davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1947-08-31
Razing of Letter House Recalls Regal Romance

zon's particularly recalcitrant at
titude over "a matter OF principle"
Lord John Hamilton. Secretary Of
State in Council and Curzon's boss.
wrote Mary Victoria asking her help.
mo one has ever had his own way
in India as much as George" the
letter said.
The appeal to Lady Curzon failed.
She would have been of more help,
Lord zetland wrote, had ''her critical
faculty not been dulled where he
was concerned by an admiration so
great as to render impossible of be-
lief that he could be mistaken"
She saw. India as no American
woman has seen it-from port to
port in the. viceregal yacht "Clive."
tramping miles in the forests of the
foothills of the Himalayas while her
husband shot tiger after tiger. There
is photograph of her standing be-
hind one that must have been feet
long, She visited the Tai Mahal
while her husband directed plans
for its restoration.
In the Delhi Durbar Of 1903 to
celebrate the coronation Of Edward
VII She played the leading role in a
setting that Hollywood with all its
millions could never duplicate. Her
entrance into the walled city was in
the howdah of an elephant capari-
soned with ornamentation of which
the trappings in the Ringing parade
are but shoddy limitations. The
cannon brayed its 81 salutes. The
Indian cavalry dashed by her in re-
view. every rider seemingly trying
to break a photo-finish. The maha-
rajas and maharanees. with Jewels
Of quality and quantity never seen
in European courts, awaited to re-
new their vassalage in the great
hall of the moguls, the Diwan-i-
Khas. But the cynosure of all eyes,
as she walked across the court to be
enthroned, was Mary Victoria Letter
Curzon.
An enthusiastic young officer
wrote her, THE moment your pea
cock feathered dress moved across
the court was the zenith Of the
sheer beauty of the whole time"
She saw India, but at what a
cost! Mary Victoria was suffering
from anemia. India slowly but
surely murders women" she wrote
during a vacation in England. "I
suppose many humble and incon-
sequential livers must always go
into the foundation Of all great
works, and great buildings and great
achievements"
In Calcutta.
Her arrival in Calcutta on March
I, 1905, was the signal for a spon-
taneous demonstration. Indian
troops turned out and escorted her
to the Viceregal Lodge. But she
had not recovered. 1t was only a
rally After bearing Lord Curzon a
third daughter, she died in July,
1906.
Evening star., 1947-08-31

formation was very valuable-con-
Arms from high quarters the sus-
picions I have had for some time. p"
She wrote from Baden Baden on
French reaction to British i'm
perialism.
Constant Travel.
Both were travelling constantly;
He was out of the cabinet, for the
Conservatives were out and the Lib
erals in. A November, 1892, letter
from Washington reached him In
China on his second trip around the
world-"We are going to Egypt or
the south of France for the winter,
returning in the spring to get into
the new home"
,!Their,paths crossed again in Paris
in March, 1898. He was completing
his globe encirclement; the Letters
were on their way home. The two
dined at the Hotel Vendome. His
proposal was entirely unpremedi-
tated, he told his biographer. He
had not the slightest anticipation
of what would be the evenings S
ISSUE" Even a Curzon can forget
himself
He told her there we're two years
more of travel in the schedule he
had set for himself and asked her
to keep the engagement secret. She
assented. The next two years could
not have been too pleasant. She
was one OF the most courted young
women in international society. Her
parents wondered what was wrong
with her. She finally told them
after year.
Courtship.
The engagement was like the
courtship, They met again for a
few days in London more than a
year later-in June, 1894. He broke
his journey across Europe for the
boat to India to see her few hours
in Paris on August 4, 1894. But al
ways the correspondence continued.
Three weeks later at Bayreuth she
dispatched a letter to follow him to
India-"Lohengrin with that lovely
bridal music was beautiful and Nor
dica made an enchanting Elsa"
She was reading all the books on
India she could lay hands on-Max
Mullers india" Sir Alfred Lyalls
india" and the Life Of Lord
Lawrence" by Sir Richard Temple.
She had done the same about
Persia and Korea. His book on
Korea was selling well. He had a
81, 500 credit with his publisher.
From it he bought her a present
fairly won by the sweat of my own
brow"
His Korea book had gone to Du-
pont by mistake" she wrote from
London. She wanted to borrow the
book from B. H. but she feared
Ito re-arouse suspicious which I sue
cessfully allayed the summer before
last at Newport. Now she says, 1T
is a great pity you and George
Curzon didn't hit 1t off, smile, but
I want to laugh"
Curzon had left India for the
Pamirs with Neville Chamberlain
and others on his "last wander" 1t
was a period of dread for her. His
health was not too good and the
northwest tribesmen were not
friendly with pucka sahib in those
days. He came back The engage
ment was announced in Washing
ton in March, 1895, on his arrival in
England.
Clever Of you" wrote his friend
Lord Pembroke, ito get engaged to
Miss Letter from the top of the
Pamirs. You must tell me how it
was done"
Curzon arrived in Washington in
April. The marriage was at st.
Evening star., 1947-08-31

Douglas, SubSe- Senator Gorman'
quently serving as messenger, assist
ant postmaster and postmaster until
September l, 1866, when, probably
for political reasons, he was re-
moved. .
Having spent so many of his
years in Washington, he knew the
Capital like a. book, and was al
ways alert to its interest and could
be depended upon for justice to its
people. Many will recall his death
in Washington in 1906, and his
hospitable home at 1882 K street
NV, where his daughter Bessie
was married June "a, 1896, to Will
ton j. Lambert, well-known Wash
ington lawyer of his day. 1t is very
fitting that Senator German should
be buried in Oak Hill Cemetery, for
there was no place he loved better
than the Federal Capital.
Civil War Slump.
During the Civil War baseball
took quite slump, since many OF
the best players were scattered
CnrOugnOuL IHe IN U = II Il II anu
Southern armies, but whenever the
troops were assembled good game
could be witnessed nearly every day
or so. Particularly was this so on
the White Lot grounds and in
Franklin Square.
Upon many occasions President
Lincoln witnessed the sport in both
places, and referring to the latter
place what Walt Whitman said in
1863 is interesting:
"I see the President almost every
day, as I happen to live where he
passes to or from his lodgings out of
town He never sleeps at the White
House during the hot season, but
has quarters at healthy location
some three miles north of the city,
Evening star., 1947-08-31
Crime and Mystery
By Miriom Ottenbero

THE NIGHT SIDE
Edited by August Derleth. (Rine-
hart G. Co.: $780,
Some of these masterpieces of
the strange and terrible" are just
plausible enough to inspire readers
with profound uneasiness. There
are tales of men possessed with
dreadful power, invasions from
space, supernatural revenge, ad-
ventures into the primitive evil lurk-
ing beneath the surface of mans
conscious mind. MacKinlay Kantor,
Walter de la Mare, Lord Dunsany
A. E. Coppard and Margery Law
renee are among the % experts in
the eerie. Mr. Derleth contributes
foreWord and brief sketches of
the authors.
II X X
THE FOUR WITNESSES
BY Mary Reisner. (Dodd, Mead
& Co.; $780,
Is murder ever so justified that
the murderer should be permitted te
escape the punishment Of civilized
society? The author answers that
one way. The reader may be in
clined to answer it another. On
that answer hinges the plausibility
of this novel of a cold -blooded muir
der.
The victim is not good man. A
elf-made millionaire with a lust fol
power, william Handley considers
Carey Raymond his worst enemy
Carey has the quiet confidence, the
perfect manners of a man born te
! the purple. Carey is the murderer
Evening star., 1947-08-31

them by the one they must wait
upon. The sabers and accoutrements
clank, and the entirely unorna-
mental cortege as 1t trots toward
Lafayette Square arouses no sensa-
ton, only some curious stranger
stops and gazes. I see very plainly
Abraham Lincoln's dark brown face,
with deep-cut lines, the eyes, always
to me with deep, latent sadness
in the expression. We have got so
that we exchange bows, and very
cordial ones"
OF the great ball players Of the
past whom we regard as our own
boys, none will stand higher than
Paul Hines, Joe Gerhardt, "Sadie"
Houck, Charlie Snyder, Arthur Dev-
lin, Eugene Montreville, doc"
White and Babe" Trott, and many
others might we'll be added to this
1icf
Evening star., 1947-08-31
News About Stamps
By jones Waldo Fowcett


new postwar craft to be approved by
the Civil Aeronautics Administra-
tion.
Japan has brought out a stamp
in tribute to Baron Mitsu Maye-
shima, founder Of the national
postal system.
The new 15-cent airmail stamp
is an attractive label. First-day
figures for it are: 383,354 specimens
sold and 230,338 covers postmarked
A "pin-up girl" stamp was issued
by Brazil for the Inter-American
Defense Conference vat Rio de ia
neiro. 1t Is a .20-cruzeiro blue label,
showing what the Brazilian postal
authorities describe as IAN allegori-
cal female figure" reclining on a
globe.
The Information Service Of the
Post Office Department Is distribut-
ing gratis a pamphlet entitled "A
Brief History of Air Postal Trans
port For copies address Douglas
Wolf, Room 3411, Post Office De-
partment Building, mentioning this
notice.
While the United States continues
to avoid paying philatelic honor to
Francis Scott Key for his "Star
Spangled Banner" Chile marks the
centenary of its national anthem by
producing a 40-centavos green stamp
bearing the portraits of Eusebio
Lilo, who wrote sthe words of the
song, and Ramon Carnicer, who
composed the music.
The Collectors Club of Washing
ton will meet at 1912 Ninth street
NV. Tuesday evening at 8.
Modernistic notions Of art. have
hit the stamps of Austria, formerly
among the most notably beautiful
in the world. "A set Of six semi
postals intended to raise funds for
the relief of prisoners of war shows
the unmistakable influence Of dys-
genie radicalism. The human faces
are perversely elongated in q hide
GUS fashion.
Thomas Dunbabin, director, Aus
tralian News and Information Bu-
reau. announces the release Of a
series Of three handsome stamps for
the sesquicentenary of Newcastle,
"the Pittsburgh" of the Australian
Commonwealth. One of the set
shows a portrait Of 1t. John Short
land, Royal Navy officer, discoverer
Of the estuary of the Hunter River.
The others depict a scene in the
steel mills and q scene at
a coal-loading dock. Denominations
and colors are: 2-hd, carmine rec;
3-hd, dark blue; Sid, sage green.
Evening star., 1947-08-31

won the game, but this one was al
lowed to go to the score Of 35 to Is.
At this late day 1t would be diff
cult to tell who all the old Wash
ington players were or what became
of them. But the name German we
all know, or should know, for he
was none other than the Arthur
P. German who later became cele-
brated as one of the greatest Sena-
tors Maryland ever sent to the
United States Congress. He was
born in Woodstock, Howard County,
Md, and was educated and spent
his early boyhood days near Saw
age, in the same county, small
manufacturing place about three
Evening star., 1947-08-31

o. 4OfC UllC
Letter mansion whose walls
are being torn down to make
-. way for an apartment house
on Dupont Circle. A relic
of 1t was carried away by Mrs.
Samuel M. Dodek, 1880 Woodland
drive, wife of an obstetrician. She
purchased for her home the white
shell which was the background of
the balcony overlooking the palm
filed entrance court.
That was the balcony of Mary
Victoria Letters boudoir from which
she greeted one of the most remark
able young men of the age when he
called in April, 1895, to take her
hand in marriage. He was the Hon.
George N. Curzon. Aristocratic
heritage and uncommon ability
caused the fountain of honors to
flow for him. He became Viceroy of
India, Foreign Minister, Chancellor
of oxford, Marques Curzon, Earl
OF Kedleston, Viscount Scarsdale,
Baron Ravensdale, Knight of the
Garter, Lord Warden of the Cinque
Ports. .-.
A Mrs. Porter who is selling the
paneling and the f1repIaces for the
wrecking contractor, said that sew
eral persons who stopped In to look
have talked to her about the Letter.
Curzon wedding-how Mrs. Grover
Cleveland was there and how won
derful the flowers were.
George Curzon.
A connection of the family visited
the house and told Mrs. Rohter
that Curzon was fortune grabber
who had no use for Americans-in-
cluding his in-laws-and that old
Mrs. Letter was bitter about 1t in
her few remaining years.
However large the dot that went
with Mary Victoria. George Curzon
should have been worth 1t. 1t was
not his expectancy to the title and
lands of his father, Baron Scarsdale.
The baron was parson of Kedleston
Church, a Norman structure built
on the Curzon manor in Derbyshire
TOO years before. He was owner Of
Kedleston Hall nearby, a vast Geor-
gian' structure in a park. It was
George Curzon's own worth. He was
the Anthony Eden of his day in
respect to youthful achievement in
politics. He had been the youngest
man to be named undersecretary in
the cabinet for generations and was
soon to be the Lord Privy Seal.
1t was impossible for George
Curzon to be much interested in
America, even though he had an
American wife. His great interests
were in Persia and in keeping Rus
sia away from the Afghan gate and
the Pamir wall at India's northwest.
Eight of the 10 years he was mar
ried to Mary Victoria Letter were
spent largely in India. But there
was more than that. George Curzon
was not an ordinary person. He
wore a steel brace for curvature
of the spine inflicted in his Oxford
days. 1t gave him great pain and
discomfort. He determined then
that he would not let it interfere
with the career Of exploration he
had planned. He rode thousands of
miles on horse and camelback in
Persia, Turkestan and on the Pa
mir plateau, the 2-mile-high roof of
the world.
So strong was he In his sense of
Evening star., 1947-08-31

H. 4OC- EJ1dSCo Will LllOSC VIII
have the time to spare for
such diversions, but none of
these pastimes will likely ever take
the place of baseball, for there is a
certain fascination about this game
which, when knowledge of its tech
nique Is .once acquired, never leaves
one, no matter how old he may be-
come. OF course, other sports have
their followers, but these devotees,
sooner or later, lose certain
amount of interest. But not so
with baseball-never! Indeed, the
enthusiast when he becomes too old
to hobble to an occasional game of
ball will at least read the score in
the newspaper, and especially so if
the Wastingtons are anywhere near
the top. It is certainly the king of
American sports, and is about as
secure in its position as is the Con-
stitution itself.
Naturally, the Oldest inhabitant
looks back to his early days of base
ball and sees much regarding the
game worthy of repeating. Above
all others, of course, he sees the
teams of his own city and the boys
who used to line 'em out, and those
who scooped in about everything
that came their way when it was
their time to field the ball. And the
pitchers and the catchers, too, he
has praises for, for the battery in
the early days was just as important
to the success Of team as 1t Is
today.
There Were Heydays.
But while the old-stager may be
justified in praising the ball tossers
"a &1S ha Yrs11st
Evening star., 1947-08-31
What Fools
ANGELS METAL
(Hdrcourt,

ANGELS METAL
BY Ann Abelson. (Harcourt,
Brace G. Co.: S250)
Human weakness in various forms
remains a popular flrst-novel theme.
Miss Abelson projects her specimens
well. They are an Intellectually and
morally f1accid lot, brought togeth-
er against the background of a re-
ligious school. One of the charac-
tiers, who starts as rather bum,
becomes thinking individual of
some promise, but before the book
ends, one of the others delivers an
emotional haymaker. Even the
priest, a rock-of-ages type, becomes
discouraged about the future.
Just why one should read another
book about what fools these mortals
be might be a point for future lit
erary psychologists to consider.
L M
Evening star., 1947-08-31

duty, rectitude, ability and his ca
pacity for unremitting industry, that
he was an overbearing man, resent
ed by many. Men less extraordinary
have been devoted to their wives
and negligent of their in-laws.
The Letters.
The Letters had come from Chi
cago about 1890. Levi zeigler Letter,
Mary Victoria's father, was a de-
scendant of an 18th century Calvin
ist Dutch immigrant to Maryland.
He had been a partner of Marshall
Field before the Chicago fire. His
three daughters married English
men. Margaret married the Earl
of Suffolk and Berkshire:> Nancy
married Col. Colin Campbell. His
son Joseph gained notoriety in 1897
when he cornered wheat in the Chit
cago market, a corner that showed
a s700O,000 paper profit and re-
suited, when it was broken, In a $10,-
100000 cash loss, which Levi Letter
paid. Joseph Letter died in 1882
His family continued to occupy the
house until Pearl Harbor. Then the
Government leased it for a war
agency.
George Curzon did not enter the
Letter house until the eve of mar
riage. The courtship was in Europe
They met in a London ballroom in
the summer of 1890. He was 81; she
10. At the end of the season he gave
her an amulet, an Oriental charm to
ward off evil. She had pearl from
her necklace "the only thing truly
my own" made into stickpin for
him-"emphatic of the tear shed
in leaving London" There began a
correspondence that was constant
during their long separations in her
remaining Is years. The letters
were made available by Lord Curzon
to his biographer, Lawrence J. L.
Dundas, Marques of zetland, who
had served as his aide de camp in
India.
Washington Debutante.
Her pictures show that Mary Vic
toria was beautiful young woman
with dark hair, large eyes, long
lashes, regularity of feature and
splendid carriage and figure. Her
letters show that she was young
woman of intellect. She was soon
playing a minor role in the haute
politiaue of the day in her CORE
spondence with her distinguished
English admirer. It would be hard
to find Washington debutante OF
this day with such interests. Lord
Salisbury, she wrote, had sprung a
surprise in asking arbitration on the
Bering Sea case. She had not seen
Mr.. Blaine since, but she would write
as soon as she talked to him. James
G. Blaine, the Secretary OF State,
was the Letters landlord until fire
in January, 1891, drove them out of
his big house where the Riggs Bank
Branch now stands on Dupont Circle.
Curzon was much disturbed about
the report of the fire, although Mary
Victoria was In New York at the
time. There had been some panic
among members of the family and
the servants, she had apparently
written him.
How is it that people ever lose
their heads?" he wrote in answer.
IT am sure alarm, excitement, dan
ger would steady me. One might be
afraid and deadly afraid-that Is,
according to ones nature, but do
not understand loss of presence OF
mind or mental distraction"
She wrote him what Russian
gentleman of high station had said
in Washington about the Russian
Forward party's intentions regarding
the Pamirs. He replied that the in
Evening star., 1947-08-31

miles QOTUQ Oh
Laurel on the
B a ! t | m o r e =
Was h | n 6 t o n
b o u ! e ward. In
1852. when 13
years Of age, he
was appointed
a page In the
United S t a t e S
House of Repre-
sentatives, being
later transferred
to the Senate
side through the
| n f lu e n C e of
S t e p h e n A.
Douglas. Subse-
Evening star., 1947-08-31

W OH, LAG AAAsAo"
confess that the
present Wash
ington aggrega-
ton is q hne
ball team, even
II 1t is at the
present tt m e
down toward the
b o t m. But
there have been
times, and not
so long ago at
that, when the
Senators h av e
thrilled the fans
with their play
ing, and, indeed,
Evening star., 1947-08-31

1ldG, dllo 1OoAo
about as ordi-
nary in attire,
ETC., as the com.
monest man. A
lieutenant, with
yellow S r a p S,
rides at his left,
a n d following
behind, two by
two, come the
cavalry men in
their yell o W =
striped jackets.
They are gener-
ally going at a
slow trot. as that
Evening star., 1947-08-31

the Soldiers Home, q united StateS
military establishment. I saw him
this morning about $3.50 coming In
to business, riding on Vermont, ave-
nue near l. street. He always has a
company of 25 or 30 cavalry, with
sabers drawn and held upright over
their shoulders. They say this guard
was against his personal wishes, but
he let his counselors have their way.
The party makes no great show in
uniforms or horses Mr.. Lincoln on
the saddle generally rides good
sized easy-going gray horse, is
dressed in plain black, somewhat
rusty and dusty; wears black stiff
Evening star., 1947-08-31

The Nationals OF 1882 In foreground William E. wise,
Pitcher and Phil Baker, Sitting Frank Shrner third
base; William Warren White sortstop Thomas Euans second
Clay Barcley, outfeder Aloysus c. Joy frst base
Standtng Maurice Pierce pitcher Charles H. kdlou OUT
fielder, and George Noble pitcher.
Evening star., 1947-08-31
OIdtiin1e
Baseball
7 eonos
By John Cloeett Proctor

~ OOTBALL, tennis, golf and
IL other sports have their favor
ite places with those who
A have the time to spare for
c1lnt diuarSin,as hut mana Of
Evening star., 1947-08-31
BY George Kennedy

- HERE'S a love story in the
Letter mansion whose walls
are being torn down to make
l. way for an apartment house
Evening star., 1947-08-31

The plane shown on the 10-cent
black airpost stamp released In
washington exclusively yesterday Is
q Martin 2-o-2, 40-passenger twin
engine airrner, the first completely
Evening star., 1947-08-31

A portrait of Confucius. the phi
losopher, is slated to appear on a
new stamp of China.
The Detroit tribune. (Detroit, Mich.) 1935-1966, 1947-03-08

csnnaw is all thrilled over
10 prospect of our group shar-
~ ~ powcr in a nice clean adj
Illustration. such as we are
now fighting for. II is crafty.
~s how much other races, col
~. and crecds are interested.
10 can count on pretty
large majority of votes in the
.ect,ons where both the Rev.
wonroe and James Davis are
.royn and respected.
Once we decide TO really
rst behind them with our So
gd vote we can be successful
n puiiing them in. Folks. do
youf duty. and be glad when
you win.
our reports wish TO thank
ne DETROIT TRIBUNE. Mes
sers Boykin, Fields and staff,
II, the ane arrangement of our
column We hope 10 improve as
tme goes on. Particularly do
No look forward TO making our
souvenir Page one to be treas
u,ed rr years To come
Send all your news of church.
o and lodges to the reporter
nearest YOU or 10 Mrs, Ware,
toee,he with pictures or cuts.
M iggc is short now. so get
m the staff before it's too late.
The date OF the issue will be
announced this month.
The Detroit tribune. (Detroit, Mich.) 1935-1966, 1947-03-08
MONROE NEWS
BY Winiired covinqion

On the sick list are Addy
Guthry, in Mercy hospital, Lo-
gan Covington, Lorene Frazer
and Mrs Jeff Milton. Shut-ins
are Mrs. Lula Guthry, Lula Aus
tor and Mrs. Turner Williams
Albert Carter, who underwent
surgery few weeks ago IS
home now and able to get out.
The second Baptist pastors
aid society featured a silver tea
a few Sunday afternoons ago
at the home Of Mrs. Nora Ste
arms. Mrs John Burrell and Mrs
James Philpot poured the tea
and Mrs. Stesrns annd Mrs. W.
Mallary served the cakes. Mrs.
Dory Wright won the door prize.
Mr. and Mrs. II. N. Mallary
and Mr. and Mrs L. V. Coving-
ton were dinner guests of Mrs
II Bank of 1892 Marston. De-
troit. last Saturday.
Mr. and Mrs Manuel Hoskin
Of Conant street were visited
by their son, Pvt Manuel Hos
kin, Jr., last week. He is sta
toned at Scott Field, Illinois.
Mrs Raymond Moreland, Jr.,
OF Detroit was hostess 10 the
Misses Juanita and Winifred
Covington and TO Billie Blunt
and David Covington al birth
day dinner for her husband
Members Of Second BAPTIST
church and Pastor j NJ Bur
rell will worship with Leland
Baptist church and its pastor,
II c Banks in Detroit on Sun
day March 9 at 3 pm.
Please report all news 10