A JOURNALIST'S WIDOW.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19753, 28 September 1927, Page 7

A JOURNALIST'S WIDOW.

MRS. JOSEPH PULITZER, SENR, By the death of Mrs. Joseph Pulitzer, senr., the so-called Four Hundred of New York society lose a leader whose distinction and influence were very great until age curtailed her activities. She was a great-niece of the famous Jefferson Davis, and cause from a South«rn family of Welsh origin. What the late Joseph Pulitzer owed to her, he never disguised. In 1879 he was m his 32nd year and, although the proprietor of the St. Louis Pest Dispatch, on which he had acted as a reporter, he was not by any means wealthy, although alreadv a leading politician of Democratic colour. Mia# Davis might have married any other promising man at the time as she was wealthy lor those days, yet she deliberately chose the ex-waiter of New i York, and the man who, during the pestft lencss at Memphis, Tennessee had dug [ grave* for the stricken SoTitaeru town. ! Young Pulitzer then had his eye on the New York World, which belonged to his cousin, Walter, Pulitxer, who had the redoubtable Jay Gould as a sleeping partner. Joseph Pulitzer effected a deal with his cousin, but had perforce to put up with the part-proprietorship of Jay CkraH- Wni his wife's capital—for she had the fullest faith in the young Hungarian Jew—PaliUm was able to cay *•> strong an interest in the New York World a* to make even Jay Gould almost a negligible factor. The late Mm. Ps.irfz.er was a very kewtiful woman .and although her isasbaad was anything bet a plain■-looking man, the somewhat extraordinary good looks that have come to She children aadaabtedly came from the distaS' side. She was wea-teewn ia Pans, and the Sooth mt ; Frsac*.