The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1872-10-19
"Ome More Unfortunate" )"
SAD END OF \ SOUTHERN GIRL IN BAY-
ONNE, NEW JERSEY-THE DOWNWARD
PATn-THE STORY OF MAUD VIRGINIA
CARLETON, OF NEW ORLEANS,
From the New York HCrald.]


In the early part Of the year 1862 a
young Southern girl named Maud Vir-
ginia Carleton, member of one of the
most respectable families of New Or
leans, was entered as pupil in st. Xa-
vier's Academy, Wabash avenue, Chi
cagO, an institution under the care of
the Sisters of Mercy. The same young
lady died last Saturday, at BayOnne,
New Jersey, under very melancholy
circumstances, and her history in the
years that interviewed from her entrance
as a pupil in the Academy until her sad
end is as romantic and unfortunate as
can we'll be imagined. The narrative
has been procured from the police au-
thOrities of BayOnne, who have since
Saturday been investigating the cir
cumstances Of the lady's death, their
suspicious having been aroused that all
was not right.
When Miss Carleton first came to
Chicago she was just twelve years old
and in the first flush of her early girl
hood. She was at that time a happy,
careless child, but with every indication
that she would, as the years rolled on,
ripen into beautiful and accomplished
woman. Her wealth of golden locks
and clear hazel eyes were the envy of
ty of her manners and the sweetness of
her disposition had Won the love and
affection of her teachers. This was
shortly after the commencement of the
civil war, and her relatives, who were
reported to be extremely wealthy, had
sent her North to be educated, the un-
| happy prejudices which have since pre-
| vailed between North and South having
not sufficient strength at that time to
prevent the Southern aristOcracy from
| sending their sons and daughters to the
seats of learning in the North to ac-
Quire first class education.
| Time passed away, and the promise of
| Miss CarletOn's girlhOOd was more than
fulfilled. She had become beautiful
woman, and at seventeen years of age
was the acknowledged belle of an insti-
tuition by no means deficient in female
beauty. In 1867, SO high was her char
acter, md SO unanimous was the esteem
in which she was held by the Sisters,
that the following testimonial (fOund
among her papers after death) was pre-
sented to her:
Card ofmerit presented to Miss Mafd
! Virginia Carleton, for politeness, lady
like department., improvement in study,
and observance OF rules. .
| St. Aavier's Academy, under the di-
recti0n OF the Sisters of Mercy. -s
Christmas vacation, 1867.
There arc three great periods in a
WOnlan's life-her education, her WOO
ing, and her marriage. The first Miss
| Carleton had happily passed with cred
it to herself and her teachers, but the
second was as yet to her an untrOdden
path,. With her beauty and her warm
Southern blood, however, it could not
long remain mystery, and, like most
young ladies, she met her ideal in the
person of a man named Frederick w
| Nicholson, and fulfilled her destiny by
falling madly in love with him--a feel
ing which was cordially reciprOeated on
his part. Nicholson, who was a German
Jew, had handsome face and pleas
ing address, and was no laggard in his
w0Oing, as the pair managed to have
many a stolen interview, " all the sweet.
er for the theft" despite the vigilance
of the Sisters, who were not in the hab-
it of giving much encouragement to the
love affairs of young ladies not out OF
their teens, 1t may be we'll to state
that III the confusion OF the war and the
subsequent visitation Of the yellow
fever III New Orleans, Miss Carleton
lost her parents, and she was therefore
/ her own mistress, free to WOO or wee
when she chose. when she would leave
the academy. La 1869 she married Mich,
GlsOB, being nineteen wears of age, and
this was the first step in the downwarG
path which led her to her unfortunate
| life and her untimely and tragic deatf
| ON Saturday.
| Before marriage men are all amiablt
and woman angels after marriage tllt
freverse Frequently proves to he the
case. 1T was SO with Mr.. and Mrs
Nicholson Whether from ineompati
bility OF temper or some other cause
the hot love soon cooled. and instead O.
happiness the pair found misery
Scarcely was the honeymoon over when
quaTrels between the two became fire
quent. and four months after marriag
Nicholson, who had been driven by des
! peFati0n to commit an actuf dishonesty
.. blew his brains out, and left Miss Carle
,, ton a widow almost before she ha,
known what it was to be wife He
grief for her sudden less was not yer