The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1875-12-29
FANNY srACx,s MOTHER.
A PIucLy Virginia Girl Looking
Out for Her Own Fortune.

A PIucky Virginia Girl Locking
Out for Her Own Fortune.
New York World.l
When the steamship, City Of Chester,
arrived at this city from Liverpool few
days ago, it had on board, among the
cabin passengers, a good-looking woman
Of about thirty-ive or forty years, and
an old lady who looked fully eighty, and
who bore on her face undoubted signs of
trouble or of dissipation most unusual in
women of her apparent position in life.
Attaching to these two women is a some
what remarkable story.
Many years ago there lived in a large
town in Virginia a man of considerable
means and of good social and business
repute-Stacy by name, and an ironmas-
ter by trade He had married, early in
life, handsome girl of Irish descent, by
whom he had four children. 1t was cur
rently reported that the man did not live
happy with his wife, and after the birth
of their fourth child Mr.. Stacy, unable
longer to bear with the habitual and in
corrigible intemperance of his wife,
instituted suit for divorce, and, mean
while, separated from her, taking the
children into his Swn care. Pending the
suit of divorce, Mrs. Stacy went to Eng
land to stay with relatives residing there,
and shortly after Mr.. Stacy, reading in
one OF the English papers of her death,
stopped the proceedings for divorce, and
a few months after married young lady
living in Richmond. Mr.. Stacy had
three children by his second wife, with
whom he led happy and contented life,
and he was much grieved when, after the
lapse of ten years, she died In childbirth,
leaving him for the second time a wild
over. This grief, however, was, appa-
rently, not inconsolable, for after short
space of mourning, he moved to New
York and married third time. By
this last marriage he had four children,
three boys ona s;ri.- "A Afsor ut-o-t .~s
idence here, Mr.. Stacy returned to Vir-
ginia.
In 1873 Fanny Stacy, the eldest child
by the first marriage, and by all reports
very estimable young person, went to
England on visit for the benefit of her
health. While staying at Torquay she
met an old lady who had known her
father and mother in America in the
early days of their married life, and
from this person she learned. to her ut
ter surprise a I'D dismay, that her mother,
Mrs. Stacy No. L, was not dead, but was
living in London in very straight cir
cumstances, to which she had been re-
duced by her habit of excessive drinking.
Miss Stacy took no particular steps tC
verify the report, but on her return to
America told her father what she had
heard. The old gentlemen was incredu.
lous and particularly angry that anyone
should have dared to mention the name
of his disgraced wife to her daughter
He refused to take any measures. to fnC
out the truth, and from that time showed
great coldness toward Fanny, who. a
this time, was the only surviving child o.
the first marriage
In the early part of 1874 Mr.. Stacy
who had been in bad health long time
died. When his will was opened it wa
discovered that by a codicil added tn
year before he had revoked all the be
quests to Fanny Stacy, and left tn
! whole of his fortune, amounting TO oye
81 900, 900, to hcchildren by the secoD
and third marriages, and to his survivin
widow.
BY advice of lawyer, friend of tn
family, Fanny determined to contest tn
will. To do this successfully it was nee
essary to find the first wife of Mr.. Stacy
prove the first marriage, the consequeI
illegality of the other two marriages, an
the illegitimacy of all their issue. Mi
Stacy, therefore, started in April las
in company with an old friend, to En-;
. land in search of her mother. f,
months she searched and advertised an
sought in vain; no sign of her MOTH
was to be found nor any news of her
i be learned. A few months ago, thougl
! she engaged the services of some exper
! enced English detectives, and by the
/ aid succeeded. She found her moth
> in hut in the very lowest part of Lo
? con, inhabited by the poorest classes
; Irish laborers, living disgraceful life
continual intoxication. The moth
!. recognized the daughter by her strikil
i resemblance to. her father, and aft
much persuasion and earnest entreat
: consented TO 60 to America and rotor
: her life, help her daughter to get wh
/ was due her and to get her own shal
4 The old lady was taken from her SOU
{ lid abode, washed and decently ella
: taken 10 Liverpool and put aboard I
. City of Chester, bound for New YOI
e On the voyage she was seriously
4 owing to her sudden and total depri'
: ton of all intoxicating drinks, viii
n Fanny Stacy had absolutely and firm
: refused to allow her. However,
: rallied and got through all right, land
n safely in New York, and started VI
4 her plucky daughter for Virginia, VII
the suit is now pending to set aside
a will Of the late Mr. Stacy, irOnmaster
,e Virginia.
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