The Leavenworth weekly times. [volume] (Leavenworth, Kan.) 1870-1880, 1875-08-19
CELIA BURLEIGH.
n. Peat. Preacher and Passionate Lover.

zhs Poet, Preacher and Passionate Lover
A group Of US were talking last night
.lout the death OF Mr.. Celia Burleigh.
Her early life, with Its strange vIc'7sltudes'
s.iittle known, and the New York papers IN
their obituary notices Of her, are far from
being correct.
One Of the fgurez which stand out most
prominent in the page Of my childhood If
shat of the poetess Cecilia" who used to
visit my mother and sisters at our home IN
Cincinnati. Celia was then married TO
rich, but ilIite7ate and coarse-grained man
Who bothered his young wife with the most
<outrageous jealousy, wild accusations ana
fierce recriminatiODs- 80 tar IRON being
lpleased BY the notice awakened by the poeu-
cal contributions 10 the local ne fspafe:s by
Celia" (for this was the name she AWAY
used. his rage was unbOunded at their pub
Ecation, and that she should cease TO thus
court publicity was one OF his most ImPera-
tive commands.
Whatever NAV have been the estimate In
which Celia's poetry was generally held,
there could be no two opinions concerning
her exquisite personal beauty. Tail, slen-
der, blue-eysd, golden-haired, refined IN
thought, glowing with poetic ointment,
Celia was lovely specimen Of gentle wo-
manhood; and / think all that knew her
we've glad when they heard that divorce
had freed her from her tyrant.
1 lost sight Of her for many years, and
during the period when our path lay far
apart, she met and madly loved Chauncy
Burr-her other self, report said, in beauty,
talent, taste and refinement. They we're
married, and at her new husbands shrine
Celia worshiped devoutly and long. Some
one was telling me the other day Of scene
he witnessed which betrayed her absorbing
passion for Chauncy Burr. He was lying
On lounge one afternoon, and some duty
or other called Celia away. When she was
ready to 90 she turned and looked at her
sleeping Adonis. Not wishing to awaken
him, she lifted the corner Of his dressing
gown and kissed it rapturously again and
again, buried her face in it-pressed 1t to
her heart.
II need not apologize" she said to the
otherz when they were outside. Il love
him."
But it was the sad fate OF this poor wo-
man TO be again unhappy in her married
life The grand nephew Of Aaron Burr is
sill living, i am told 50 | forbear com
ment. Celia again obtained a divorce.
Without occupying ourselves with the
Length of time which elapsed, il is only
necessary to state that once again she was
beloved, and once again became a wife.
Her third husband, William H. Burleigh,
was a high minded, pure and able man.
l.. L. oil
Cecilia" Interested in the political re-
forms of the hour, his circle Of friends in
cluded many known a. ''strong minded wO-
men," and in this direction his wife soon
pressed all her energies. Leaving the po-
etc field, in which she had 80 long been a
worker, she began to write strong woman
suffrage articles in the Iad.T7,d 7d, the W.
MINIS Journal, and other papers. She de
livered lectures, and WAS elected to the
presidency Of the Sorosis club on the death
Of Alice Cary.
Her husband, at one time, was Warden
Of the Port of Brooklyn, and lnseparable
and visited them and their handsome
home in that city. She showed me room
after room with a housekeeper's natural
pride.
Sand this is my growlery," she said Of a
tiny boudoir luxuriously upholstered.
.'Can you growl," l asked, "when you are
- happy"
81 am happy now" she said, ''but such a
past as mine will sometimes cast shadows
TO cloud the present"
In her bedroom hung supurb oil paint
ing of herself-taken at the period when /,
. child, had first seen her What a seraph
ic loveliness was hers, a. here disclosed ii
any question had arisen in my mind as to
the correctness OF nv childish estimate OF
her beauty, here was ocular proof that &c
liza" had been all nv fancy PAINTED. The
tooth of time had sadly gnawed the lowell
ness of Celia" but in MR.. Celia Bur
eigh' the gentle, graceful, loye-inspiIing
woman was still 10 lie seen.
never met her after MIR. Burleigh s
death, but i can easily imagine how terrific
must have been the shock. He was her all. |
She loved him with that strong matured
passion which comes to 4 woman who has
passed through much sorrow TO rest Eer
head at last on the breast Of strong, good
man. Soon after his death she entered into
the ministry, and her name will stand As
one Of the first among the women preachers
] had supposed her to be quietly descend
AA.S eihe s"ie VI yeain- eiSdSSu hi SohSehial
occupation, when last spring, while lectur-
ing at Mount Morris, town near Buffalo,
! received call OF an editor from the
village of Evansville. The
conversation happening TO turn upon Mrs.
Burleigh, he informed me that She had
been a patient of the well known water
cure at that place, but had gone home to
die of that disease which possesses unname-
able terror for every woman-cancer. And
now the end has come.-BdltiE,0rc American. |