The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1876-01-14
MRS. BLACEFORD-PHGNIX.
Interesting Incidents In the Life OF this
geIe brsfed Anne rican Advsntu ress-
The Downward Path ofa Ciergyman's
Daughter.

table, here in Paris now, that one should
several times day have brought to
mind, if not To sight, that American
celebrity of the present, Mrs. Blackford.
She drove by an hour since, and, sitting
here this evening, have been thinking
Of her rs she was ten years ago, gay and
happy Hattie Ely, laughing, joyous
girl, her history all unwritten, her dcs-
tiny undrcamcd Of. Destiny we call il.
Has il or has il not been destiny that i'm
short decade has transformed, almost
before reaching mature womanhood, the
half-taught schoolgirl Of sixteen into
one Of the most accomplished and sue
cessful iatrigaalltcS Of history
Dear daughter, rightly may rue
The fail Of famous children born ~ me-
But who can turn the stream Of destiny
Or break the chain OF strong necessity,
Which fast is tied 10 Joyes eternal seat"
Was Spenser right?
Some two months since, you will re-
member, il was related in the papers
here that a foreign lady had had her
room entered by courteous, unknown
man, who, being met in establishment
By the fair inhabitant protested that
the motive for his action was solely his
passionate admiration for the lady, and
the irreprcsSible desire that possessed
him 10 declare il. The fact of mis- being
an entire stranger to her, and his
demonstrativc persistence, left the lady
no alternative, apparently, but to have
him arrested, which she accordingly
did No names were made public AZ
first, but il soon transpired that the lady
in question was i'Americatne, Mrs
a a
Russian Grand Duke dared the Imperial
displeasure and suffered subsequcntcon-
iinement; and that the pretended lover
was none other than thief ia the SER
vice Of the Russian Government. He
had entered her apartments for the pur-
pose ul p e-snr himself Of some very
curious diplomatic documents relating
10 the russian royal family, which She
retained among the treasures that came
into her hands during the course of her
hatS0n with the Prince. Following This
little episode, the papers soon an
nounccd the publication Of 4 volume,
photographed ia character, from the
pen Of the heroine ~ the -. Petersburg
scandal herself. Various efforts have
been made for its suppression. Al first
n purchase was attempted, and a sum
equal To $50, 900 was offered for the en-
tire edition. The fair American de-
manded 100000. This attempt falling
thus. the assistance Of the Belgian Gov
eminent was enlisted, and n seizure of
all the books ordered. This order was
but partially executed, and copies Of the
work which had escaped seizure were
freely in demand at 100 francs each.
The two events, following one the
other so closely, have served to bring
again prominently into notice this re-
markable American woman, and to re-
invest with interest every page Of her
history, much Of which, however, has
never yet been PACED on written either.
In fact little OF the minutiir Of her early
life is generally known, al least here in
Paris, and in America, ] think, even
less. And probably 10 those who know
most of il does it, course seem most
wonderful. Her career up to the pres
en-, has been but brief one all com
passed in the space Of ten short years
as brilliant as il has been brief; and
strange-almOst +" too strange to be
true.
Harriet Ely was the daughter, by his
second wife, of Rev. Or. Ely, of Phila-
delphia, for many years an eminent Old
School Presbyterian clergyman of that
city, who, during the girlhood of the
Russian heroine, left Philadelphia and
removed to Missouri. There he cstah
lishcd, think, a college, afterwards re-
turning TO Philadelphia, where he died
some years previous 10 the marriage Of
his daughter. Her mother is spoken of
as a " singularly singular" woman.
Hattie /" drew near to destiny when
she went, a school miss not yet sixteen,
in 1865 or 1866, to Parkersburg, West
Virginia, to visit, in the family of Judge
Jackson there, his daughter, Miss Lii
lie, who had been n schoolmate of hors.
She ut once became quite the rage in
that provincial center, and various sto-
ries have been related of her freaks
and indiscretions ut this time. Many
Of these are Of doubtful foundation.
She mingled freely in society, was adj
mired, battered. caressed, courted.
Among other devotecs was her husband
perhaps should say her first husband
J. Beale Blackboard, then teller Of the
Parkersburg National Bank. Black
ford was well connected, moved in high
society, was popular and considered
very eligible young man. lie was OF in
temperate habits, however, and on that
account had just been discarded by
another woman, to whom he was de-
votedly attached, when Miss Ely came
upon the stage. To all appearances he
was greatly impressed with her. He
Swallowed her everywhere. was her spc-
cial adorer and constant companion.
And though the acquaintance was yet
very new, and when her mother in re-
Spouse to suggestions from some Of her
friends, arrived ia Parkersburg TO ac-