Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1871-09-23
The Baltimore PoisOner.
incidents in the Early Life # Mrs. WLarton-Al-
leled InsqRifH.

incidents in the Early Life If Mrs. WLartoR-Al-
legged Insanity.
Mr.. Mulvany Prominent lawyer in Norris
town, Pa, writes TO the Baltimore American
that letter recently published in that paper
purporting to have been written by a LADY
friend Of Mrs. Wharton" abounds in calumnies
from beginning to end. The charge, or insinua-
ton, that Mrs. Wharton .inherited from her
mother African blood" is atrocious, as both her
father and mother were Of Irish extraction.
When Ellen arrived at the age OF thirteen or
thereabouts her father sent her TO st. Mary's
Hall, at Burlington, New Jersey, TO be educated
She attended with reasonable diligence to her
studies, but there was nothing eventful in her
career as pupil, and when, after graduating
she returned TO her home, and entered into sO-
ciefy, her position was that of an educated and
well-behaved young lady, and she soon became
a general tavorite with the old and young in
that neigh borhood.
The stories elaborated by the ''lady friendp %
the effect that Ellen Nugent's father was eNces-
sively indulgent TO her; that he supplied her
munitciently with the means Of keeping up a
grand appearance in the arstocratic and exclu-
siye circles which she 50 gracefully adorned"
that $50 lavish was she in attire and expendi-
ture, that the report soon spread abroad that she
would be heress to immense wealth; that her
father was a second Girard, &c." that ''this
report drew about her a crowd Of eager admirers,
and she was soon surrounded by a bevy of
suitors all ready to 60 the death for a smile OF
encouragement from her lips" and that not
withstanding all this, "Ellen Nugent was in the
habit Of penetrating frauds and indulging in
II.
have consigned her TO prison eel, }" with other
equally nauseous inditings from the pen of this
maligner, are all the mere coinage of a distem-
pered fancy. No young lady, i'm the more eleva-
ted walks of life, ever sustained purer charac-
ter than Ellen Nugent; and when she changed
her situation and became, I'm the twentieth year
of her age, the wife of Colonel Wharton, she
bore herself, in her new relations, i'm such way
as to retain, undminishCd, the confidence and
esteem of her friends.
That there was a dark episode in the early life
of Mrs. Wharton, arising from a visitation OF
Providence, is painfully true. A short time
before her intermarrlage with Colonel wharton
symptoms of mental alteration betrayed them
and it was decided TO place her in the
Asylum for the Insane near Philadelphia. Her
father, when he first became aware OF the
abnormal condition of her mind, was over
whelmed with grief, and stated at the time tat
lie had little hope of her recovery, as there was
insanity in his family, favorite sister of his,
who had borne a striking resemblance 10 his
daughter, having been suddenly seized with in
sanity in her youth, and was at that time, and
had been for upwards of forty years past, an
inmate of the insane department, of the Penn
sylvania Hospital. Happily, however, In the
case Of Ellen, the cloud soon apparently passed
away, and her family and friends cherished the
hope that the dreadful symptoms had AA,
finally arrested in the first dawn Of the, 49,,
opment. At this gloomy peri0do. ner life IT,
was undoubtedly some nguls1fty OF oonSnct a,,
her part, but no rigft-nIinded person ~, ~.
thought of imputing fraud or dishonesty to her
or holding her responsible for her actions willis
her intellect was struggling with a maiadv
which IL could not master.