River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1880-09-09
THE BRIDE OF DUKE ALEXIS.
The singular Infatuation of II Ken
tucky Belle.

II II DhIDGs Uf III T. aLEAlNs
The singular Infatuation of Il Rem
lucky Belle.
Louisville Courier-Jounal.
Last week middle-aged lady
created considerable sensation about
the Gait House by driving up in her
carriage and demanding to see tn
Grand Duke Alexis of Russia, cher
aflianced husband" She was richly
attired, and wore bridal veil and
jewels When informed that he was
not i'll the hotel, she became incensed
and informed the clerk that they could
not prevent her from seeing him, as
he had made an appointment to meet
her there She also went to the Louis
vile Hotel, and made the same in
quires and rs suddenly disappeared.
Nobody knew whence she came or
who she was. A correspondent from
Newcastle, Ky, sends the Com9er-Jou-
nal the following interesting account of
the lady and the causes of her insan-
ity.
The unfortunate lady in question is
now, and has been for some years past,
resident of this town. Perhaps an
explanation of her strange hallucina-
may not prove uninteresting to the
readers of the Courier. Journal She is
about A years of age, but still retains
traces of the beauty which made her
so popular in society some eighteen or
| twenty years ago She was carefully
educated by u wealthy and indulgent
father, and, having free access to her
parents excellent library, her reading
was most extensive and varied, her con-
versational powers were remarkable,
| and in every way she was eminently
fitted to adorn a high station in refined
society Her maiden name was Ken
ton, and she was born and lived the
| larger portion of her life in St. Louis
At the age of -, while visiting her auut
in Chicago, she made the acquaintance
of young Capt. Reilly, who was sta
toned there with his regiment The
friendship soon ripened into love and
after brief cowtship, they were mar
ricd
The marriage was in ever respect n
! happy one. They continued to reside
in Chicago, and she, by her beauty and
brilliant mental endowments, became
a great fayorite in the best society in
the city. Unhappily, after seven years
of welded felicity her husband died,
and at the early age of IS, she was left
Il widow with no children. Her grief
was almost inconsolable, and she left
ciety to mourn for the loss of her hus-
| band whose memory was SO enduring
| that grave apprehensions were enter
tanned by her relatives in regard to her
mind, which they thought was impair
| ed, and at their urgent solicitation she
was induced to leave Chicago and return
to st. Louis her former home. Her
friends who thought that the change
would benefit her, were not disappoint-
| ed, and she rapidly regained her health
and beauty, but rs the sequel proved,
! she never recovered the perfect use of
| her faculties. Her melancholy almost
entirely disappeared, and to the aston
ishment of her friends, she began to
take Il livelyinterest in the gay world of
society, of which in past years she was
SO brilliant a member.
About this time the Grand Duke
! Alexis in his tour through the United
| States visited st. Louis, and Mrs Reilly
attended the grand ball given by the
city to its royal guest. Although not in
the flush of youth, she was still an ex-
tremely handsome woman, time and
sorrow had but chastened and spirit
ualized the beauty which had in her
younger days won for her such lavish
admiration. She never appeared to
better advantage than ut this ball, and
the Grand Duke paid, her marked at
tentlOn. and seemed to eyince decided
preference for her society; she was OF
course much flattered by this distin-
| guished mark of appreciation, and in
return made every effort to create a
favorable impression on the suscep-
| tiblc Duke. That she succeeded i'll do
| ing so no one can with any degree OF
certainty assert, but she was deeply in
| fatuated with him, and certainly labor
ed under the impression that the feel
ing was mutual. Her relatives did all
in their power to cure her of this UNI
| fortunate attachment but their efforts
were i'll vain, and she persisted in writ
ing to the Duke after he left the city.
| although her letters were never ans
wered. She was firmly persuaded that
he loved her, and the only bar to their
union was the ObjectiCns made by the
royal parents of the Prince to the
match. She never for moment doubt
ed the sincerity of the Dukes affection
for her. She has gradually grown to be
Il monomaniac of this subject, and
while perfectly rational on MI othel
matters, she is entirely "off7' on this
one. Every day she declares that Alex
is coming to this country to claim his
bride, and several times she has eluded
the afiectionate vigilance of her re-
latives and left home to keep in some
neighboring city fancied appointment
with her royal sutton She never ex-
pressed any disappointment at his
failure to remember the engagement
but charitably believes that he is de
tanned i'll Russia by circumstances over
which he has no control Her recent
appearance at the Gait House was the
result of an imaginary agreement tc
meet the Crown Pince of all the Rus
sias She has Made this quiet, pleas
ant old town her home for severa
years. She lives with her married sis
ter in ease and comfort, and passes hel
life in waiting for the lover who never
comes. Always hoping and always
disappointed, she never ceases to love
the man who has has long since for
gotten her very existence