of the
famous old Riggs house They were
famous Washington bellies at the
time of the visit of Edward, the
grandfather Of England's present SOW
| ereign, during President Buchanan's
Administration, and were sought out
by him as dancing partners
Later elderly regents of Mount
Vernon and the notable grand danes
OF their era, it was their privilege to
receive at our first Presidents home
on the Potomac Edward the grandson
OF that Prince of Wales whom they
had known in their girlhood. With
the present Duke of Windsor, then the
Prince Of Wales, upon the occasion of
his first visit to America, accom-
modating the faster tempo of his pace
to their slower step, they made the
journey to the tomb of Washington.
! Meanwhile, they talked Of that earlier
time when they had known his grand
father how they had received him in
| their street home when he called to
pay his respects after a White House
ball, at which he had been guest OF
honor,
Party Found Too Staid.
Tho 1oftor oNpc1i1oe u,ifb
ing picture of the stiffness of one of
the farewell dinner parties. In almost
a modern note it states preference Of
plenty of variety and gives q naively
frank opinion as to the general unde-
STABILITY of handsome men as hus-
bands.
The letter continues:
MY brother Thomas and myself
spent Monday evening at the Whit
| more's. They had invited 80 persons
to meet me, but it was rather stiff
and stupid affair. We had neither
dancing, music nor cards at the be-
ginning of the evening. All the ladies
sat on one side of the room and the
! gentlemen on the other. It put me in
mind of what have heard of Quaker
meeting. After a long interval the
gentlemen were brought up and intro
duced and we all finally got on pretty
we'll together.
"Mr. Williams the lawyer was there.
understood he is one OF the create
beaux in New York and I was told
should have been flattered by his
marked attention to me, but I did
not like him overly much. did
enjoy conversing for at least an hour
with Mrs. Elisha Riggs friend, Stop
ping, If Eliza would only come to
New York I think she would stand a
good chance in that quarter, for he
gave me to understand that he likes