Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-09-19
A SOUTHERN MILLIONAIRE'S
FORTUNE.
The story of the Planter who Built
Now Lonely Mansion In OOnnsc-
IIcut.

GrotOn Comm Letter to the Ne1o York Sun.
Before the war Robert Stafford, mil
llonaire planter, owned two islands off
the coast OF Georgia which were noted
for the superior cotton they produced,
the famous sea island variety On the
larger of the two islands Mr.. Stafford
lived. He fell in love with creole girl
who was one of his slaves, and married
her. She was educated and refined in
manners. Six children were the fruit of
the marriage. Two boys died in their
youth. Just before the breaking out of
the civil war Stafford, who noted the gath
ering clouds, came North and built a
magnificent dwelling among the pastures
few miles north of this village. on the
swelling banks of the Thames river.
Then he returned to the South, and thence
sent his wife and daughters to the North
ern home. Here they were surrounded
house was very fine, and the grounds
were triumph of the gardeners skill.
Beautiful and rare plants and shrubberY
diversified the rolling green of the lawns,
fountains played among marble statues,
and through the grounds broad gravel
walks wound up to the spacious veran-
das. The advent of the beautiful girls
in New London and Groton was an event
that is still fresh in the memory of Con-
necticut society.
The girls received fashionable North
ern education. Private tutors taught
them French, Italian, music, painting,
and the arts of the ball room. They
were reared in the most pretentious
society, and suitOrs were not few. One
sister married Fred. Palmer, of New
London. The union was not happy
one, and separation soon followed.
Another sister was welded to Comma
dore Brady, of New York. The honey
moon was passed in Paris, where the
bride shone as society star for a few
months Soon afterward the couple were
divorced. The youngest sister was mar
ried to New York gentleman, and is liv-
ing happily with her husband. Adelaide,
another sister, has lived during the past
eight years in Paris A few months ago
she met Count Cybulski, who is connected
with the diplomatic service in Russia,
and about a month ago she became his
wife, the nuptials being celebrated in
the Church of Notre Dame She sent
wedding cards to her friends in New
London and GrOton, dainty pieces of
pasteboard, perfumed, adorned with a
regal COronet, and bearing the words in
Italian, Countess Cybulski, Paris"
The young wife is described as tall,
1.-the, graceful, with olive tinted skin
and lustrous eyes. The Count is little,
old, withered and bent, with whisk of
yellow beard. He has taken his wife to
live in the most elegant quarter of Paris.
Robert Stafford was loyal to the Union.
At one time the troops of Gen. Joe Haw-
ley, the Seventh Connecticut Regiment,
were quartered on his plantation. He
passed his summers in the North from
1867 to the year of his death, 1875 He
bought property in New London and
Norwich, which the heirs still hold. He
left will by which $500, 900 was di-
vided equally among the daughters, while
the bulk of the property, several million
dollars, was divided among distant rela.
tives. The great mansion that he built
in GrotOn remains in treeless and isolated
grandeur among the bleak pasture lands,
and every tourist that journeys up the
Thames valley inquiries, "Who IS the
owner of that splendid placer? 1t is
many years since daughter of the creole
slave of the Georgian islands has revisit
ed the mansion.