.; His correspondence is one. long record
of the politics " of the period, and to his
credit are many generous and kindly
acts. : > y^^i
Everybody sought his influence, from
the man' who desired to get a special
brand" of champagne aboard the Presi
j dent's private car on a railway trip to the
official seeking a pension for a poor
widow or a position for some poor man.
Chaabwlln wm rperson* grata" with
President Arthur, and many acknowledg
ment* of '."birds and other delicacies
earn* from Mr. Phillip, the Presidents
private secretary. One of the old clerks
says It was no uncommon, thins; for a
gentleman to rush In and say, "John, let
me have ten or twenty dollars. I'll give
it to you to-morrow." After the man had
rot It and >one: Chamberlin would, say.
"Who waa that? I don't remember him."
August Belmont, in May. 1375, wrote:
"A few years ago you made me a present
Louis Lorlllard wrote in the centennial
year: "My brother George- will give you
for Tom Ochiltree $5000, and you to hav«
25 per cent of his winnings If they should
amount to $10,000 or over; or $7300, you ta
have no interest in him. This Is providing
you can give good title and tho horse is
sound, etc. All over $7300 up to $10,000 he
will give you. This, of course. Is for the
year 1876."
"Dear John: Kindly send to the In
closed address two or three cans of pre
pared terrapin (is that the way to spell
the. Insect?), with instructions as to boil-
Ing, etc. Yours very truly, .
; >y "E. A. BOTHERN.
"P. S.— Send them with E. A. Sothern'e
kind regards, and let me know how much
I owe you for them. Pay tha express
charges. B. A. 8."
Edward A. Sothern of illustrious fame,
who won the hearts of all Americans, waa
a close friend of ChambeTlin and his fam
ily and much "Interested ; in bis cookery.
In January. 18S0, he wrote:
"Ned" Sothern Terrapin Letter.
Charles A. Dana wrote. November. 1875:
"I- have had your favor of the 3d lnst.
.for several days, but have been so occu
pied with making arrangements for
moving\into town from the country that
I have not had a moment to answer it. I
now expect to be In the city again at the
beginning of next week, and shall b<s
ready to try the horse. But thi3 ia not
certain, and with your kind permission I
will communicate with you upon th»
subject.". ,
"Your kind invitation to dinner this
afternoon has this moment come to hand.
I have dinner company which will prevent
my acceptance, but hope to see you be
fore leaving the city."
William H. Vanderbilt wrote:
"My Dear Chamberlin: Nothing but
press of business and the fact that I must
leave this city Thursday deprives mo of
the pleasure of taking a run down to
Long Branch and seeing the horses at
their work. I am greatly disappointed at
not being able to go, and much obliged to
you for Inviting me. Truly yours.
i . "GEORGE" H. CUSTER."
General Custer wrote a historical nota
to Chamberlin. because it wa3 on the eva
of the former's departure for the Indian
campaign which resulted in the massacre
of himself and all his troops:
"Please to take notice that I hereby put
you upon your Inquiry as to any llbeloua
matter composed or printed in a paper
called 5 the Free Lance and directed
against me. I send you this notice by
legal advice."
During Mr. Chamberlin's memorable
quarrel with George Wllkes and John
Morrissey, when Chamberlin was bitterly
attacked, the response was a surprise, for
Wllkes - owned the Spirit of tlje Times,
while ChamberUn. who was without much
editorial support, replied In pamphlets
and contributions in a free lance weekly,
which caused Wilkes to write:
THE SUNDAY CALL;
1 *John : F; J Chamberlin .was born In"- Daniel
Webster's State.l Massachusetts,' in Pitts
field,*' ia 1836. • He ; , went ' to } New} York as a
Mr. Chamberlain's Unique Care«r. •
That Mr. Chamberlin's '_ cookery 'was '¦ a :
force In politics, and even; In business af-' r
fairs, there Is no" doubt, but greater than
alp was the Influence - of ' his hones ty and
dominating personality. -¦]' .-•¦;• ;;-;-• ¦''''•¦'' >-' "*-.:'
•¦; Just before his. death In August, UM, he
was ; called /'the last survivor of a coterie
of, sporting men who despite their, calling I
secured/ and; retained 'the .i respect , 'and ;
friendship of the best and, brightest public
men— statesmen, soldiers and 1 scholars." •'
?.:¦ Among ? ¦ the> volumes v; of *' articles ' and"
sketches that ; ; have appeared about Lim
hardly, a reference is made as ; to ; his - na
tivity • andt early . life/,: : '^ v : : - • ..-;¦• .• ~ ;.:""/> '
" Regarding cooks he had his^own ideas.
He employed six , head colored iooks,
equal, he said \ to, any . ten^ thousand dollar
a year French. oooks. .^"Ana they are my
servants; I am ' not ' theirs," he empha
sized. . " ;
Mr. Chamberlin ; invented many dishes,
Improved others and made them popular
for the first time. . One of . his specialties
of epicurean delicacy.- was cod tongues,
which, he said, could be prepared to rival
any dish commanding Delmonico prices: '
- He said, the true art of cooking was to
retain the .natural, flavor, of fish, flesh or
fowl, not. extinguish it with sauces. Ha
contended that. New I Yorkers never saw a
deviled' crab properly prepared in their
city. 1 . .'.* -. . ¦¦•¦¦• --v-.y' ..*' r' ;.--.'-.'
"He declared that no part of the Union
could produoe turkeys comparable with
those raised in . Rhode Island. It 9 was
claimed that, /owing to the limited area
of the State, the turkeys did not lose flesh
from over exercise. 'y- They, were fed on
chestnuts of a rare variety, ground' up
with porterhouse steak : and other whole
some meat '
Mr. Chamberlin had' original opinions in
regard to the' preparation of his dishes
and the selection of his 'game and wine.
He secured his delicacies from different
parts of .the. country," supposed to deal in
specialties: butter: came from • Phila
delphia, turkeys from ivhode Island, ter
rapin from Baltimore, etc. : '' ¦"' ¦¦>'
The Art of Artistic Cooking.
, "It is compounded of hot water,' the
great stomach remedy for t dyspepsia;
baked apples, , a specific for. torpid liver,
with sufficient old applejack added ; to
destroy the bacteria and other dangerous
microbes in the water. Absorption ad
inlinitum.— See Farmer. Kilbourn, . % in
Encyclopaedia Britarinica, Vol.* J. F.'C.;
A. D. 1892-1S93." .'"¦•; .; .,
"Farmer John Chamberlin's famous
applejack— 'The. i farmer's --, tipple,' at
Chamberlin's celebrated Grange, Wash
ington. D.C., U. S.;A.\ is confined mostly
to applejack, which is an innocent bever
age indulged in for sanitary purposes
principally. ( -
"Eggnog, one gallon — Pulverized- sugar
(not., granulated), one pound; and, a
quarter; eggs, fresh laid, twelve; best
cognac, one quart: champagne, half pint;
nutmeg, even" tablespoonful, powdered;
sweet milk from cow, two- quarts; sweet
cream, one quart..- ,
'/Thoroughly beat up the yolks of the
eggs and incorporate them With the above
;by thorough and repeated'stirrins; make
the whites of the eggs into. light, foamy,
snowy whiteness and place on top. Three
tablespoonf uls of rum, 100 years old (or
as near as you can get it)."
, "Then, 'Drink it" down, drink it down,'
to the health of those you love.'.'.
bottle brandy, three-quarters tumbler' of
rum, one tumbler. strong black tea; three
strained lemons, powdered sugar to taste.'
James H. Coleman expressed his grati
tude . for a kindness done In behalf of a
poor widow who wanted a position In the
Government, and Chamberlin secured It
for her. Coleman wrote: "I know not
how to thank you. You have done a good,
kind act— a deed \of the purest charity.
You : will have the benefit of a poor
widow's prayers."
. Chamberlin's seemed to be a sort of
clearing house for all forms of loans, pay
ments and debts of gratitude. The treas
urer of a. bank note company wrote 1 "The
man's name is Jerome. I owe him £0.
You will find a draft for that amount in
side. Please hand it to him.: Should Mr.
Jerome prove, to be a proud-spirited cuss
and decline to. receive the. money, hand^
the draft to H. H. or, to some other poor
devil who ; may b« drawing Ms ration*
free at your bounteous table."
ef an Alderney cow named Sweetheart.
which I desire to have entered 1b the
American 'herd book. Will you be kind
enough to give me the necessary Informa
tion that I may furnish the exact date of
her importation and the- name of the ves
sel she cams by? Her pedigre* is all
right, but they want the above data. Pray
excuse the trouble."
Here is a man in troutlei
"March 3, 1880.— My servant man la ar
rested and at the station house. I want
$50 for deposit to get him out to-night.
Please hand the amount to the officer do
liverin? thte. Will return in the morninj.
On reflection, cash my check. Truly your
friend. BEN HOLLADAT."
Hirer, and Harbor Legislation Wanted
Military men also wanted Mr. Chamber
lin's assistance. Colonel William Crook,
of Indian fame, wrote: "If proper, con
venient or possible, please ask General
Reagan to agree to" an Increase of appro
priation for the Red River of the North.
See River and' Harbor bill H. K. 6060.
Twenty thousand will do us but very Mttle
good beyond recognition. Senator Mc-
Millan may, and I trust will, ask for an
Increase of $20,000. Only do this II It la
right and proper. General Reagan's course
on the transportation matter has won our
peqple and the appropriation for Red
River is positively against the monopoly,
as Mr. Washburn of Minnesota Is pre
pared to prove. Also that the appropria
tion for the Missouri River above the
mouth of the Yellowstone (125,000) Is too
small by half. For th* Yellowstone proper
$15,000 Is only half enough. Our whole
Northwest is very much interested. Now
good by. Your friend truly,
"WIIXIAM CROOK."
Oelenel John K. Fellows also wanted a
favor— a ehiac* t» keep away from ti«
reporters.
"Bear ChamberUai It la essential t&at
I should ha>v* a quiet room to day, as X
do sot wlsb. to have th« papers know et
my presence (In Washington). Can you
fix mo out? X shall probably aot need is
to-night."
Her* U a totter from Lawrence Jeroas*
who wants to oblige a friend:
"My Dear John: I inclose you Lowell's
letter. Won't you ask Senator Vest to
do me the favor to se* Benedict on tnls
matter? Go with him personally. You
will do Lovell and me a great favor by so
doing. I know Vest would like to oblige
me."
This is young Lovell's letter, dated Tuc
son, Aril., May 23, 1887: "Excuse my
bothering; you again about young Maher*s
appointment, but it Is a matter tn which
I am very much interested, j Will you not
kindly find out what father can do In the
matter?— you know the ropes so well— and
let him know It. He will do It. but does
not know exactly what ia needed. Very
respectfully, LOVELL H. JEROME."
His Washington hotel, known as Cham
berlin's, on the corner of, Fifteenth and I
streets; was. made r of three dwelling!;,
formerly "occupied by members of Con
gress—Fernando Wood, James O. Blaine
and .Tom Swann. It was 'more of a club
than,' a hotel and more of a home than;
either. A patron was taken care of from
the time 'he i entered "until his departure,
and was provided with everything i from
terrapin to a' bed— with money, if he need
ed any. : '
Among the hundreds of well known men
of the countryhls friends and guests were
.Grover,. Cleveland, Chester A. Arthur,
Roscoe' Conklinff, ' T. B.. Reed, -Senator
Jones of Nevada, Congressman ; Cura
mlngs,' Henry 'Watterson, Senator Vest,
John . W. Mackay,-.- '•Billy' 1 Florence,
"Phil" Thompson : of Kentucky, . Lawrence
-Jerome, :, William ¦ R. ,Travers, "Tom"
' Ochiltree, Robert Garrett and most of the
': big • railroad . bfflciajs * of the > Union ; and
men of genius and influence with, the
Government. 1 ; : '.; '.'} , • ' '
v "¦. At Chamberlin's many historic games
of poker; have * been ' played the < large
found green tables in the private room* of ;
the hotel; -at which,: it was said, large
', sums * were .' purposely . lost . to , %th» '- right
- political ~l parties . who were to -put some
v bill *or project' through the House. • '
' ; ¦ But > to John ' Chamberltn's credit, be it
' declared/* that,"* personally,/ he • never, lent"
"himself .to -any. dishonorable schemes.- His
I purse « was ; always " open , ; and ' the ' records
oX his^ kindly acts "are" innumerable. -I Mr,
boy, to seek his tortune. "Ben" Harper,
a famous Mississippi River capitalist.'
took a- fancy to hip and gave him special
saloon privileges on the big palace steam
boats that piled between St. Louis and
New Orleans before the war. On these
trips he made the acquaintance of famous
men, won the friendship of big planters
and important men of that . day; maoe
money enough -to open a high class sport
ing resort in, St. Louis', and saved up a
fortune. Then he went to New York City
and opened the finest clubhouse In Ameri
ca. ¦¦/';" His success was immediate aii'l
marked. Men eallejL him the squarest
and most popular man in the country. Be
ing fond of horses, be, bought thorougn
breds, then Jmilt the Monmouth Park rac
ing stable*, .with the finest track in t\\a
Union." He was the first to establish high
class' racing. in the East. He opened his
famous, clubhouse at Long Branch and .
conducted it with such ability and hon
esty as to make it nationally popular.
-It. L was said of him that "while a
gambling house proprietor, he was never
•tainted with; the Impurities of his calling;
as the j owner .of | great and important
stablds he was never 'horsy,' and as the
landlord of big hotels he was more like a
gentleman "entertaining his friends than a "
public host." ' . , ;
Worked for Thoroughbred Racing:.
He was the first .to -awaken national
interest In thoroughbred racing.; His ag
gressiveness and growing prosperity made
him enemies among adventurers and oM
time touts. Unscrupulous men of political.
Influence and wealth, who saw nothing "In
the sport beyond opportunity for gam
bling and winning money, regardless of
fair dealing, said they would drive him
out' of business. In. attempting to -make
his racing Stables and clubhouse national i
sporting institutions, competing with Sar
atoga, he aroused the hostility of a syndi
cate of gamblers led by John Morrissey
and George Wllkes. A long- and bitter
warfare was waged uniquely and success
fully by Mr.' Chamberlin, but . ho lost so
much money on the 'turf that . he finally
removed ''. to ¦ 'Washington, ; and there
achieved new fame, and fortune and won
powerful' influence with men high la the
Government. - : _.-.•. ,
His Greatest Lobbying' Teat.
One of the most extraordinary of his
achievements was his securing a Govern
ment grant of land for the big Chamber
lin Hotel, at Old Point Comfort, on which
he lavished his fortune.
Havemeyer.v "the J sugar king," was
interested with him. It was said, for
political service rendered, . and put vast
sums into the enterprise, probably two
millions being expended on the building
and furnishing. The late Senator Hearst
was also- said to have been a heavy
investor in the hotel. ;
It was made a stock company, and
Chamberlin and others received a large
block of the common stock for their out
lay, which has recently been wiped out,
rendered valueless by the sale and trans
fer of the property to the Old Point Com
fort Association, now owning the Hygeia.
keeping the latter open in summer and
the Chamberlin during the winter months.
This palace hotel proved too large to be
profitable or even return an . adequate
Interest on the enormous .sum it had
originally cost. The building of the hotels
at Palm Beach and elsewhere on the
Atlantic coast, 'with improved railway
service, seriously interfered with the suc
cess of the venture. . "g
But the fact that Chamberlin could, se
cure a Government grant of the land
shows the strength of his political Influ
ence. The right Is reserved in the grant
to reclaim the land If required for war or
naval purposes, and the structure would
In that case have to be torn down and re
moved. . . .
Mr. Chamberlain's Full With Police.
But Mr. Chamberlin's influenae waa
not confined to political life In Washing
ton. He had friends with a "pull" In. tne
New York Police Commissioners.
* The late Stephen B. French, president of
the . New York Police Board In the
eighties, and whose presentation sola
shield was found the other day at a pawn
broker's, was a warm admirer of Cham
berlin. whos* "pull" was of national di
mensions.
"Police Department, President's Office,
"New York, September U, UtL
"My Dear Chamberlin— The reed birds
reached me in most excellent. order, and
I made a most delicious breakfast on
some of them this morning. I appreciate
your kindness and thougntfulnes*. Your
friend, S. B. FRENCH."
In September, 1831, Mr. French, through
his secretary, wrote that he had attended
to the transfer of Patrolman Richard
Leary from the Twenty-seventh precinct
to the steamboat squad at the request of
Mr. Chamberlin.
His Remarkable Correspondenc*. -
Among the mass of correspondence left
by Mr. Chamberlin are interesting letters
from distinguished men . and national
characters.' ¦ ¦ Z-. :'*,-
Roscoe Conkling wanted to give a pri
vate dinner and wrote: - •
"My Dear Sir— May I have a' fair din
ner at 6 o'clock to-day ror Senator Jones.
Mr. Johnson and myseir— 3? ; •
"Please have - some • champagne very
cold. Yours cordially,
; "ROSCOE CONKLJNO.
"Mr. Chamberlin."
. President Arthur's thanks •¦ for some
delicacies were thus ..expressed by his
private .secretary:'
•' "Executive Mansion, Washington,
* / "July 2. 1832.
. "My Dear Sir: I have your, note of yes
, terday, and the President desires me to
: thank you t for ..the whitebait and peaches
J which accompanied' it!.' ,They were de- T
licious and much enjoyed by 'him.-'
Very truly yours, ; '
- "FRED. J. PHILLIPSL"
Sweetbreads and Rarebits.
Among the line aits of cookery none re
quires more of that something, that deft
touch of the master, than in tne prepara
tion of sweetbreads. Chamberlin's were
famous. Here is his secret:
"Sweetbreads a-la Hearnaise— Put the
sweetbreads in warm water till they are"
white. Dry them between two towcis, cut
them and cook slightly with clarified but
ter, salt, pepper, without, letting them
get any color. Dip the edge of tne paper
case in churned yolk, then fry in cream.
Put in a saucepan hashed shallots lau
rel, whole peppers, nutmegs, one glass of
tarragon vinegar; cover the pan"; -Vfter
everything is cooked niter the reduction
and let it cool..
"For one pint of sauce put in a e'auce
pan six yolks, some pieces of fine butter
the above reduction, a spoonful of Ger
man sauce (turn, without leaving) and
add pieces o. butter till you get the quan
tity of sauce you want; when: your sauce
is smooth, add some fresh hashed tarra
gon chives, and before serving it a little
piece of meat Jelly; put the sweetbreads
in the paper oases, then the sauce, and
serve hot." .
How to make a Welsh rarebit U "an
other of the lest arts exhumed.* Hardly
one swell restaurant In ten serve* a
Welsh rarebit on which one can sleep
without fear of awakening in Bellevue
Hospital.. Chamberlln's Welsh rarebit
delicacy la like a ' poem, and. . tie recipe
runs thus: .
' 3 elih *«*«Wt.-Four ounoes of cheese,
half an ounce of butter, a spoonful ' of
made mustard, ..two > tablespoonf uls of
cream; cayenne and black pepper to' taste.
"Grate or. chop the cheese, then in a
bowl with a spoon, or in a mortal with a
• pestle, rub all to a uniform paste, adding
or not,' as you like, a tablespoonful of ale,
porter. - beer or . champagne ; t make " a slice
of rather, thick toast, which dip an In
stant in boiling water and place in the
. oven. • ¦ ¦ . . ¦ - - , :¦.¦..¦'
"Now transfer your prepared" cheese
mixture to a saucepan and stir over gentle
heat until melted, then heat up quickly
and pour upon the- toast and serve; this is
a quantity- for one person.- Time required
from: three to five minutes. 'This recipe
won, the respect of ; Congress.'/ ' ';.:¦.'
Oiling the Wheels of Government
And now for 'the. Chamberlin 'drinks,
• which 'eased the wheels 'of ; government
under Presidents Arthur ' and - Cleveland
and ••Torn." -.Reed. It Us estimated J, that
but for these refreshments ¦ many - of ; the
great measures, now; Important laws of the
" land would \ have , been ; stranded • deep - in
the mud of Salt River, i To make a'- Con
gressional punch', read Mr."" Chamberlin's
carefully worded -directions:,: \; t ,
"Congressional punchy-One quart lemon
.Juice, very ; sweet; -one. quart i whisky, one
pint brandy, > one : quart ; claret,; .one . quart
¦• and pint • champagne, v V Fruit— Oranges,
fsliced;>bananas,':etc.:. liquori to taste. . "-' ..
¦ " "Champagne - punch * for twelve 'people-
Two ' bottles r champ'agne," one-quarter
kettle or pot of cold water to boil. Let
¦ the water get!hot gradually aHH continue
to cook the ham in a slow boil, scarcely
more than a simmer. At trie end of five
hours take the ham out,- throw the water
out of the pot' and fill itjwith • fresh cold
water. Put the ham back i immediately
and let it simmer or boil slowly tty'e hours,'
more. Then add, according to the ? size.of;
your purse, a gallon ot vinegar ora.'gal-:
Ion of claref or burgundy or champagne;,
then simmer or boil for three hours more.
Then take the' ham "off, skin it "and put in
a cool place.. Next morning trim it and
eat when you are ready. To prevent the
ham lrom tearing or the water suddenly
boiling too fast, it Is always safe to sew
a piece of cotton cloth tightly around the
ham so as to fit It as. close as a glove.
1 his will keep the meat -firm and guard
.against the neglect 'of the cook in letting
the water boil too fast."
•:Oldt Virginia Ham— Put ham in bucket
of tepid v.ater and allow to' stand ail
In morning put it. in pot of cold
water and. allow it to come to simmer,
not boiling, and let it stewJiv* hours. If
desired 10 flavor," make a boiling mixture,
one quart champagne, one quart Clos
Vcquet Burgundy,: a pinch of mace' and
a Pinch <jf cloves. Let the ham stand,
alter taking it off the stove, in Its juice
twenty-four hours, and then serve— the
Senatorial mouth watering .with expec
tancy and delight." , . .
' To .boll a Ham! One of the historic Inci
dents in -Washington was > when "Sam" ¦
Ward.; during a Congressional investiga
tion, gave a detai!?d account of how h\
cooked a ham for three days with a -wisp
of hay and a bit of sweet briar In the
water, and brought -his stubborn Senator'
- to terms — he and his friends voting for
the bill. But Chamberlin cooked his hams
so successfully that no investigation by
Congress followed. Here is Chamberlin's
autograph recipe for cooping . ordinary":
' hams,' and those sweet, nut-flavored hams
of old Virginia: . . > v
/ "To Boil a Ham a la Chamberlin— The
night before put the ham in atublof cold
¦ water, fleshy.' part • downward, ."skin '"part
: up. Ms ext, morning put the ham in fc, lar^o;
Secret of Boiling- tt«tw.
"Canape Lorenzo. — Chop a medium sized
shallot, fry lightly without coloring in
two. ounces of butter; add a tablespoonful
of flour and wet with a pint of cream;
add one pound of crab meat, salt and
pepper, and leave on the fire until it has
just begun to bubble. Cut slices of bread
one-quarter of an inch thick, trim in any
desired shape, either round, oval or
square, and toast on one side only.
"Put your : ingredients on the toasted
side and cover _ them with a layer one
etg-hth of an Inch thick of butter prepared
as follows: One-quarter of a pound of
butter and one-half pound grated Par
mesan cheese. "¦ Mix well together and
•mmo with red - and white . pepper. Put
your eanapes on a buttered dish and color
in the even." • f : V^^'^'V-'^"^
•- Ana *r*ter«— ourrled oysters! The treat
eceaa ! la' embroidered from . Maine to
Texas with oysters, and they hare them
on the I Paoiflo coast twloe as brassy' as
those of Burope, yet how few oooks know
bow . to • prepare this dish. Chamberlin
says.: ; y \ U;p>f*C\ H'PzW^ ¦' -
"Curried Oysters— One quart oysters;
one teaspoonful curry, powder; one table
spoonful flour; . one ' tablespoonful butter;
salt and pepper. Cook the oysters over a
slow fire in' their own juice; if not suffi
cient to cook, then add a little water; add
salt and pepper, butter and curry, flour.
When the oysters are. firm, moisten, the
flour with .water, .to make a paste, and
thicken with liquor. It must be watched
carefully and -stirred, thoroughly after
adding the flour and water.** 'v.'-.'V-V- •".;-;
Having finished the above recipe, Mr.
Chamberlin wrote another, the dtsh of
which he tried on his favorite Senator*,
and the bill was passed. Read the recipe:
Then the Bill Was Passed.
"Soft clams (chafing -dish).— Liquor of
clams; teaspoonful of chopped onion, very
fine; same of parsley;- lump of fresh
butter, good size; -when hot add yolk of
one egg, stirred by Itself, with tablespoon
ful of cream: then put bellies of clams
only, with a wine glass of good Madeira
wine; luen eat and be happy!" >V*v^
"Hard shell clams ', (chafing ! dish).—
Liquor of clams; yolk of one egg. stirred
by itself, with a tablespoonful of cream;
when hot add clams chopped fine, cook a
few moments, then add half wine glass
of good sherry and serve on toast.
Salt mackerel as cooked at Chamber
lin's. Many a dainty, nose with beauty
and fortune behind it has been airily
elevated at the mention of plain, old
fashioned salt mackerel, but never at the
salt mackerel* as cooked by Chamberlin.
His testimony runs to -this effect:
.-."Take one or more mackerel and soak
about forty-eight hours, , changing the
water oncer
"Then put them in a pan large enough
to hold them, cover them with cream or
the nearest you can get to it. Put in
oven and cook until cream is brown. This
beats any mackerel cooking on earth."
There are clams and Congressmen, in
cluding soft and ham shells. Ten years
ago a noted Western statesman ate his
first dam at a country hotel, and he is
chewing on it -yet. ..ith Chamberlin's
clams the result would have been differ
ent, and perhaps Bryariism would never
have been heard of. Chamberlin had this
to say of his own especial way of making
clams as palatable as young humming
birds: <-^
How to Cook a Mackerel.
sliced truffles, pom -into a hot tureen and
serve very bot."
"Then cook the whole* well together for
elx or seven minutes; keep the lid on the
pan while' cooking. Beat in a bowl a pint
of sweet cream and the yolks of two eggs;
add to this 'the lobster; add two i finely
"Take two pounds boiled lobster, pick
all the meat out of the claws; cut the
meat in medium sized - pieces,', place It in
a deep saucepan, with half a pint -of
Madeira and a good sized piece of fresh
butter; season with salt, a little nutmeg',
very little cayenne pepper.
Lobster a la Newburg. Who has not
beard of the lnimitable'flavor that Cham
berlin gave to this dish? The crack cooks
of the land werejsomehow unable to get
the peculiar grace and ; . unction that
Chamberlin gave It, and here Is the secret
published for the first time:
"You can use with this a thin sauce
piquante. Drink champagne frappe and
look for your sweetheart"
"Parboil first. Then souse In finest vine
gar fourteen to twenty hours. Then raise
the m*at from the bone with a fish knife
without breaking, and remove the bone.
Then stuff with pickled mangoes; next
put in pepper, covered with butter and
brcll before proper flre.
particularly partial te the dreamy Influ
ences of Chamberlln's turtle fins. .The
recipe Is given verbatim as Mr/ Cleve
land's friend Chamberlin prepared it.
TwtU flu •& papUlote— what a dish!
Bom* of the Philadelphia politicians were
Twrtl* YImm and LebcttnT
"Tli* cow. terrapin in the best. Besides
furstafcl&v •*!». which are a great add!
tloa,_some persons have b«ca known te
se***a with t pices, but this la aot te the
taste of epicures." . - .
"Put In a itewpan. Make a dressing of
flour, yolks of two hard boiled, ergs, a
third of a pound of the very beat butter,
a proper proportion of Bait, red' pepper,
a small Quantity of rich cream and a
large wineglass of Madeira or sherry to
each terrapin. All of theinrrefiltmtsto
be ef the 1»eit qualities. Dish promptly
and **rve smoking hot.
"When his claws are soft he is suffi
ciently boiled. Take him out and remove
toe bottom shell first. Cut off the head
and claws, and take out the gall and sand
bag, then cut up the remainder. Cut up
the entrails and all about half a,n inch
lone. Be careful to preserve all the juice.
"Put him in boiling water for five min
uter, to loosen the skin, then take him
out, skin him, and replace him in the hot
water.
This explains why one of the river an"!
harbor appropriation bills that had been
on a sand bar for months was sent sail
ing down the avenue for the President's
signature on a flood tide of terrapin and
champagne. • '-•; '
Here is Chamberlin's autograph recipe
for cocking terrapin "a la Chamberlin":
Chamberlin's terrapin with champagne
was the dish incomparable when a feast
was to be given to 'great men and their
ladies. Their appetites were sent sky- '
ward and things difficult easily adjusted
through the magic cookery of the hour.
Terrapin With. Champagne.
Chamberlin was a quiet, dominant man,
of singular executive ability. He. said
little. His cooking did the talking, and
it was a power in the land. It passed
bills and secured pensions. In the aroma
of Chamberlin's incomparable cookery
hostile legislation disappeared.
The Influence of John Chamberlin in the
political life of his period was remark
able. In his house great political schemes
were arranged, and his mediation between
the interested parties over a dinner at
Chamberlin's was a sine qua non.
Was a bill to be rushed through, a pen
sion granted, a position obtained? John
Chamberlin was the man to seek for ad-
Vice.
Many were the stories told of "Sam"
Ward's gastronomic triumphs in winning
Senatorial support to important bills — how
he cooked his hams and compounded won
derful drinks, supposed to warm the
heart and expand the brain, as was dis
closed during a legislative inquiry. But
Chamberlin's entertainments excited no
criticism. Without their knowledge al
most, he appealed to the Senators through
their stomachs, by exquisitely cooked
dishes, his famous terrapin and deviled
crabs, rare old wines and liquors, and
through his generous personality.
Inaccessible men like Grover Cleveland
and the crusty old Senators who defied
lobbying lawyers and pretty women
alike. It Is said that Mr. Chamberlin was
the only Intimate friend Roscoe Conkling
never quarreled with. Conkling said :
"Why call him John Chamberlin? There
Is but one Chamberlin." And yet they
always addressed each other by the first
name. /'Hello, John!" "Hello, Roscoe!"
were their dally greetings. *
eT last, after a quarter of a cen
tury, the secret of John Chamber
lln's most famous dishes Is given
to the world by the Call-Herald by
special arrangement with a mem
ber of the family, and for the first time
they appear In public print. Mr. Cham
berlin'6 wonderful cookery, with his fas
cinating personality, made Presidents and
statesmen his friends for life.
It must have been magic art to win cold.
8
RECIPES BY THE
WORLD'S MOST
FAMOUS
CHEF