The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1881-08-13
"BEI.LE BOYD"
a History Which Reads Like IN
Romance.

uortnWestein Scctlon OF the cltN, Win
a sweet little miss of three and an
other of seven summers playing hide
and seek around her chair, was la
dy who a score Of years ago bore an
international reputation. Few, if
any, of these who knew her once
would now recognize in the hand
some, well-preserved woman, of com
handing presence and hieh-bred
bearing, with a complexion like a
rose and lily combined, wealth of
sunny, chestnut brown hair, spark
ling eyes, II sweet mobile mouth and
f'tte Capable of most varying ex-
pfesslon-the vivacious, daring girl
who in war times had but one name
and that "Belle Boyd" the Confed-
crate spy.
The story of Belle Boyd's life reads
like romance. Born in Virginia,
of good cavalier stock, she had BARB
ly graduated and made her debut in
Washington society when the war
commenced, and her father, with sew
eral others Of her kindred, took up
arms in the Confederate cause.
When General Robert Patterson with
his troops entered Martinsburg, her
native place, she was acting the part
Of the ministering angel to the
wounded in the improvised hospital.
While engaged in these duties many
scraps of information concerning the
movements of the Federal army came
to her ears, and thus it was that, with
an impulsiveness and ardor due
largely to her youth, she entered up
on the task with which her name be-
came so prominently identified. Sew
eral ladies of the place, who had al
so been picking up scraps of news,
held meeting at her house, the
items were punched together, put up
on paper and the document placed in
the hands of trtisty colorcd servant
for transmission to General jackson.
This went on safely for some time,
until one day the messenger was
cultured by the Federal pickets aud
COMPELLED to disclose his mission.
Thereupon "Belle Boyd" was arrest
ed, taken before General Robert Pat
terson, enlightened as to the nature
and penalties of the articles of war,
and' finally placed under espionage
during the remainder of the Gencr-
ais stay in town.
From this time onward she devot-
ed herself to the task Of furnishing
information to the supporters of the
Lost Cause. Scores Of times she was
placed under temporary arrest, and
on two occasions she was incarcern-
ted for two months In the Old Capt.
tol and Carroll prisons at Washing
ton. Oftentimes she was found i'll
the middle of the hottest fights, but
although on many occasions her
clothing was riddled with bullets, she
invariably escaped personal injury.
During her residence in Washing
ton belle Boyd" formed an intimate
acquaintance with President Lincoln,
and friendly correspondence kept
up between the two during greater
portion of the war. On one occasion
her letter paper was adorned with
the Confederate motto, snake en-
twined around a Confederate flag,
and the inscription: Don't tread
on us; Or we will bite" When Lin
coin replied to the missive, he sent
back the motto with "bite' erased
and the word "bust'' substituted.
Broken down in Health and be-
reayed by the loss of her father, who
had died in the endeayor to effect her
release from captivity, Belle Boyd"
determined to leave for foreign
shores, and in May, 1864, she ell
barked on the Greyhound at North
Carolina as the bearer of important
dispatches from Jefferson Davis and
Judah p. Benjamin to the friends of
the cause in London. In endeavor-
ing to run the blockade, however,the
Greyhound was captured by Unit
ed States steamer "Belle Boyd was
taken to Boston, kept a prisoner for
some time, and finally banished to
Canada. From there she went to
England, where she passed the sec
ond epoch of her life. She vas liiaf-
ried at the aristocratic church of st.
James, Piccadilly, received with open
arms in titled society, became a wild
ow, and finally having natural tai
ent for the theatrical profession took
to the stage.
Probably no person in the country
has been afflicted with so many
"doubles'' as this lady. Since her
return to America and marriage to
Colonel j. S. Hammond, an English
gentleman once member of the not
ed Louisiana Tigers" she has COM
pletely sunk her identity with that of
her husband, and, with the EXCEPTION
of few occasions, when she has APP
peared upon the platform as the tals
ented reader and elocutionist "Marie
Isabelle Hammond" her mind has
been engrossed with domestic affairs.
Yet every few months she is vexed
and annoyed by coming across an
announcement that ''Belle Boyd, the
ex- Confederate spy, has turned up in
some part of the country.
As long ago as 1875 the Masons of
Mdrtinsburg, w. Va, found it neces-
sary to send q circular to the craft
all over the country Warning them
against pefsons preteiiding IL be the