Evening star., 1947-04-27

Mclean gave the use of 1t to the
Red Cross during the last war.
Young Evalyn was beginning to
have the good time that character
lied her life. Mary Garden was
singing at the Opera Comique. Eva
| lyn wanted to see the midway every
day. She was put in young ladies
school for time to solve the con-
troll problem.
Too Young for First Party.
Evalyn was II when the house
was opened, too young to attend
the first party at which the guest
of honor was Princess Alice"
Roosevelt, daughter of President
Theodore Roosevelt.
The family was beginning to spend
part of every season in Europe. In
her book, which she called Father
Struck It Rich" she explained the
religious situation of the family in
telling of their audience with the
Pope.
What I felt" she wrote, twas
nothing to compare with the way
my apostate father felt. Mother
had, by then. moved from New
Thought into Christian Science.
My father, so I understand, had
gone as far as one may go in Free
masonry. I, of course, am just a
heathen."
Drove About Monte Carlo.
At the time of which she was
writing, Miss Mclean was rich,
romantic girl, seeing Europe for the
first time.
At Monte Carlo. she drove about
in her red Mercedes with bucket
seats escorted by Prince Colonna OF
the house that has been ruling
family of Rome since the Middle
Ages. He was a grandson of an
other American mining fortune,
John w. Mackay of the Comstock
Lode. Prince Altieri, whom she had
met in Rome, arrived. She was
delighted when the two princes
quarreled.
Back in Washington the young
Washes, Evalyn and Vinson, were
disturbing the carriage section with
their automobiles. Vinson had
Pope Toledo with a trunk strap
over the hood and bucket seats.
When chased by police-on bicycles
he had time to run it into the
stables, take off the bucket seats
and put another body on the car.
AS the Washes enlarged their
social activities, they turned to New
port, traditional inner sanctum of
society. They rented "Beaulieu," the
former chateau Of Mrs. william
Waldorf Astor, just south of Mrs.
10. H. P. Belmont's marble house.
Driving back from the Clambake
Club one day Vinson had the French
chauffeur move over and took the
wheel of the Mercedes. He went
through the guard rail of bridge
and was killed. Evalyn was in
cast for months.
She said her parents kept her in
Europe for months because they
were afraid she would marry Ned
Mclean. Mclean was the son of
John R. Mclean. multimillionaire
publisher of the Cincinnati Enquirer
who had come to the Capital and
bought the Washington Post. She
announced her own engagement on
July 4. 1908 while on a Western
trip. They were married in Denver
in st. Marks Episcopal Church
laster in July.
Son Born in December.
The young couple were at Bar
Harbor the next summer and that
December son was born at 2020
Massachusetts, avenue. He was
named Vinson for her brother but
was Immediately dubbed the ''hun-
dred-million-dollar baby"
Her father died the next spring.
She had idolized him. He loved
her but he had been able to re-
strain her slightly. Now she was
completely on her own and with
millions of dollars to pay for her
wfimS
Then came the Hope diamond.
1t was in Paris and Pierre Cartier,
most noted of jewellers, brought it
to her and told her its story. 1t was
one she could not resist.
A French traveller named Taver-
nier had wrenched it from the fore
head Of Hindu idol. He brought
it to Paris and sold it to Louis XIV.
The curse of the idol followed
Tavernier. He was torn to death by
dogs. Nine. de Montespan asked for
it and presto-she was no longer the
kings mistress.
Louis XIV kept it locked up-his
luck was fair.
Louis XVI gave 1t to his queen,