Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-04-16
A DANSEUSE'S DEVOTION.
A Romantic Chapter in the Life History of
Bonfanti-The Daughter-in-law of an
Aristocratic Fifth Avenue Family.


exquisite ballet dancing will be gratifed
this evening upon the presentation of that
masterpiece of the late Charley Barras,
'The Black Crook Of the actors and
actresses who will appear this evening none
will attract more generous adulation and
applause than the leading danseuse, who is
known on the bills as 'Mrne. Marie Bon
fanti." She is said to be woman of rare
beauty, combining the voiuptuous form
and graces of the Italian with the archness,
chic and abandon of the French, and
whose life has been made up of romance
and reality, of sunshine and shade, rarely
to be found outside the pages of the most
fascinating of fiction. Some years ago
she was the source of a startling sensation
IN New York high life, upon the discovery
that she was the wife of son of one of the
most aristoctratic families of Fifth
avenue, New York, George f. Hoffman.
who had married her unknown to his fam
lily until after his death. The first meet
ing of the two was not long after her first
appearance on the stage, and was purely
accidental. Being an invalid and having
been ordered to the south for his health,
young Hoffman had been sent to Savannah,
attended by servant, and after short
stay there was en- route to New Orleans
Mile. Bonfanti, who was under engagement
to appear in that city, was in company
with an elder sister, from whom she was
inseparablet. At Montgomery, Ala, two
young men, also bound 10 New Orleans,
entered the car. These two young men were
George L. Hoffman and friend. Attract
ed by the black eyes and modest demean-
or of the dancer, Mr.. Hoffman attempted
acquaintanceship after the knowledge of
who the lady was had been obtained from
the reading of the name upon small
leather travelling bag, lying carelessly on
the seat in front of the two ladies. Hav-
ing fair knowledge of Italian, acquired
during residence abroad. young Hoffman
addressed the ladies in their native tongue,
and the fact led to conversation, and the
acqua1ntanceship thus formed became the
keynote to his life and hers.
Arrived at New Orleans the young gen.
tleman still pursued his acquaintance, and
became a confidant of Bontanti's, and she
became interested in him. He represented
| that he was ''alone in the world" possessed
of large means, and when he learned that
| the danseuse, who had earned much
money and saved it during her profes-
sional career IN New York, had been
robbed of all her savings by a rascally
Italian agent but a few weeks before, he
gained a hold upon her affections by
his persistent attempts to find the I'M
faithful agent. To this end he en-
ployed the best legal and detective
| talent to be had, and the treach-
erous agent was discovered in Cuba, where
he had gone with travelling company;
but as he died soon after, none of the miss
ing government bonds handed him in a
tin box by Bonfanti, after drawing them
| from the bank in Wall street, where they
had been deposited, were ever recovered.
During the stay IN New Orleans Bonfanti
and young Mr.. Hoffman were good friends
lovers, perhaps, but not an action, word
or look passed between them that
even the sister could object to. The
mutual confidence of the parties, the SYM
pathy of their unfortunate and lonely
tiYes, conspired to the growth of the at
tachmeut between the favorite of the bal
let and her acquaintance of the palace
car, and the avowals of love made to the
dark-eyed Italian were received with favor,
and the lady remained true to herself, with
one hope of the future with the man
she loved as the bright aim of her ex-
istence.
This meeting at Montgomery was in
March, 1872, and after the termination of
Bonfanti's engagement in New Orleans,
she returned North to Cincinnati, Mr.. Hoff-
man being simply friend travelling with
the party, and an agreement was made
between them that a marriage in her own
country should be consummated, the &C
| lions of both parties being free from any
faint of scandal.
Back again in New York for few weeks.
Mr.. Hoffman, then scarcely eighteen years
of age, sailed for Europe on June 5, agree
ing with Bonfanti that she should follow
him the next steamer, and the first knoWl-
edge that his parents received of his de-
parture was by letter addressed to his
mother, written on the steamer, and sent to
her by the pilot when ''off shore" 1t con-
tanned but few words Of adieu, simple
Sod bless you," and that was all.
Still ignorant that young Hoffman was
not, as he had alleged, alone in the world,
and following him as she would her des-
tiny, the danseuse sailed for Europe, and
her lover, who was in London, awaited the
arrival of the steamer that should bear to
him his promised wife. Unable to reach
the steamer at sea except by bribing the
pilot, the impatient lover adopted this
means of meeting her, and, paying the
pilot 800 for the privilege, he cruised off
the coast in the pilot boat, and, far out of
the harbor of Queenstown, boarded the
vessel and met her, i'll as he was, worn out,
anxious, and as Bontanti expresses it,
pale as ghost, but happy and glad to
meet me.''
Proceeding to Paris, they were married
according to the Roman Catholic cere-
mony, on August 20, 1872, and returned to
England, where Bonfanti fulfilled profess
sional engagements in Manchester and
other places, until owing to Georges ILL
ness and lack of funds (they at one time
lived in poor apartments in London) she
became i'll and they went to Como, Swift
erland, where, on July IA, 1873, their child
was born.
Previous to this time, young Hoffman
had squandered oyer 100000 of his
fathers property, and the latter placed
heavy restrictions against his obtaining
more. Georges mother, unknown to her
husband, sent him $1,000, but in course of
time that was expended. In this ex-
tremity George sought out and made the
acquaintance of Mr.. Puleston, partner in
the house of Jay Cooker, McCulloch & Co.,
from whom he obtained financial favors-