Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1883-02-19
4 BALTIMORE SENSATION

A BALTIMORE SENSATION.
One of the most startling and interesting
divorce suits ever enacted on the legal stage
in this country will, at an early day. engage
the astutc and shining Blackstone talent O
this city. The romantic details of this pc
cuiiar life drama will certainly cause tho
gossips, not only Of this praticular locality
but Of the entire United States, to wag thcil
respective tongues. The story reads like
q romance. but every word is as true as
gold.
Five years ago among the young bloods'
OF Baltimore there was numbered a Young
gentleman who. by Il happy combination Of
art and nature, was entitled to q high seat
in the arena Of life. He was the happy
possessor Of 100000, safely invested in
registered |. =. bonds. The young man
had & very aristocratic and wealthy mother
and she was extremely particular in refer
cncc to her sons choice of a domestic part
ncr for life.
On Il bright morning in January. 1877.
the young man entered Il fashionable kid
glove establishment on Lexington street,
for the purpose Of purchasing No. kid
glove. There he met his destiny. The
salcSlady who waited on him was II beau.
tltul brunette with Il most engaging mien.
1t was the old and yet ever new story.
When he announced to his mother he was
going 10 marry this young lady there was
Il total annihilation Of the domestic peace in
that Madison avenue mansion: but as the
young lady behaved so we'll the old lady at
last rclcntcd
Two years later the young couple were
happily keeping house in Il luxurious man
ncr, and the joyous prospective father was
we'll known as Il shrcwd and energetic
broker NJ this period of the young hus.
bands existence he discovered that his wife
was using large amounts of moncyin mys-
tcrious manner. Hc began TO expostulatc
with her. She returned confused and eva
.ivc replies. and the young husband was
much pcrpleXcd by his wifcs peculiar be-
havior.
About this time the proprictors and pat
rons Of the "huckct shops" and low gambling
resorts o! this city were greatly amazed by
the behavior and display of wealth which an
aged coIorcd woman delighted them with.
She was a very light mulatto, and, while Il
constant and heavy loser. was never short for
over Il couple Of hours at Il time. Where she
cot her money no one knew, and she never
told
One day the young broker found himself
tie proud father ofa red haired dimpcd
boy One morning afterwards when his
coOiAg babe, aged nearly two years, sat on
his maternal rrandmotherS knee, cClorcd
servant brought her q letter. She opened it
with II smile of peace, read with gasp Of
horror. and then. with one wild shrek of
woe, she and the infant simultaneously fell
10 the floor The letter, written in almost
al iilegibic hand and filed with an abund-
ant amount Of phonetic spelling, contained
the following startling words
''fo,r sons wife is niggcr. He married
Il niggcr. am her grandmother and am
what they call Il mulatto. You would think
she is white like you white folks, bot she
amt. lfyOu don't believe me come and sec
me. ! seHd my address
OF course when the old lady recovered
from her swoOn she refused TO believe that
the note contained the truth. However,
when the husband heard of the contents, he
Immediately began Il strict investigation
and when The facts became so convincing
that the wife could deny 10 longer, with
tears Of anguish, confessed in her husband s
arms. that colored blood did run in her
veins.
1t seems that the old mulatto woman
gambler was his wilc's grandmother His
wife's grandfather was a white man. and
her parents were white. her mother hay
ing been more successful ut deception in
this line with her husband than the young
wife had been with her young broker hus-
band. The beautiful brunette wife then
certainly h:rd very slight negro element in
her physical makeup. 1t appears that the
old colored grandmother had for years OBJ
tanned 'hush money from the young wife
which she spent gambling. When the young
wife refused to give the old woman money
she would threaten to write or tell the sc.
cret to the arstocratic mother-in-law.
At last the wife, tired out. absolutely re-
! fused TO give her any more substantial
wealth, never even dreaming that the ole
woman would carry her threat into exc.
cution. But, in an evil hour, the old fe
male gambler did 50. AS the young wife
refuses to give up her husband and as her at
torncy, one of the leading lawyers of this city
declares that under the peculiar circumstan
ces Of the case the marriage is legal, it i:
stated that the young broker. goaded on b,
his indignant mother, will institute suit fol
divorce at an early day.-Baltimorc Cor
| LoaisrHYe Courier journal.