The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1874-04-11
MADAME BOILLEAU.
DEATH OF GOLD BULILoN's" DAUGHTER.-A
TRAGEDY BOUNDED ON FREMONT'S Ell PASO
ROAD OPERATIONS.
New York Herald

New York Herald
The Paris papers mention the death of the
above named lady in that city, on the Sth of
March She was the youngest daughter of
the late Senator Thomas H. Benton, and
| possessed many of his attributes-his warm
heart, indomitable enrrgy and stern sense of
duty. Passing away from earth at the early
| age of thirty-nine years, the vicssituGes of
her life had been already more than usually
fall to the lot of woman. During her girl
| hood her father was among the foremost
Americans Of the time, and her first youth
| was ushered into the high circle of society
at the capital of the United States, where
| the brillianoy of her intellect aud the grace
of her manner made her an attraction in the
| midst of diplOnlatists and statesmen. In
| 1855 she was married to Baron Boilleau,
then Secretary to the French Legation.
Shortly after her marriage her husband
was promoted by this Government to the
post of consul ut Calcutta, and the young
woman was removed from the easy life and
happy surroundings which she had hitherto
known, to face the realities of the world
among strangers in a distant land Several
years in that unhealthy climate sufficed ssri-
ously to undermine her husbands health,
and finally obtaining the favor of a recall,
with her sick husband and her infant, leav-
ing chiG's grave behind her, she returned
to France. The next advancement brought
her husband as Consul General to Quebec,
whittier she accompanied him, and, in 1867 !,
she returned for few years to the United
States Baron Boilleau having in the mean
time been appointed Consul General at this
port. But i'll 1870 came another promotion,
which was but new exile, her husbands
long service being rewarded with the post
OF Minister Plenipotentiary to Peru. Very
soon after came the first intimations of the
| browning trial, to which, it may be said,
was due the death of Mrs. Boilleau.
In 1867 General Fremont, who was mar
ried to her sister, was organizing the Mem
phis and Ell PasO railroad. He looked to
France as the great market for his bonds.
He explained the merits of the enterprise to
Baron Boilleau and requested favorable in
PRODUCTION of the scheme to the French Min
lister of the Interior, which was given. The
loan was taken up in Paris, but the road
was never built. The company's affairs were
placed in the hands of a receiver and the
French bondholders were the sufferers The
French courts, refusing to look into the cause
of the failure, pronounced the whole scheme
a fraud, concOc:ed for the purpose OF obtain
ing money from French citizens under false
pretenses. Their own Minister was accused
of participation in the fraud for having rec
omm. nded the enterprise, and he was
called from feru anu put on TRIAL. lhe de-
cision of he court was sweeping one. No
element of honesty was recognized in the
whole transaction. 1t was tr ated as pure
fabrication, and every one concerned in it
was pronounced guilty, from General Free
mont downward
The General, fortunately for him, was in
New York. but Baron Bolleau, who had
c me from Lima to Paris on the first init
nation of any fault-fnding with his con
duct, was repaid for his promptness by "a
sentence to three years Imprisonment, and
in March, 1873, he was imlnllred in the Con-
ciergerie. This suspense had lasted two
years, and under the final blow Mime. Boil
leaus health gave way. A long il ness fol-
lowed, and after some months, rising from
what her physicians thought would be her
deathbed, she commenced one untiring a, d
truitless effort to obtain her husbands re-
lease. From all quarters she procured let
ters, petitions, statements, showing the ne
status of the railway her husband had re-
commended, going from one minister to
another. She took no warning from her
failing strength, until at last nature sue
cumbed, and, worn out by her exertions
and her sutferings, she died, leaving her
husband still in prison, and six children,
with no protection but that of friends.