The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-07-26
ROMANCE IN REAL LIFE.


An LOndon-HOw She won the sympa-
thiss OF Everybody and How she was
Found OuG-Ber New York and BostoD
Hotel Operations
BIOD use Boston Transcript Of yesterday
The people OF quiet suburban village within
Aen miles oil Boston have been somewhat exer-
c1sed of late by the deceptions OF persistent
and ekiliul impOstor, in the person OF an inte-
resting young lady, whose story of escape from
aCanadian a nunnery and the clutches OF re.
ientless priesthood has wrought upon and
aWakened the sympathies OF hundreds with
whom she cane in contact. A plain statement
nj facts in a case like this furnishes SUFFICIENT
romance for the general puoliS, ana an absence
render 1t much more acceptable to those who
have been vctimized BY the unfortunate lady OF
'eiRhteen summers AL OF sne lueaI cannot,
how ever be dispensed with, for her very name
is euppestiye of all that is dark-haired, bright
eyeo. wonderfully intellectual and lovable,
nth a tcruel parient" and q bold "lovyer,n in
yelIow-coVered novels. Gertrude Grey was her
name and her stature was about 6ve feet eight;
ape al least tweDt y-hve-eighteen, according TO
her arithmetic. To begin the story.
On q rainy afternoon, about three weeks ago.
Gertrude Grey might have been seen vending
her way from the depot in -, up one OF the
principal etreets, until she reached a house
whore she Yeptured TO seek for admission.
When met By the lady Of the 6oansion she asked,
..hIa Won a CatholiolS GNo," vas the reply.
'Are you sure you are not 2" asked Gertrude,
Rmldly and yet earnestly. Upon being reassaTed
shat she was not, the stranger told her story,
Affirming that she had escaped from a convent
near Quebec, had been befriended by rich
English family, had been to New York stopped
at the Astor House, where her trunk was de.
tanned for board unpaid, and she was now in
search of Mrs. Harris who lived in the town
who had beirended her somewhere in her
travels, telling her 10 call whenever she needed
assistance. Her father, who was an English
man, SO her story ran, came to this country
with his family several years ago, and all were
drowned, III the steamer wrecked of Cape Race,
with the exception OF him and herself; she went
into convent near Quebec, while her parent
iolneG our army 6S 66Ssy'1g lost lost his all In the
20 back to England, where she had rich rela-
tivPs residing at the "West End" OF London.
Thus her story ran; and in spite of all invita-
tions 10 remain she started for the street in the
RAIN. She fingered moment bY the gate, and
Conversed with some ether parties whom she
met. When interrogated as TO where she pro-
posed to remain that night, she answered. as if
putting the fullest trust in Providence II am
net q raid to sleep in the fields She did not
sleep in the fields, however inviting they might
be to her; and still protesting that she Oughtnot
to accept hospitality, and moreover did not ask
the favor, Gertrude entered the house, where,
with seeming reluctance, she remained with
worthy family for near fortnight keeping up
the deception with cOnsummate art
Her pathetic narrative, related with all the
naivete of school girl. and the convincing
weight of unvarnlshed truth and unaffected
simplicity moved all who heard 1t to do some
thing to assist her In her dire extremity. And
this generous action WGs not confined to the
lrsu.nrarreu out unsophisticated young iad,es
and others who had but short lime before be-
frlended an impostor, but those generally CAL
lous 10 the appeals Of the unfortunate were
believers in the nunnery yarn OF Gertrude Grey;
Her eimpNcity and ignorance were more natural
than simplicity and Ignorance generally are.
She was afraid of men, she said, never having
seen them in the nunnerv, and also feared there
might be among them euvoys of the priestho I'd
to abduct her and carry her back within the
hated walls of the convent, from which she had
aed to escape the terrible fate of the ve 1t
was not positively proved that she was unac-
eustomed to youne mems society until she asked
one day, with wondering eyes, why they wore
those eyebrows on their upper lips
detailed statement OF the incidents Ell her
sojourn in would fill u volume; and
enough Will only be recorded in this article 10
guard the public against similar swindles. Ger
trude is tall and would be called quite plain;
her complexion is fair, hair brown, eyes quite
large, black, and lustrouS, nose prominent,
mouth large, above a retreatng chin; her
dress very neat When she introduces herself
to her new friends she is generally without
baggaee-trunks and clothes being LETT at
her former abiding place. Being nun, she,
OF course in the instance OF deception now de.
scribed, was very ignorant OF the names OF
things in common use-wearing apparel, edibles,
etc. She called ice cream frozen milk, and
wac very fond of it, AS OF most other dencaries,
the names of which were to her unkno wn.
Tomatoes she had never seen, and spoke oi
them a short time after learning their name as
i'tommy boys.n The first plate of them sci
before her, however, she proceeded to salt and
pepper, like one who had often partaken O.
The healthful vegetable.
Her moving accidents by food and dedn il
escaping from the convent, had of course left
their impression upon her fragile frame, anC
given her system shock, 90 that she appeared
flushed and nervous at times, with fearful eve
while at others she was pald and ivid, anJ
apparently great mental sufferer. Her feeling
are now accounted for by two saucers OF pam
-one very rel, and the other white-found il
her room after her exposure. After she hat
suffered ''untod agonv,n and had mot close,
her eyes ia sleep all night as she patheticall
told her benefactress, her countenance wou
was like 'Niobe. all tears,n when occasion n
quired, and could weep more naturally thar
any MRS. Haler" on the modern stage.
Compelled 70 be constantly on the alert, an
TO be guarded against surprise, she has acquire
wonderful knowledge of the mechanism of tn
human mind, aud can de ect motives in actions
where suspicion would not haunt an orinar
persons thougbts, especially where those action
In any Way concerned herself Incidents OF
CURED during her soiodTn in - which woul
be scarcely credited If put in print where he
keenness of perception and insight Wer
eoualled only by the cunning adroitness wit
which she disarmed those around her of the
doubts as 10 her credblity. 1t was a favort
saving of hers, when apparently undulv tro
bled, that the Lord would take care of her"
fhus signlfying a rare and implicit faith in Il
direct agencies of the Infinite which e~posses
surely some one has taken care OF her for Il
mast three or four wears. church praYer-bot
and a pocket Bible were her constant col
PGeTIrude,s downfall was somewhat sudde
and It is safe to say, unexpected 90 her. A &c