Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1875-08-06
A Chicago Bo0tblack Becomes a Mar.
QuiS of France.

bered by many people in Chicago, espe-
cially by those who were acquainted with
the history of the unfortunate man. He
was Frenchman, and scion of one of the
oldest and first families of France. His
name and title in full were the Marquis
Aymar de Belloy. He was man of fine
education, refinement and good business
ability. In his early life he was a wild,
adventurous youth, who spent his fortune
at home and came to America, say twenty
years ago For few years he obtained
his livelihood by teaching, keeping his
rank to himself, and going under the unas-
Stunning name of Mons. Marechal. About
this time the Marquis concluded that all
his wild oats were sOwn and he would
abandon the fast life he had previously
led He became acquainted with hand
some country girl from Michigan, with
whom he fell in love- She was only fif
teen years old, and, from the standpoint of
the adventurous and heightened French
man, was unrefined and uncultured But
he was captivated by her very innocence
and want of knowledge of the world, and
married her. They lived happily together
up to the time of his death, and six chill
dren were the result of the union. AS
might have been expected, the noble fam
lily of the Marquis turned up their titled
noses at this marriage with backwOods
girl in America, and refused to recog-
nize it or her. He several years ago
became a member of the Board of
Trade in Chicago He there showed
the same hayward, reckless traits that had
been the cause of his checkered life. He
made fortunes and lost them. Sometimes
he was on the top wave of prosperity and
again he lived in cave of gloom. Dur
ing one of his periods Of depression he
took his own life, as is generally believed,
leaving his wife and six children in pow
erty. He had an insurance of $4,000 on
his life, which has, however, never been
paid, the companies resisting payment on
the ground that he took his own life. A
subscription among his associates on the
Board of Trade realized $1,000 or $4,000,
which was used to defray his funeral ex-
penses and the rest given to the family. A
widow with six young children and no
means is discouraging lot in Chicago or
elsewhere. The oldest boy, of whom there
is more to be said hereafter, contributed
what he could to the support of the family
by backing boots and selling papers. He
was barefooted, ragged, dirty-faced boot
black, newsboy, gamin, his associations
received on the streets. The widow and
her half-dozen children were as poor and
comfortless as the widow and fatherless
could well be. After time, finding it
impossible to sustain life here, the widow,
who is an excellent lady, took her family
and went to, reside with relative in
Geneseo, in this State, where she is now
living in seclusion and still pinched for
means to make life comfortable.
The story thus far is one of early reck-
lessness and waywardness of selfexile
from home, of an early marriage, of a
premature death, and subsequent wretch
edness to the family. The concluding
chapter can now be written, and it is as
romantic as anything in fiction, and it is
true.
1t is as sudden transition from despair
to hope, from Obscurity to high position,
from poverty to affiuence, as was ever
dreamed of. Intelligence has just reached
Chicago that the Marchioness de Belloy,
the mother Of the family and of the Chi
cago de Belloy, has just died. The Chi
cagoan was the Oldest son of the family.
All that is wanting now is for the proofs
of a .leSal marriage according to the
Ameriea& hw to be forwarded to France,
which can be easily doLe. The French
law recognizes foreign marriages, con-
tracted in friendly countries, according to
the law of those countries. Consequently
the marriage with the Michigan girl will
be held valid, and not only do the titles of
the family but one-third of the fortunes
descend to the widow and her family, now
residing in Geneseo. The widow herself
becomes Marchioness, holding the same
relative position to the family as did the
deceased Marchioness. The oldest boy,
he who sold papers and BACKED boots, be-
comes a Marquis.
He is hereafter the head of this proud,
aristocratic French family-he and his
mother, whom they have always contempt
uously refused to recognize. The family
is one of the most distinguished in France.
1t dates back to the Crusades; it has fur
nished two Cardinals and two Marshals to
the nation. And yet a girl brought up in
the backwOods of America, who never
was at court, who was a comparative no
body, and her boy, who has been brought
up in school Of hardship and poverty,
will now take upon themselves the highest
hOnOrs which a connection with this an
cient family entails. They will hereafter
dence at all the family gatherings, and the
lives in the midst of the brilliant and fash
ionable society of Paris will have to bow
and scrape to these plebeian Americans in
a manner that will no doubt be highly
distasteful to them. But this Yankee wife
and children not only take the houses
and titles of the family of de Bel
10y, but also good share of the houses,
lands, country-seats, city residences,
moneys, bonds and all that belong
ing or in any way appertaining to
this same house of de Belloy. To the
average American understanding this last
feature is the best of all. The young
Marquis will now quit selling papers, and
will give his box and brush to some fellow
who is not so highly connected. He will
throw aside his patched pantaloons, and
get pair that are in at the knees, and
will also doubtless indulge in the luxury
of clean shirt. When he gets married
his wife will also be a Marchioness. Of
course he will marry an American girl,
and here will be chance for some more
titles for Americans. And all his brothers
and sisters will come in for their share of
all this good fortune, and if they are not
the happiest family in Illinois when the
news reaches them it is not very clear
what would make them so.
The news of the sudden change in pros
poets will probably reach the widow and
her family at Geneseo to-day. The formal
tiles necessary for the realization of their
good fortune are few and simple, and
there is not the slightest doubt that they
can be easily complied with The charm
of this story is that it is true in every par
ticular, and who will not now say that
Truth is stranger than fiction?"-ChscG-
go Journal, july 81.
An elderly lady at the South End was
suddenly awakened out of a sound morn