Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1881-07-08
hSelle ROpdD

three std aDothtr OF seven sun mers playing hide
aod seek around her chair, was a lsdy who b
score of years ego bore an ioterus,iocai r2puts-
zion. Few, if any. Ct ;hose who knew her
| onca would row reo:gn!zs in the bsudsore,
welI'Dreser9ed Ecman, Of omnaudir 6 prsaence
and high bred bearing, With com plexioa like
q rcsa aid lily oon sinsd, a wealth OF suuuy,
casstous brown hsir, sparkling eyes. sweet,
mobile mouth, snd taos o,pab!e OF most vary
la2 expreSsoa-tto VlVasious, dstlrg girl Tho
ia wsr tin's had bu; ooe psmc, AID thai Belle
Body, the Confederate spy"
T0a Sttri Of Bell. Boyo's life reads like q
romance. Bern ln Yirgiois of coed old o.va
lier stock. she bad barely graduated and made
her dsout In Washington society when tue wsr
| conDcEc:d, and Der father, With sevsraI ether
OF hex Kindred. to- < up aim, in the Confederate
cause. Wheo General Robert Patterson
With his iroorS entered Martiusburg, her "a.
i've plsc,, sic WAS sc.iog the pert Cf tho mia.
l:tallo2 angel to tho wounded 10 lhs inpyov S, ID
hospital. While engaged 10 th:s, du les N suy
s1rsas OF lufcImation cobceroiox the move
ments of The Federal srmy came 10 her
care, and thus it was thai. With 90 impu'sivs
osss and ardor dus largely to her youth, she
entered upon The task with which her name
became Sd prominently idead6 d.
| Several ladies of The p'sea, who bad a,5o
been p:okiuk up scraps OF nnw4. held maetins
st ber house, the Items were bao chtt te thar,
rut upjn psper aod the documsns | ,oe3 ia
the hands Of e tIusty oolored swat inr .raos
mission to General Jackson. This " .rt on
safety fer some fine, uctil roe dsy tie uessen
gr YES captured by :ho F,d.r4I pick k.Is ard
c impeiied 10 d'scils1 his hlaSioo. rnersupon
B.ie BjSd" was arrested, taken b.toIe
G:neral R5beft Patterson, aalishseped AZ
70 tbs nature and penalties Gf he a.ic CT
VIZ aud foalIy placed ulder eapi32sge during
the remember of the GaDeral's stay iu town.
| From shs time onTird hhs devoted htrssf
10 the task of iurnisbios iatolmrica to the
surp;rtera ct The Inst Cause. SeCras of times
shs ~as plicad u:d'r temp ,rary arrest, and co
| two occ ,soos she was i,c.ro r1ted tor N 9n;hs
10 the Did Oapllol sld Carroll prisons 81 W ssh
lng:on. OFten,lues she was fouud 10 tbe mid.
die OF the hottest fights, bat 81 haus n CD uauy
ocosscus her clothing VS. literally riddle d WITH
| tuels, che invstiably eso,p.d personal i, ju:9
ltls r.lated Ct hor shat 90 oos oeossiop, when
| taken prisoner. she was taksn beltrs General
Butler a. Fjr'res Monroe. Observing her .g.
| i;s'iou. Bso remarked:
Pray be scared. But Ehy d. you trsnols
3d. Are you fI;g1teDed2" ?"
mo. sh-ths4 is, yes. Gen BuiIei; must
k7owledse that do feel trixhsned ia the
pr;saoce OF man OF suc1 world wide reputa-
tion as yourself" was h-rrpy.
"Wha; do ycu msar?' marked tho Care.
raj. 1s ne rubb,d his hards together and
smiled bolisuIy.
/ msac, General Buller," sbe replied,
that ytu are man whose airecous conduct
acd brutality. especially to Sruthern lsdi,s 8. is
50 ioiamous thst even ih, British Parlismsu sus
commented upoa il. / Da;ursliy fosl alermed
| at bsins Ia your presspce."
| WI!h rage depicted upon every liueamens of
bis featur's the General sr,ss from the table
'Dd ordered her to bs sakeo from the room.
During ber resi3sno, 10 Washue;nu Belle
Boyd" formed ea intimate stqu,iutaua with
President Liuoolu, aud fsiecu;y c,lrespon
dencs was kept up between the t9o during
greater pcr,iou Of the wa'. o. cus OCCASION
her letter paper was adorned Slsh the Cunfed-
efsts motto, 3 snake enlRined srtu,d Con.
tederate a,g, and TIE iusctiplo1: "Dop't
'resd 90 Us, or wo will bie." When Lice Ia
replied to tho missise, be set back tho motto
"llh bite erased aud the word "buat" sub.
sti.u!ed.
Broken d'wu 10 health aud beresved By tho
loss Of her father. who had died in the erd4av.
or TO feet her reiesse from captivity, "B,e
Bod 6etermioed to leave for foreign sh1 1rep,
and 10 olay. 1864. she embarked on the Grey
hound at North Carolina as tbe bearer of i'm
portant dlsostcdes fTcn j fe;sou na,s aul
Judah P. BerjauiO to the ifiesd, Of tne o,uss
10 LlndOu. ln eudeivorinR 10 rrn the b!ccsd,,
however. the Gre, h0uod wss ca otured hg
Uoited States stesm:r. Belle Boyd vas taken
10 Boston, kept prisoner for sone time, and
finally banisltd to Canada. From ,here ghe
weDi to E,gsud. where she p.ssei the secori
ept CD OF her life Sne vas married at The aris
tccraric church At s.. james, Picc .dS, re-
celved Rith open alm 10 titled society, b;c me
Ia widow. and hoalIy, having natural tsIeot
for she theatrical proft siion. took to the atage.
Probably 90 person iu the oouotry hus beca
tHl,led With so macy ''donecs' as this lady.
Since her return 10 ADese, sod marriage 10 Col.
j. s. Hammond, an ElsEth een.leman, once q
memter of The noted ''L1u'aiaos Tigerp," she
has oom pletey suak her ider try With that of her
husband. and sith the excep ion Of few occa-
sIoos. when shs had appeared upon the plat
torn % the tsleottd resdsr and eocu!ion,at
Mario Isabella hsnm,rd," her mild has
been eoRrossed viii domestic sff<irs. Yet
cvery f.w months she Is vsx7d and annoyed by
cim'pg sctoes SO soncuocement that Belle
Boyd" the ex Confederate SPY, bas turned up
10 some part of the ooun;ry. Now the pre-.
| te0QtE - uetcR toGeltdlutu u ny eOme CE1mlDeOL
Southelns'; again she is 10 distress aud solicit.
,ug aid. Several years ago one Of th.ss bogus
i"B.l!es' visited A l,n.s on ieoturing tour
aud was deponnod by Captain St. Cl,i,
Abrams, OF the Neus. ss an iupossor. Nsx'
morsipg sbs rr>csedsd to the ofios and d.
msnded sstisf.o ion. Which bsi,g refused she
preosedad to draw couple of Dstrisg 'rs. hut
VAS sc I'D betcra the weapons could Do pointed
Size! tina. time shs has not turned up 10 Htor
pi.. Ths latest rraseudsr tn ned up 10
w xa' sohie few weeks Sc, uoder the osm
Of Mis-. Murph7 and, according to the Eater.
iri,e of that p ace, engaged 10 writing 3
history Of her ht,; III br.f aod poip ed
opistIs to prom u ii Z ~ OF hat place has
probably by th's Hue ~; q1lstus On her
pre-. ions. A, ioog ago as 1876 the Mssons
= of Msr.insbu,z. vs.. found it necessary to sand
a circular to the Graf: oil ovar the couolry waru
l, leg them against persons preield ding 10 be the
daughter OF their deceased brother Il. R Boyd,
esq The gsLuns Belle Boyd" hss just COM
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