River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1876-10-26
The Real Belle Boyd.


A lady CORRESPONDENT of the Louis
isville Courier Journal writes from
Colorado: You know, every few
months some sensationalist announces
the fact that he has just interviewed
the famous Belle Boyd. Well | have
that startling announcement to make
now. Mine is the simon-pure,W warrant
ed, original! Belle Boyd, for | saw
ever SO many autograph letters from
the prince of Wales, and empress Eu-
genie and Lincoln and Seward and
McClellen, as well as cOnfederates, and
| saw also the old proof sheets of the
celebrated work by the ''Rebel Spy,
and heard incidents and tales from her
own lips which proved she was the
one. and all others are imposters. She
lives now i'll st. Louis ; but L will not
tell YOU her real name, for she dlsllkes
notoriety now as much as she once
craved it. She is married to an Eng
liShman of high rank; and is living a
cOntented, quiet life, bound up In two
blue-eyed, ilower-like little girls. She
is handsome, dashing woman, of fine
form and fascinating manners. never,
till met her, could realize what kind
of human such person as the rebel
spy could be but day spent in her
company showed me how natural 1T
was for this woman, of all the women
in the world to act such part. She
was a wild reckless, unmanagable girl,
full of pranks and nonsense, foStered
by the wondering praises OF the ne
groes and servants about her father
home. She is born mimic and act
ress, and sharp and keen-witted also,
and drifted into the position she &C.
cupied during the war, by her love OF
the southern cause and devotion there
to. and by her love of adventure even
in this questionable form.
She told me of prank she played
on her old family doctor, which Illus
trates what kind of a girl she was.
lie was getting old and intended TO
give up night practice entirely. and
announced i'm her hearing one day that
the Queen of Sheha herself couldn't
get him from home at night. Now,
doctor, | am sure if was very i'll you
would come to me-" said the willful
Belle coaxingly. But he swore, not
even to save her life wovld he start
again on night practice. Only few
nights after this there was terrific
storm, and about midnight Miss Belle
Boyd was discovered in dying condl-
ton. The whole house was alarmed,
and servants sent pOst-haste for the
doctor. Aroused by their frantic ac-
counts of her dying condition, the good
old soul started in the storm and dark
ness ten miles to the Boyd mansion.
Arrived there he found her in violent
spasms. Making preparations to bleed
her, the young miss sud- ply burst
into laughter, and sprang from the
bed pulling off the night dress she had
slipped over her day clothes, and dance
ing around the bewildered medica
man said, shipping him on the face
and chin with her white fingers: "Oh,
yes, you are the man whO has given
mp night practice. Queen of Sheba
couldn't get you out, let alone Belle
Boyd - And she spun out of the
| room, and locked herself in another
room, leaving her weeping parents
| and anxious servants and doctor to ex-
plain this phenomenon to themselves.
Now, any girl who could plan and
| successfully carry out such fraud as
! this, | think could act the part of a
female spy without much practice.
| Many other stories she told of her
| early life, and the parts were acted
| out, even in conversation, to the life,
/ and kept me laughing until ] could
scarcely sit up.