St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-03-01
ANIMATE oFTEwKsBURY.
The Remarkable Experience ola Beaatifa
French tcOnldn.

| The RenldrIcdbIe Experience OF u BedHtTHt
French ,cOnldn.
boston Special to New York World
Among the Americans who were abroad in
1876 was Frederick L. Hayden, son of the
late Hon. Joel Hayden and a nephew of ex-
Gov Talbot, of this State. He was connect
ed by marriage also with several of the aris-
tocratic families of Boston, and being finely
educated was looked upon at one time as one
of the rising men of the commonwealth.
In the year mentioned he was a widower,
| and being In poor health decided to visit
Switzerland. He travelled alone and the
money he needed was forwarded to him at
| Geneva through a banking house in this
city, his father having died and left him a
large portion Of his estate, which was valued
at about $500, 900. 1t consisted largely Of
real estate in Boston and Haydenville, a
small place in the State which took the fami-
ly name In Geneva Hayden met Nine.
Amelia Victorie Martin Houssaye, and died
in her home in that city. She is now an in
mate of Tewksbury Almshouse, and several
influential persons are engaged in an effort
to have her discharged from that institution.
A hearing for the purpose has begun before
the Committee on State Charities, and
though the facts in the case have until now
been kept out of print, the matter is awaken
ing great deal of interest.
The woman tells remarkable story. She
was born, she says, in small town near
Havre, France, and was educated in a con-
vent. Her father, whose name was Martin,
was well to do and gave her all she desired.
She fell in love with young man in another
town, but to please her parents married a
successful tradesman named Houssaye. On
the night of their wedding the young man
she wanted to marry became raving mani
ac, dying soon after as a result of his disap-
pointment. Houssaye took to the wine cup
and became a drunkard, and she was obliged
| to seek a separation from him in the French
courts A decree of separation was granted
| her. and by it the husband was obliged to
settle part of his property upon his wife.
| He continued to love her even after this step
was taken, and followed her from place to
place through France, and at last, to escape
him, she went to Geneva and there invested
her money in the wine business.
1t was while she was engaged in that bust
| mess that she met Hayden, who began at
| once to pay her attentions. She informed
him of the marriage and separations, but
notwithstanding he proposed matrimony,
saving that if an absolute divorce could not
| be obtained in Switzerland it could be in the
| United States AS she had become very much
attached to him it was finally agreed that
they should start for America i'll the fall of
| 1876. But before the fall arrived Hayden
| fell i'll with the cancer of the heart, and Nine.
Houssaye took care of him in her own house.
BY September it was evident that he would
die, SO on the 9th, by his own request, no
tary public was called in, and in the pres
ence of four witnesses Hayden made the fol-
lowing disposition of his property:
II institute for my only sole heiress in all
the estate which l shall leave upon my death,
Nine. Amelie Victorie Martin, wife of Hous-
saye, in gratitude for cares she has had for
me during my sickness and also because L
am widower without children and without
relatives in whom I can interest myself. L
revoke and annul all other testaments anter-
ior to this, intending that this shall be the
only one executed"
HAYDEN died on Sept. 10 and was buried
| by Nine. Houssaye at her own expense. The
will was submitted to the Bureau of Notaries
on the very day of his death. Copies of it
were obtained by her, certified to by the
then United States Consul, and armed with
the documents Nine. Houssaye came to Bos-
ton. She presented her claim to the Hayden
family and was straightway denounced as an
impostor engaged in a gigantic conspiracy to
swindle the family out of the property, which,
| by the way, had already been divided under
the provisions of the will Hayden had left
before going to Europe. The will, which be-
queathed the property to relatives and GER
tain benevolent institutions, was presented
for probate at northampton, this state. A
copy of the Geneva will was presented soon
afterwards. The woman was arrested in
December of the next year on the criminal
| charge of concealing personal property of
Hayden's, but the prosecution failed. Her
| money gave out and she got employment in
a French millinery store, but, she alleges,
her prosecutors brought such an influence to
bear upon the proprietor that she was dis
| missed.
At length news reached her of the death
of Houssaye, who left all his property to an
only child, now in France. She danced
with joy on receiving it, but soon afterward
| retired to her room, reappearing soon after
sad in manner and clad in deep mourning
From that day she appeared to be insane on
| the subject Of Hayden's property and went
about claiming possession of buildings in
Boston and Haydenville, also contracting
debts which she had charged to the estate.
After a while she was brought before the
Directors of Public Institutions charged with
insanity, and was sent to the Chardon Street
Home, subsequently to the Taunton Insane
asylum and finally to Tewlhsbury Almshouse.
The movement to have her discharged is
opposed by Frank Sanborn, of the Board of
Health, Lunacy and Charities, who, it is al
legged by some, is also acting in the interest
of the Hayden family, which claims that the
woman is an adventures and of bad charac-
ter. The Haydens say that Nine. Houssaye
was Fredericks mistress; that undue 1ntu-
ence was exercised over him, and that he
was in delirium tremens when the Geneva
| will was made. During the whole time the
woman was confined in the State institution
the matter has been sluInbering. There is
+ quite strong feeling in her favor, as it does
not appear clear why, if she is insane, she
should be keptinTewksbury and not in an in
sane asylum Should she be set at liberty
the old sore will doubtless be opened again
and the family placed in an unpleasant posi-
ton before the public. There is said to be
Some politics in the case also, and that ex-
Governor Butler thought seriously at one
time during the last campaign of presenting
THE case to the people along with his tanned
skin expose.
Mime. Houssaye is now close on to forty
yehrs of age, and notwithstanding her trials
she is still handsome woman.
TutuaJte as u Corpse.
Chaffee of Colorado is mad because he saw
an item in newspaper saying that he was
political corpse, and he now gives notice that
he will be Mr.. HiIrs successor in the United