The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1876-03-15
The BeIknapS.
Social Life, Adventures and Downfall Of
the SGGFCtaFy Who Had
Three Wives.
Vanity Of EanitiRs Female Ambition
Brother GryiiS Name
Comes In.

TIC iuip!ttatlOn OF ELS. Belknap ID
he downfall and disgrace of her hns-
band, gives q feature Of romance to the
sickening affair, which invests it with
"a piquancy that seldom attaches to,
such matters. There is in this depart
ment of the subject confusion Of
names, dates and circumstances which
must be dispeiled in order to arrive at
clear understanding Of the case aud
property divide upsthe responsibility,
The present Mrs. Bclknapi i, the third
wife of the Secretary altogether, and
the second wife he has had since he
entered the Cabinet. Her immediate
predecessor was her sister, who died
about three years ago. 1t was the sec.
ond Mrs. BeliSnap, sister of the present
incumbent, who made the original bar
gain with Marsh. Her maiden name
was Carrie Tnmlinson, while the rame
of the present is Amanda. So, for the
sake of distinction we will speak of
them as Mrs. Carrie and Mrs. Amanda.
A woMAN's AMBITION.
When Belknap first came to Wash
ington Mrs. Carrie at once aspired to a
social rank which her husbands salary
would not sustain. They had no pri.
waite fortune to fall back on, but moth
ing would content them short Of SOCIAL
rivalry with the Fishes, who had pri
vato income compared to which the
Cabinet salary was a mere bagate,'e.-
There was but one way to meet the
deficiency, and that was hy making
Illicit profits ou5 of the Office. The
woman's wits of Mrs. Carrie did not
long lack for cracked ways and means.
She surveyed the possibilities, and de
termined tn avail herself OF them at the
first opportunity. This came. III the
shape of Marsh, whose acquaintance
the Belknaps made at Long Branch in
1870. The testimony itself shows that
Mrs. Carrie made the first over lures to
Marsh, bat the testimony tells only a
small portion of the story. The wo-
man seemed perfectly infatuated with
the dazzle of Washington society, and,
dazzled with the prospect of sudden
wealth, she devoted herself to the bus
mess of bartering away the influence
of her husbands position, and soon
laid schemes by which their income
was raised from a Cabinet salary to
about $25, 900 a year. Then. just as
the coveted pomp and extravaganza
was within her reach Mrs. Carrie sick
eped and died, leaving as Il legacy to
her husband the plans she had made
for the bettcrment of their finaucia!
| fortunes at the expense nj their honor.
THE MARRIAGE.
The Secretary did not long remain n
widoWer. The present "iie, Mrs,
Amaa'Ia, wa*H' booming yo"ns willow,
and deere wAs a material ci!lAncrment
81 hcr ripe aud luscious CHARMS ~ the
fact t'l;,t size was q3a!.tied 10 take np
The thread nf worldly l!r;it whcte 1t
had allen irrn the ncrvplHSs !ilfyels ot
her d, iue sister. Mrs. Amanda had
Icen fully lit thr confidence OF her sis
fcr and kncv all the ropes, $" to speak,
| which had hpeu laid 10 puli in The
crooked profits. Accordingly she was
every way fitted to take her sisters
place iu the affections OF tie Secretary
and in the business end Of the Var Dc
paltmcnt. 1t was. therefore, a marIl-
are de convenauce, as we'll as d'amour,
and Mrs. Amanda stepped ia.to the
shoes of Mrs. Car lie. fundamentally
socially, and financially. Mrs. Amanda
was in all respects a qualified scccess"l
of her 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 OF NTIIE sPoILs.
Mrs. Carries baby, upon whom tht
created income from the post-tiader,
ships had been settled when the moth.
er died, soon followed the latter to the
grave, and then there was nobody lef
to divide with the secretary and the
gushing widow the perqnsites of the
War Department. Mrs. Amanda ant
; the Secretary were married, with {
flourish of trnmpets, and Immediately
set about placing Marsh money where
it would do the most good that is t.
say, in silks, diamonds, fuss, feathers
and style generally. Their home wa
among the most luxurious even in thi
. centre of luxury. Mrs. Belknap calles
about her the fairest and brightest o
her sex, aud sought to create selec
social circle of her own, the entree t.
= which should be the desideratum O
: the haut ton. She was to be the Lad,
5 Blessington of the reign Of Ulysses
/, and her house should be the HOLLAND
House of the realm. Her feminine pro
teGes were to be the centres of admiri
ton, and nothing less than million
aire or a Count could aspire to pa,