Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-12-17

Matte Ould and Nellie Hazeltine-
The Fatality that Attends the Gift OF
Beauty.

strange fatality seems always to have at
tended beautiful women from the time Of Helen
of Troy down to the present hour. Cleopatra.
after having triumphed over Doth Julius Cesar
and Mark Antony. sought relief in suicide.
Everybody knows the sad story of Petrarch and
Laura, or Abelard and Heloise and of Beatrice
Cenci. The truthfulness as we'll as the pathos
of this idea is wonderfully wrought out and
fixed forever in Shakspeares Romeo and
Juliet" There seems to be sort of penalty
for being surprisingly beautiful Very few
women who have become famous because of
their beauty have lived TO a mature age of rea-
sonable contentmeut and happiness. Probably
the most beautiful woman known in this coun-
try during recent years was Matte 0uld, OF
Virginia. She was not only girl OF transcend
ent beauty OF face but of wondrously brilliant
intellect. Her father Robert Ould. was famous
during the war as commissioner for the eX-
change OF prisoners on the part OF the confede-
rate government. When a young man he was
district attorney for the District OF Columbia
and lived in Washington. He was a LAWYER of
much dignity and ability but the latter part of
his life was clouded by the defeat of the con-
federacy and the unhappy ending of his daugh-
ters life. She was the person more than any
other who gave White Sulphur Springs in Viz
GINA. great fame as a watering-pace. Some
times fashion resort owes its success to the
patronage of single person. 1t was largely,
if not entirely SO. in this instance.
Matte 0uld was the bright and smiling leader
OF a c0terIe oil young girls that grew up in Rich
mond Just after the war. They were the last aud
most famous representatives of a society of Yir-
glnia and the south that now seems to be we'll
nigh extinct They were at White sulphur dup
ing the summers of 1S12-73 and tbereabout.
No such assemhlages have since been seen
there, nor any like them be ever seen there or
elsewhere again. 1t was the last brilliant glow of
horn
passed into the realms of memory and of worth
mainly as a foundation upon whtchromancers of
the future may build. For three or four seasons
White Sulphur was the rallying place for that
limited number OF southern gentlemen and
ladies' whose fortunes had not been altogether
swept away by the war. Most of the men
had been distinguished officers in the con-
federate army, such as General Butler
General Gary, and General Hampton. OF
South Carolina: General Joe Johnston. Of Viz
gina; General Gordon. OF Georgia; General
Beauregard, of Louisiana. and dozens of
commanders Of lesser Tenown. Most OF them
We're yet in the vigor Of manhood and had
about them the fresh fame that had come
from their achievements on the battlefield.
The old south had not yet entirely faded
away. Many OF the opinions and prendices
held before the war were still entertained; the
herosm of Jackson. Lee and hundreds of
Others was theme of eXhaustless congratula-
ton; battles were fought anew and victories
We're won afresh. In this charmed circle al
most closed to people of the north. Matte Ould
was the acknowledged queen. She was the
belle of every great ball given at White Sui
phur for two or three seasons. And she Justly
earned the distinction given her OF all the
brilliantly beautiful women OF the sunny south
none have been her equal. Her company was
sought by every distinguished soldier and
statesman. Her presence was like magic
charm to every assemblage.
In voice. look. gesture, movement. every
thing. she was superatively attractive. She
was the realization to every man OF all that he
had ever in the widest stretches of his imagina-
ton pictured beautiful woman to be- Hair
that fell about her head and face and neck and
shoulders like golden cloud: eyes that were
great and luminous and appealing, that subdued
every beholder; such eyes under such wealth
o: hair: such cheeks of rose tint full and round;
neck OF perfect poise. graceful as the swan Is
and white and soft as the ns-down;a bosom
that rose and fell like the bosom of the sea- and
mouth that could but give some sweet utter
ance to charm every listener Whether in the
ballroom. at dinner. or in simple social
gathering of few close friends she was the
same unspeakably delightful creature. too
unearthiy to be touched by human hands
and too valuable prize for any one man,
whether he be the conqueror of a hundred
battteheids or statesman full of honors
All these came to her and bowed them
selves at her feet. No woman was ever
more completely the master of men, and many
one lives to-day to testify ia the sharpness OF
his grief at her refusal of his addresses But
a shadow comes suddenly and shuts out tor
ever all view OF this lovely girl. The sad
story OF her departure from her paternal root,
hasty marriage and untmely death will proba-
bly, never be told in fnll-and probably ought
not to be. Her own mother had died when she
was child, and just as she was coming to girl
hood her father married a second time and be-
tween her and her stepmother there arose an
irreconcilable feud. which embroiled even the
father. and at moment when she was piqued
and Inundated at some cruel word where there
ought have been expressed a kindlier sentiment
she left her home forever and consented to mar
rage more through a feeling of revenge than
the prompting of her own heart and Judgment
She made the fatal mistake of marrying q man
she did not love, and from the day she went to
live under his roof her spirit was broken, and
sne wited away like flower piucked by rude
hands In two years she had died still unrecon-
ciled to her father. and it was not long till he
had followed her, his heart having been COM
pletely crushed Dy the death of his beautiful
daughter. In this tragedy there wereno swords
OF pistols, nor was there poison, except that
poison that comes from bitter words uniustly
spoken and from a pledge Of love where no
love existed.
woman who belonged to time still more
recent than that OF Matte Ould and who had
almost as great fame for her beauty was Nellie
the society OF the south. but not Of that kind SO
distinctive aud pronounced as that Of which
Matte Guild was SO captivating representative
st. Louis is in the matter Of its social complex
ion southern city. Slaves were owned there
before the war, and the leading people there
came originally from Virginia and Kentucky.
Nellie HaZeitine was the daughter Of a once
wefl-to-do leather merchant Of st. Louis who
had large and handsome residence in fash
ionable part of the city. His daughter was
given good education and was always re-
garded as beautiful girl, but it was not until
1876 ana 1877 that she became famous through
out the country. She. like Matte Ould achieved
her great triumph at White Sulphur Springs In
Virginia, but IL was when that summer resort
had lost something Of the emphatic southern
flavor that characterized it three OF four
years before. Northern people had begun
to come, and southern people did not
flock there with the same unanimity 1t
was while spending a summer at White Sulphur
and Saratoga that the report originated that
Nellie HaZeltine and MIR. Samuel j. Tilden were
engaged to De married. While there never was
even thread of truth upon which to found
that report 1t served to make her more cele-
brated than she otherwise would have been, 1t
followed her to her grave and cIings to her men,
Ory. Nellie HaZeltine and Matte Guild were
both southern types of beauty. but were very
different in appearance, manner and DISPOSE
ton. The former was not so loveabe girl as
the latter that is, she was not so attractive to
men. Matte 0uld was Free Spontaneous. over
whelming. She had flow OF spirits, OF wit, OF
bright speech that bore down everything and
captured every listener. Not that alone but her
beauty was of the voluptuous kind not coarse
in the least degree, but insinuating and ever
lasting-a beauty that flashes out like the
warm. full-faced, over-mastering sun from