Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1884-08-05
A DALLAS SCANDAL.
The Famous Belle Boyd and her Hus-
r band Suing for Divorce From
Each Other.
Charges Of In6delity Preferred By Both
.Parties-A Youag Lawyer Said
to be the Cause Of the
Trouble.

special 70 the Gazette.
h DALLAS, Aug. 4.--Quite sensation
was created here to-day by J. b. Ham
moud, well known travelling man
and husband OF Belle Boyd, the noted
Confederate spy, assaultIng a young
lawyer named Ray Shepherd, alleging
that his wife aud Shepherd had been
too intimate with each other, destroy
ing his home and happiness. Ham
mond made the blood flow freely from
Shepherds nostrils but did him
no serious bodily harm, as spectators
separated them. Mr.. Hammond. on
being interviewed by your correspon-
dent, said: II request suspension OF
public opinion until the whole truth
can be shown. My wife ran me into
debt overwhelmingly, and used money
which she well knew WAS not mine,
and has behaved as no true wife or
woman would In entertaining
male friends of hers, strangers To
me, and against my expressed
wishes. Among the number is the
man Shepherd, whom to-day a.
sauIted. ! have papers prepared to
sue for a divorce. There can be no
{ reconciliation now between myself
and Mrs. Hammond. The world Is
big enough for both OF us. She can
take care Of herself and can take
care Of myself, and separation by
divorce il the best for us both" Mrs.
\ Hammond, on being Interviewed,
rehearsed long chain OF alleged bru-
taIities, intimacies with other women,
false accusations against herae'f and
iealousies Of her husband against other
men. She too has divorce papers pre-
pared and Charles Fred Tucker en-
gagged as counsel She claims Shepherd
has only acted the part OF friend and
gentleman, and that he was student
OF hers in the study of elocutlon. The
Indications are that the scandal or It's
sensational features arc by no means
ended.
ANOTHER ACCOUNT.
DALLAS, TEX, Aug. Ain long
statement published in this evenings
Times Hammond alleges Mr.. Shep-
herd had been too intimate with his
wife and wrecked his happiness. On
one occasion when Shepherd
called, his wife sent him Ham
mondi out for wine In
order to get an opportunity to talk to
Shepherd alone. On another occasion
she went to Fort Worth with Shep.
herd. In short she had transferred
her affections to Shepherd and had
been very Intimate with him for two
months past, and openly acknowl-
edged that she loved him. She had
become so reckless that she had
run him In debt all over
town and failed to treat him with
common respect about the house, and
self-respect compelled him to leave
her, and II was his intention to aban-
don her forever. His mission
when he encountered the man
who had brought him so
much misery was TO get
legal advice. Mr.. Shepherd was also
called upon by the reporter. He said
that II was fact that he often visited
MIR. Hammonds house, the courtesies
and hospitalitles of which had been
quite IA cordially extended to him by
Mr.. Hammond M by Mrs, Hammond,
but that any criminal Intimacy be.
tween himself and Mrs. Hammond
existed only In the disordered imagi.
nation OF Mr.. Hammond He regsrded
Mrs. Hammond ~ an elegant lady and
had always treated her M such. TIL,
trouble arose from the colonel getting
a notion into his head that she LOVED
him (Shepherd) and his mind hat
run on II until he had become mono
maniac on the subject. Mrs. Ham
mopd was very much hurt to thinl
abe had become the subject Of stree
talk, especially In such u connection
She said she had been giving youn
shepherd lessons In elocution. IL
IL bright, well.informed you'll
and good company, and sll
liked to have him call because he Is .
entertaining, but that she IL oil
enough to be lila mother and treate
him rather ~ son than n lover. I'll
disparity In their ages,
nothing else, would preclu,
the Idea of intimacy. 81
was much surprised when her husbar
accused her of loving the young ma
and felt TINT she " An almost ruined !
the baselees accusation gaining pu
liclty. Her husbands mind was co
tinuaily on that one subject until
had become crazy, and told her
had a detective watching. her al
shepherd. Whereupon she wro
Shepherd a note; just such a note
any'lady would have written uhd
the circumstances, which contain,
nothing that she was ashamed of, b
concluded not To send 1t aud threw
into the water closet, out Of Will
her husband fished II, and qui
scene followed. That Mr.. Hammo
knocked her down and drew pis
on her and otherwise carried on a
Q n,admap. On various occasions pre-
Qua to this her husband had beat
her and abused her in Language II
would hardly be applicable to the M
Z fallen Of her sex, Once he DIR
"a knife to kill her but II was stayed
her daughter. In fact her life h
II been an unhappy one ever since .
had been his wife. She thought
only course open was Sc
ration. Any court would y
Her a divorce on the ground Of Ill tire
meut. hut she could not stand the l,
|. Of going Into court with her wron
She says her daughter Ia confined
her bed with fever brought on
mental agitation over the treatment
which MI. Hammond has subjec
them.
A PREDICTION.
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