Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1882-09-07
EELLE BOYD'S FALL.
From st0newail JacksODs sa-hin.
,.py to fOrger aud Dead Eeht-A
Hcroinc of Romance Arrested Tor
Swiudtiug

Mr., Hanlmonl, nee Mrs. Harding,
ond dnriuy the Shenandoah valley
camnaipn. "Bale Boyd" the notorious
snv. was arrested in Philadelphia, Aug.
31s.. on a charge OF utterng a forged
check to q pawnbrokersin thai CITY
For months .a womal answering the de-
scrintion Of B 9le Boyd has been carry
ing ON a system of swindling operations
on unsu. pecting storrkeepers OF That
citv. So secret have her plans been,
and so skillfully carried out, that she
baked all efforts Of the detectives 1T
was never thought that the swindler
and the rebel spy were one and the
same person. Just how many persons
there are who have fallen victims to
this w0man's lwily ways IS at present
hard to say. BY her smooth tongue
and melodious voice she has migrated
herself with the unwary store-keeper,
and bled him fully. Her victims have
evidently heen selected very carefully.
The story Of one is the story OF ALL
About three months ago she began OPP
erations by calling upon grocery
dealer. She WAS very lady IKE ana
sweet in her demeanor. She ordered
goods amounting in value to gil sent
To the residence Of one of his best GUS
TONERS and in payment offered a check
drawn in her own name for $50. Think
inc the lady to be visitor at the
house of his customer, he never Sou
pied about handing over the change
She departed, but the lady to whose
house the goods were ordered refused
to take them, nos having ordered
them, The check was examined ana
found to be bogus.
The merchant then began stll-hunt.
He traced the woman up town. one
day while making inquiry as 10 the
whereabouts of Mrs. Hammond, in n
grocery store, a lady standing by and
having heard the question, exclaimed:
"Why, that is Belle BOYD, the rebel
spv.'N The store-keeper was satisfied
and;returned home. Before this, Belle
Boyd, nee Mrs. Hammond, had victim
lied the grocery man. lady called
one dav and ordered $3.50 worth OF
groceries. The dealer put up the goods
and sent them to the residence. She
told the grocery man that her HUSBAND
got paid every month, and when she
received her next monthly lnstalIment
she would settle. Her oily tongue con
uuered again. At Jhe end Of the month
the money was not forthcoming, and a
clerk was sent to collect it. AS re-
suit Mrs. Hammond called, and said
that she wished to open an account, AT
the same time presenting check Tor
SO, which was paid. Hlnkell, and
Coleman doing business IN groceries at
the corner Of Canal and Norris streets,
were victimiZed to the extent OF $40,
and another business man mourns
over an unpaid bill of $50. On one oc-
casion Mrs. Hammond went to the
agent of the company by whom her
husband was employed, and sad she
wanted loan of $40. This was given
to her and still remains unpaid.
Mrs. Hammond is u passionate lover
of music--in fact 80 inordnate is the
passion that it requires two pianos to
satisfy her esthetic taste. she pur-
chased one from the Schumacher piano
company, and the other from the
Weber piano company. When the
first installmenls fell due collectors
called, but there was no money and
Hammond was out. Several calls
were made, and at last the agents
forced their way into the house i'll spite
of the protests Of the servant. They
found that the mistress was rot the
only thing that was out because the
pianos had disappeared. Both had
been pawned. One of the companies
have since recovered their piano from
pawnbroker. She was arrested Sal
urday for passing Il forged check ON Il
pawnbroker, but was soon released by
her friends, who made good the amount
obtained by her.
This is the woman of whom George
Augusu Sala says, "Too proud to beg,
too honorable TO borrow" and that she
"pawned. her jewels for, the southern
cause" Born IN Martinsbtirg, Va, in
1874, she is now 3S years old, Az II
years of age she, was sent to Mt. Wash
ington college, and at 49, when her
education was supposed to have been
completed, she made her entree into
society in Washington. This was Just
nc the time when Lincoln WAS first
elected. Her father was one of the
first to volunteer in the rebel army
when Virginia seeded. He was offered
q grade but declined it, and enlisted rs
a private in the 22d Virginia, cCm-
manded by Col, Nadenbush, attached
to StonewaI Jackson's brigade during
the campaign in the Shenandoah valley.
After Stonewall Jackson was driven
back from Harpei's Ferry toward
Charleston and Winchester, Belle Boyd
first made her appearance as rebel
partisan in the shooting of a soldier
near her own home, who she supposed
was Disguised robber. Her residence
was located within the union lines.
She says 81 regularly and carefully
committed to paper, and whenever
opportunity offered | sent my secret
dispatch to Gen; b, Stuart, in COM
maud Of the confederate troops. From
Martinsburg she went to Front Royal,
Va, where hospital was established
after the battle of Bull Run, and from
there went to Manassas, acting rs a
courier between Beauregard and Stone
wall Jackson.
1 l. 81 L