Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1881-11-09
A REMARKABLE WOMAN.

"There is woman sitting there in
that cell in San Francisco whose his.
tory is very remarkable one" said
the turnkey Of the city prison. The
woman sat with bowed head upon q
rough wooden bench in the corner OF
the cage usually assigned to inebriated
females. Her bat and shawl had been
torn off in her resistance to arrest, and
her long black hair hung down, form.
ing complete veil over her face Her
dress was torn and dirty, and upon the
whole she was pitiable ohject-a com.
plete picture OF abject misery and
despair. Shortly ailerward she arose
and advanced to the bars, and in coarse,
hoarse tones, and q mixture Of oaths
and imprecations, demanded drink of
water. As the gas rays fell upon her
countenance the reporter recognized
her. 1t was Belle Siddous, alias Nine.
Vcslal, alias Mrs. BALLET, the noted
fence and doctor for the Black Hills
read agents.
Belle Siddons was known during the
first two years OF the war of the re.
bellion as the belle of St. Louis. A
relative Of the last Governor before the
war broke out, she had made quite q
sensationin Jefferson City on her debut
in society. Coming direct to the State
capital from the Female University at
Lexington, her accomplishments and
remarkable beauty, combined with her
distinguished family connections, won
for her the homage of all tho gay
youths in the State capital Intensely
Southern at heart, this beautiful girl
reigned over the minds of all the
chivalric youth then preparing to
march forth to follow the State flag
southwark. Her most devoted admir-
ers were the Union officers attached
to General Halleck's or General Cur.
tis's headquarters. She rode with them,
danced with them and might be seen
almost nightly in their company at
De Bars Opera House.
In December, 1862, General Curtis
]
her admirers, attached to Curtis's staff,
had warned her of the impending
danger, and she attempted to escape
southwark by tho usual "grapevne
railroad, known only to Southern sym
pathizers. She was captured near Ste
Genevive, with positive evidence of
her guilt in her possession, and brought
to St. Louis. When before General
Schoiield the proud Southern beauty
daringly announced her own guilt
She confessed to having kept Generals
Forrest and Sterling Price informed
OF every movement made at the Union
General headquarters, and claimed the
honor Of assisting Forrest in bis we'll
executed raid on the Memphis and
Mobile Railroad, which cut off Grants
supplies at Holly Springs and com.
| PEELED him to take the uver route TO
Vlcksburg. She was sent TO the Gratiot
street rebel prison, from whence she
was permitted to 20 South a few
months aitcrward, through the inhl
ence Of her remarkable beauty upon
the Provost Marshal General.
Her career in the South is known
only to herself, as she declines to speak
of it. She reappeared soon after the
close of the war as a successful lobby
ist at jefferson City. While the Lcgis
lature OF 1871 was in session Miss Sid
dons suddenly fell in love with hand
some young sport from Kansas City
named Newt Hallet, to whom she was
married, and started with him TO-
Texas. Halet died of yellow fever,
and his widow left the "Lone Star
State" for the northwest country,
where she appeared in new role. Dis
carding the name of her husband
(Hallet), she assumed his business as
faro dealer, under the name Of Nine.
Vestal. Thousands who have visited
such places as Wichita and Ellsworth
the cattle headquarters in Kansas
and Cheyenne and Deadwood will re-
member seeing this remarkable wo.
man, attired in velvets, lace and dia.
monds, presiding over a faro table, or
sometimes twirliDg the roulette wheel
in the most popular gambling saloons
in those cities, There she would sit,
night after night, month after month,
pale, stern and impassive.
She boasted that she had never done
kind act, returned q dollar won or
asked favor since she became a gam.
bier. Said she "My luck was invara.
bic, and had a superstition that If |
allowed the first thought OF kindness
to enter my soul it would break the
spell. | hated every man who came
to play against me; they came to
break my bank, why should | spare
them2 My husband never gave back
money OF spared either friends or foe
in any play, why should ~ She
went to the widest exccsses in dissipa.
ton. When not sitting behind her
gambling table, she was eating or
drinking. But she was never known
to drink in her gambling hall. There
she would sit, silent and brilliant,
ooldly shuflling the cards or carelessIy
twirling her roulette wheel. Women
she despised, and seldom spoke to or
of them. She never quarrelled or OK.
changed words OF anger. Her prompt
] argument was her pistol, which always
lay besides her stacks of money. Her
iavorito costume was red or black
velvet, ornamented with a prolusion OF
gaudy jewelry, mostly diamonds and
rubies. Her luxurant black hair usu.
ally hung carelessly looped over her
shoulders with gold and diamond clasps.
/ This sensational costume, she sald
was part of her stock in trade.
When the Dead dwood and other
Black Hills gold diggings were Great
ing excitement in 1876 Nine Vcstal
chartered four horse omnibus in Den
vcr, bad it modelled into beautiful
boudoir and bed room, and attended by
several of her attendant sporting men
with wagons loaded with tents and
gambling furniture, started for the
Black Hills On her arrival there she
opened her gambling palace under can.
vas. There il was she became &C.
ouainted with Archie Cummings, n
former guerrilla on the Kansas border
and with whom this strange woman
Tell madly in love. Through him Nine.
Vestal became acquainted with the
well organized gang of stage robbers
and road agents who for several years
made the stage roads between the
Black Hills and the Union Pacific
Railroad anything but pleasant route
for people with money. Nine. Vestal,
according to her own confession, be-