The New Orleans Democrat., 1876-03-07
THE BELKNAPS.
Social Life, Adventures md Downfall Of
a Secretary, who had Three
wives.
vanity 1f vantttrs Female Ambition
WrOthsv Orvll's Name G'Ussses In.


WrWthsv Orvii's Name sOMses In.
Iapnoial Correspondence " Cincinnati Enquirer
Tho Implication of Mrs Belknap i'm
tho downfall and disgrace Of her bus-
band. gives feature of romance to tho
sickening affair. which invests IL with ~
piquhn6y that seldom attaches to such
matters. There In In this department Of
the subject confusion of names. dates
aud circumstances which must bs dis.
PEELED. In order to arrive ut u clear un-
derstanding OF tho oase and properly
divide up tho responsibility. The pre-
sent Mrs. Belknap is the third wife OF
the Secretary altogether. md tho second
wife be- has had since he entered the
Cabinet. Her immediate predecessor
yehrs hgo. II was tho second Mrs. Belk-
who made tho original bargain with
Marsh. Her maiden naine was Carrie
TomliDson. while tho name Of the pre-
sent In Amanda 30, for tho sake Of
distinction We will spehk of them rs
Mrs. Carrie and Mrs. Amanda. tnt
woMAN'a AMBITION.
When BelIsnap first came TO Wnsl
ington Mrs. Carrie al once aspired to ~
social rank which her husbands salary
would not sustain They hnd no private
fortune to fall back on. but nothing
would content them short of social RI
valry with the Fishes. who had private
income compared 10 which tho Cabinet
snlnry wls u mere baghtefle. There WINS
but ono why to tneet the deficiency. and
that was by making illicit profits out of
the Office Tho woman's wit of Mrs.
Carrie did not long lack for crooked
why's and means. She surveyed tho posi-
bilities. and determined To avail herself
of them at the first opportunity. This
came in tho shape Of Marsh. whose nc
guantance tho Belknaps made nj Long
Branch In 1870. Tho testimony Itself
shows that Mrs Carrie made the first
ovsrtures to Marsh. but the testlmony y
tells oplya small portion Of tho story.
The woman seemed perfectly infnt-
united with the dazzle Of Washington so
ciety. and. dazzlod with tho prospect Of
sudden wealth, she devoted herself to
the business Of barteriDg away the in
tluonce of her husbands position, and
soon laid schemes by which their In
come wns raised from Cabinet snlary
Io about $2b. 900 year. Then, just ~
tho coveted pomp and OK xtravaganee was
within her reach Mrs. Carrie sickened
and died, leaving us Legacy to her htis-
band the plans She had nude for the
betterment Of their financial fortunes nj
the expense OF honor
THE MARRIAGE.
The Secretary did not long remain a
widower. The present wife. Mrs. Amhn.
da, WIS blooming young widow, and
there was material enhancement ol
her ripe and luscious charms In the fact
that she was qualified to take up the
thread Of worldly thrift right whore II
had fallen from the nerveless fingers ol
her dying sister. Mrs Amanda had
been fully in the confidence of her sis.
tor and knew all the ropes, 80 ~ speak
which had been Ibid to pull In the
crooked profits. Accordingly she was
every way fitted 10 take her sister 4
place In the affections Of the Secretary
and In the business end Of the War Dc.
partment. II was, therefore, n Dtarviage
de COnpc,,ancc ~ well as d'amomr, and
Mrs. Amanda stepped into tho shoes Ot
Mrs. Carrie, mntrimonially, socially,
and financially. Mrs. Amahda was In
hll respects u qualified successor Of hcr
thrifty sister. She was inspired by the
same ambitions, blessed with the same
liberal conscience, and gifted with even
superior beauty Of face and form.
SHORT DIVISION or THE sporLs.
Mrs. Carries baby, upon whom the
created income from tho post-trader-
ships had been settled when the mother
died, soon followed tho latter 10 the
grave, and then there was nobody left
to divide with the secretary ana the
gushing widow the perquisites Of the
War Department. Mrs. Amanda and
the Secretary were married, with flour
ish Of trumpcts, and Immediately set
about placing Marsh's money where 1t
would do tho most good--that is TO say,
In silks, diamonds, fuss, feathers, and
style generally. Their home was among
the most luxurious even In this centre OF
luxury. Mrs. BcIknap called about her
the fairest and brightest Of her sex, and
sought TO create select social circle Of
her own, the entrec TO which should be
the deslderatum OF the haut ton. She
WAS to be the Lady Blessington of the
reign Of Ulysses, md her house should
be the Holland House Of the realm. Her
feminine protcges were to be the centres
VI admiration, and nothing less than a
millionaire or ~ Count could aspire 10
pay them serious attention.
A BRACE OF DIPLOMAT SPECTATORS.
When the articles OF impeachment
were read In the Senate Chamber to-
day, the sole occupants of the Diplo-
matte Gallery were the Danish Minis
ter, Hegermann Lindencrone, and his
wife, formerly Mrs. Charles MOultOn,
the singer, This couple bent over the
railing with the straining eagerness oi
pain and foreboding when the reading
began. Madame Hcgermann Linden
crone was protege OF Mrs. BelknaI
when her entitled lover sought hei
hand, and the Danish Count had been
introduced to his fate" by the woman
whose fame figured In that dreadful re
cital as having put q price upon hel
husbands honor. 1t was doubtless 9
curious situation for the representative
Of a despotic government, who might
have to answer TO his sovereign fol
whatever social complications had be
fallen him in this strange land. An
other protege OF Mrs Beiknap became
the wife OF Henry Clews, though in thi:
case there is no particular quality Of in
cident, for there Is no nobility OF any
kind about Clews to be outraged by any
tergiversations OF social fortune.
THE PLEADINGs OF A WOMAN.
But to return to Mrs. Belknap. Az
soon as she heard of the levin bolt tha'
hung above her head she sought II
bring her dearly bought ''social influ
ence," as they call it here, to bear u
avert the blow. She sought Clymer
and adjured him, by his gray hairs ane
by the love he bore her sex, to spare
her husband for her sake and for the
sake OF their prattling girl baby al
home. She besought Blackburn, by the